Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Halloween at Tokyo Disneyland!

Here in Japan they have a concept called "cosplay" (costume play) in which people almost religiously dress up as their favorite characters from all sorts of films, shows, and books. It's taken to a whole new level at Tokyo Disneyland, when for two weeks in October anyone can dress up as anything Disney-related and go inside the park. I've never seen anything like it, not even in the states when the Disney parks have Halloween nights. 

My friend Mia and I decided to see it for ourselves on the weekend (the busier the better) and spent the day checking out all the people and taking pictures. The great thing about the Japanese is that they wanted us to take pictures of them; they happily posed for anyone who walked by with a camera, and even took group shots with people they didn't know who were dressed up as similar characters. 

These are some of my favorite shots from the day, and the rest of the pictures can be found on my Facebook:


Alice in Wonderland
Snow White's wishing well and the seven dwarves
Rapunzel's hair team and the guy who sells flags
The Sultan, the Emperor of China, and the King of Hearts
30th anniversary Chip and Dale

by far my absolute favorite, all the forms of Genie in the movie Aladdin!

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Time to Feel Japan

I basically haven't touched my blog since I've been in Japan. To be honest, there's so much to say that I couldn't possibly type it all out. Also due to my preference in keeping the Disney magic alive, there are a lot of stories I can expand upon if asked. That being said... I'm back :)


My plan for this blog in the next few months is to show just what Japan is like, or what I've seen of it thus far. In an effort to let everyone "feel Japan," I will be uploading video clips and a few pictures that show the true underlying essence of the culture that I've fallen in love with. 


I have a very short five and a half more months left here. My heart is already breaking with the knowledge that I have to leave, but in those last months I will be traveling to Kyoto (the old capital of Japan), having family and friends visit, helping to train a new cast, and getting ready for my next adventures. If you're willing to stay on this with me, I'll be sharing some of the lessons I've learned along the way (like that sleeping in public is completely acceptable, but eating isn't, or that slurping noodles loudly is a sign of appreciation for the food instead of an act of rudeness) and maybe share some of my favorite work stories :) 


Finally, I am so, so, so incredibly happy and blessed to be here. I'm reminded by it constantly in the people I meet, the smiles I see, the kisses that I'm lucky enough to have blown in my direction, the talented performers that I'm surrounded by, and in the wonderful apartment I have to come home to. This is a beautiful country, with sweet, happy people, and this year's experiences are irreplaceable. And I'm ready to start sharing them with the world. 








Hiking Mt. Fuji
Mumford and Sons concert
The Tokyo YSA's
Being an international EFY counselor
An indoor pool for 4th of July

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Since Being Here

I’m gonna try and do this really quick just cuz people keep asking me how things have been going in Tokyo and I’ve kinda just been brushing it off cuz I’m still adjusting to being here. There are some things that we’ve finally established patterns for, like putting my key card into its slot every time I come home so I can use the lights and water and heat (we live in smart apartments!), not eating in public while traveling or talking too loud on the train, and comparing yen to American dollars. And how, with a few minor exceptions, it’s been freezing cold and horribly bitter windy since we’ve gotten here. And how we’re always hungry cuz we walk everywhere. And how the sushi across the street from where we live is sometimes cheaper than anything else to eat. And how the dollar stores here are legit and have everything you could possibly need to live comfortably, and how the Japanese word I’ve use the most means “Thank you!” since the Japanese people are all so nice and polite, and how we absolutely suck at communicating with everyone.



my room decor

someone made me a beautiful welcoming sign :)

my adorable little bathroom that always makes me think I'm on a cruise ship when I step up into it

my little happy corner

So since I’ve been here… non-work-wise I’ve decorated my apartment nearly everyday to try and make it more homey and less like a hotel room. It’s a little studio apartment with a baby kitchen and a big bed and lots of space and I love it. We take the train everywhere, to work, Ikea, Costco, and neighboring cities. We’ve gone to see a few tourist-y locations already, and like singing karaoke to get to know each other better. I’m with about 40 others on our cast, and we’re so excited to be here :)  We’ve been recruited from across the U.S., Australia, and all over Europe so it’s really fun to hear us all talk. Also on the topic of non-work, my friend Erin and I were able to eat some In-N-Out the other day, while an INO team was visiting the country for a promo event and it was soooo good to get our hands on a decent burger.

they take over a local restaurant and set up shop for a day

so good to see my old manager Brian selling burgers again :)

Erin and I were so happy!

Work-wise, we’ve finally started training. We’re all doing different things so we all have training and rehearsals at different times but we like to play at night. I can’t give the magic away but it’s so fun, and so so soo magical :) We were able to see Fantasmic and the night parade the other night and they were incredible; I basically cried. There are two parks out here: Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea and TDS is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen! And the Arabian Coast is ginormous, I’m ever so excited to be spending so much of my time there. It also snowed that day, which made it ten times more magical. I'll put up pictures soon. .

The people here are wonderful, my cast and the Japanese, and so nice. I’m sorry if I’ve been awful at communicating, I won’t get a solid phone til the end of next month so for now it’s Facebook on my computer and my phone when I can get wifi, and then I’ll be able to get iMessages.

I wake up every morning and even though it's only been two weeks, it still blows my mind that I'm here and working for Tokyo Disney. Cray cray. I'm so humbled to work with and for the people I do. I really love the current cast here too, and it's going to be such a bummer to see them go in about a month but at the same time, we're all so excited to start working!


the same on every continent :)

in the middle of the city

 And I love my own cast already <3 and I miss everyone in the U.S. so so much! Most especially Wyatt Adam Kirk, Hannah Elizabeth Page, Gabriela Ruiz, and Katherine Emogen Orgill.

説明を追加

people here are so funny sometimes. They probs make fun of us in Japanese, it's ok

taking our suitcases to Costco cuz we had so much to get and had to take the train there and back

these people are so fab

miss my Hannaharicgabby

the morning I left

Thank heavens for Skype

love these people too much  xxxxxxooooooo

Friday, February 1, 2013

The Scariest Thing I've Ever Done

I've done some pretty scary things. Sky-diving. Giant colossal swings. Touching sharks. Haunted houses (ugh). Falling, getting hurt. Getting back up. Starting over. Hoping. Praying. Moving. This is one of those things. The fear is starting to hit me, of a million different things. And I thought I understood my heart and head, but big shifts in life like this really make you question if everything you thought you thought is actually what you think you thought it was. A little Dr. Seuss verbage for thought :)

I'm moving my whole entire being to Tokyo, Japan for 14 months. To work for the Oriental Land Company, the corporation that owns Tokyo Disney. I will be spending my time doing what I love- making children of all ages happy, and in turn making myself happy.

Opportunities like this are extremely few and far between. I've been given this gift for a reason, and I intend to find and fulfill that purpose. Like Princess Jasmine, I'm about to have my first day in the marketplace. Like the gypsy Esmeralda, I know that we all are the children of God. And like Pocahontas, who follows her heart so freely and goes wherever the wind takes her, I know my path. So now I'm following it.

Boarding a plane for a 13-hour flight next Sunday, it's gonna be an adventure. But as my dear compatriot Nekisa once said, "We'll basically have the time of our lives."