Disney, Part 2

I've been trying to think more about why Tokyo Disney was so strange. I think Tokyoites view it as an American theme park...something they visit to see American culture, which is presented as boisterous, wild, rough, and kind of crude. It would be like the reverse of Americans maybe visiting a Japanese garden, to get a sense of order, quiet, and reserve. But human behavior adds an uneasy element to this. Americans might like the Japanese garden experience, but would act "American" there, and might be unnerved to see an American acting "Japanese." At Tokyo Disney, something like this seemed evident. One could see Japanese people comfortably interacting with characters, like Goofy, who must come across as the epitome of an American: big, somewhat unreal, somewhat ridiculous, playful and loud.

And one might sit next to the burnt-out tepee on Tom Sawyer's island, and still feel serene. (Here, what I imagine to be three generations, with grandmother in kimono, daughter in Disney gear, and granddaughter biding time.)
Disney headgear was really common, and not just with kids (like below). My favorite moment was seeing a middle-aged man, with gold chains and tanktop, sitting on a parkbench with Minnie Mouse ears and a little bow on top. Not a moment when I could take a photo, though.

Here, mass transit, American-style, on the raft to Tom Sawyer's island.
But the really challenge seems to come when Japanese people see other Japanese people acting American. A couple of times, we saw groups of people silent, maybe astonished, as Japanese Disney employees acted like "Americans," loudly reciting their scripts and laughing artificially. This comes through in some of the pictures of Disney employees below. Not this one,
But you can see it here, I think.