Hello  Mariko

It was good meeting you on the flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo. I hope your week in Tokyo went well and you are now enjoying time with your family  before returning to Melbourne.

I'm sure you remember when we arrived at Narita the wind and rain was bad and didn't let up until I arrived at Disney at 9.00am.

They took my bags and I bought my tickets, put my rain cover on and decided to make the best of it. Luckily the rain was easing and in fact for the rest of the morning it only rained in short bursts.

The wind was the problem and all the outdoor rides were closed, parades and fireworks cancelled. 　I have never seen Tokyo Disney so empty. 　Practically everything operating was a walk on apart from Space Mountain and Monster Inc which were 40 mins wait (usually 60 – 100+ mins) so I caught up with rides I don't normally bother with like IT'S A SMALL WORLD, PETER PAN, PINOCCHIO etc while The Haunted Mansion which is usually 60mins + was a walk on so did that two or three times.

By 1.00pm the wind started to ease and by 2.00pm they were opening the outdoor rides so by the end of the day I had been on nearly every ride or in every show operating. From Tuesday until I left on Friday every day was hot, sunny with blue skies. And the crowd levels were back to normal.

　Both parks are ready for Halloween which included special parades and shows, cast members giving away sweets if you say Trick or Treat to them and dyeing food items black to make them look spooky. Whole menus were given a Halloween theme. Had a great time at Disney Sea Park riding Journey to the Center of the Earth as many times as possible. Their version of Fantasmic is brilliant and totally different to the versions at Disneyland and Disney World USA. 　I met up again with the waitress who I've seen on every trip since 2006. 　It was great seeing her again. Also one of the Bell Services cast members at the Hotel remembered me from last year and it was great meeting up with her again.

　 It is amazing how friendly and helpful all the cast members are regardless of how much English they speak.

They really help make Tokyo Disney number one for me!

  Duffy Bear was of cause everywhere but I have become confused by one thing. Had always assumed Duffy was a boy bear but noticed this year some owners are dressing him up in girls clothing and the shops are also selling a choice of gender clothing. I worry he may become confused and suffer serious identity problems later in life. Perhaps Mickey should arrange counselling for him.

I plan to return to HK and Tokyo next year but in the meantime have a trip to Disney World Florida booked for next May and plan to visit Disney Paris either before or just after Christmas.

Best wishes

Alan