Official "Eterno" Showpage Online!

The Official TDR Site has opened their showpage (in Japanese only) for Porto Paradiso Water Carnival Eterno (photo courtesy of Disney). This slightly-modified version will be performed twice a day, once during the day and once at night, for the final 4 weeks of the show. It is expected to have more pyrotechnic effects than the current regular daytime show.

Porto Paradiso Water Carnival premiered in September 2001 for the opening of Tokyo DisneySea. It has undergone various changes since then including deleting some segments, changing choreography, adding Japanese narration and converting song lyrics into mainly Japanese. The 25-minute show features the Magnificent Seven Disney characters and over 100 performers. This, by the way, is (was?) my favorite regular show at TDS.

The Voice from Above

One of the things I love when visiting TDR is hearing the public announcements before a parade or show begins. Call me crazy, but it is part of the park atmosphere that gets me excited. I can't explain very well. The "Voice of Disneyland" will always be Jack Wagner, but for the last few years, I've always considered this other voice the "Voice of Tokyo Disneyland."

Here in Tokyo, they are done in Japanese and English. The "oshirase" in Japanese are done by a former TDL Ambassador from 1986, Hiroko Igarashi. However, in English, they are done by American Kevin Common (photo courtesy of InterFM). He works as a DJ at a popular English-language radio station here, InterFM. He also has regular podcasts via the station's official site. So, for those of you that have visited TDL and want a nostalgic reminder, download and enjoy!

More Space for "Omiyage"

The walls came down at the intersection of Main Street and Center Street to reveal the renovation of the Park's biggest shop. Now called World Bazaar Confectionary, this store (click on picture for larger view) expanded over the previous locations of Camera Center, Movie Premiere Showcase and The Disney Collection. The shop features rows of sweets in tin cans and decorated boxes. You'll also get to see the new checkout counters, which makes it look like an airport check-in counter. According to reports, this is the store with the highest sales inside the Park. "Omiyage" (souvenirs) are extremely popular gift items for Park visitors.

In the last two-plus years, the left side and right side of Main Street have had two "supershops" created, but have lost four stores and one attraction, Main Street Cinema. Our showpage with lots more photos will be up later today.