Mickey Mouse fans 'over the moon' as Tokyo Disney reopens

ORIENTAL LAND

01/07/2020 08:56

By Akira Tomoshige
    TOKYO, July 1 (Reuters) - Tokyo Disney Resort welcomed
visitors on Wednesday for the first time in four months after
being closed due to the coronavirus, with fans practicing social
distance as they returned to see Mickey Mouse and other beloved
characters.
    Visitors in face masks queuing on floor marks clapped as the
gates of the Magic Kingdom reopened, and were encouraged to
clean hands, pay without cash and avoid screaming while enjoying
one of Japan's largest theme parks.
    The resort will operate at a 50% capacity for the
foreseeable future, while parades and shows remain suspended.
But the new norm did not dampen the enthusiasm of Disney lovers
like university student Momoka Mitsui.
    "I'm over the moon just to be able to get inside
Disneyland," said the 18-year old who visited the park with a
friend, both sporting face masks and matching Mickey Mouse
headbands.
    Tokyo, which has seen the highest number of coronavirus
cases in Japan, allowed amusement parks to reopen in mid-June -
later than those in some other regions - after the government
lifted the national state of emergency in late May. 
    Other precautions being taken to protect against the disease
at the park include temperature screening and the mandatory use
of face masks, according to operations procedures published on
the Tokyo Disney Resort's website last week.
    Staff members are also asking guests to refrain from
screaming loudly on rides, in accordance with guidelines first 
published by Japan's main amusement park associations in May.
    Masahiko Endo, a 37-year-old care worker from Tokyo, said he
agreed with the decision to limit the number of guests entering
the park located some 15 kilometres away from central Tokyo.
    "I hope the pandemic will be contained soon, so that Disney
can go back to being a place anyone can visit," he said,
clinching a Duffy the Disney Bear toy.
    Tokyo Disney Resort, consisting of both Tokyo Disneyland and
Tokyo DisneySea, is the third Disney-themed park globally to
reopen following the coronavirus pandemic, according to operator
Oriental Land  4661.T .
    It attracted over 32.5 million visitors annually in 2018 and
had sales of 437 billion yen ($4.06 billion) in fiscal 2019.
($1 = 107.6400 yen)

 (Reporting by Akira Tomoshige and Hideto Sakai; Writing by
Sakura Murakami; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
 ((Sakura.Murakami@thomsonreuters.com;))