Land of the Rising Mickey
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I've also observed that, ironically, many of the changes made to imported ideas are the result of an attempt to reproduce them exactly. For example, Tokyo Disneyland is extremely manual oriented. Interestingly, manuals were virtually unheard of in Japan before McDonald's set up operation there in 1972. Despite it's relatively brief history in Japan, the manual system has been adopted with as much zeal as, well, Mickey Mouse.

As one would expect, at TDL there are manuals which dictate the proper way to operate attractions and other operational procedures, but there are also manuals which specifically define what a cast member should say and do when dealing with guests. There is no leeway given for situations which may fall outside the norm. And the training given to cast members at TDL University regarding cast member/guest interaction is strictly followed - with pride.

I feel such a strict adherence to the manual system, much stricter that at the other Disney parks, succeeds in it's goal of maintaining an extremely high level of quality and consistency, but I also feel it has it's drawbacks, particularly when compared to the park I'm most familiar with - Disneyland in California.

I've found the Cast Members at Disneyland to be appreciably more geared to and concerned with individual guest happiness than those at Tokyo Disneyland. The long-standing policy of Total Guest Satisfaction (TGS) at Disneyland, despite it's occasional abuse at the expense of some Cast Memeber's morale and sometimes even safety, has lead to a workforce culture that has one over-riding goal - guest happiness. In (very) short, TGS is an over-all philosophy in which it's every Cast Member's responsibility to ensure that every guest is having the most enjoyable experience possible. It often comes into play when a guest has experienced some form of disappointment.

 In contrast, the amount of empowerment given to Cast Members at Tokyo Disneyland is effectively nonexistent. That's not to say that they won't go out of their way to aid a guest with a problem, but, if the problem isn't covered in the manual all a Cast Member can do is call a manager, who will very likely not be in a position to help them.

Yes, the Cast Members at TDL are exceptionally polite and their morale is very high (it's generally much higher than at Disneyland, in my observation) but, where the best Cast Members at Disneyland tend to gain their motivation from making connections with individual guests, CMs at Tokyo Disneyland tend to gain theirs from following the manual to the letter in an effort to be a living embodiment of "The Disney Way".

Well, there's the sort of stuff that catches my interest. I hope you'll enjoy, as much as I do, exploring the cultural differences that make Tokyo Disneyland (and the soon to be Tokyo Disney Resort!!) a very different place from it's American counterparts.

Jikai made - Ogenki de!
(Until next time - Take care!)

-- Marc Borrelli

© Marc Borrelli and LaughingPlace.com. All rights reserved

-- Posted September 5, 2000