Tsune Noguchi, "Light and Shadow of the 'Kingdom of Dreams': The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland" Summary and Comments - A masterpiece of nonfiction at its most exciting!
I would like to introduce "Light and Shadow of the Kingdom of Dreams: The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland" by Tsune Noguchi, published by CCC Media House, Inc. in 1991. I read the book on Kindle, edition published in 2013.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
A drama of passionate men who overcame numerous setbacks, struggles, and failures to realize an incredible dream. This is a nonfiction book that clearly depicts the 23 years leading up to the birth of Tokyo Disneyland.
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I picked up this book by Tetsuo Arima, which I mentioned in my last post.The Disneyland Story: LA-Florida-Tokyo-Paris.was the catalyst.
The book explained the flow of Disneyland from the first Disneyland that opened in California in 1955 to Florida, Tokyo, and Paris, and this book, "Light and Shadow of the 'Kingdom of Dreams': The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland," was introduced in the book.
The story behind the bid to bring Tokyo Disneyland to Japan was so interesting that I picked up this book to learn more about the story.
And it hit the jackpot! It was a tremendously interesting masterpiece.
The author states the following about this book in the introduction
Speaking of Tokyo Disneyland, it is easy to focus only on the glamorous and glittering front stage of the project, which has been blessed by the gods and the earth. However, the heart of this project lies in the many serious and intense human dramas played out behind the scenes.
It is said that projects born after much opposition and difficult births grow more robust, and the latter part of this project clearly illustrates this point.
Tokyo Disneyland was Disney's first foray overseas, and at the same time, Japan's first full-scale theme park. The significance of this was enormous.
Tokyo Disneyland not only brought revolutionary changes to Japan's existing amusement parks and leisure industry, but also had a profound impact on the lifestyle and consumer culture of the Japanese people. The year 1983 was called the "first year of leisure. Since that time, many Japanese have shifted from being worker bees who "seek fulfillment in their work" to valuing a leisure-oriented lifestyle that "enjoys life" by making more use of their own leisure time.
The opening of Tokyo Disneyland on April 15, 1983 was a symbolic event that anticipated the arrival of the full-fledged leisure era.
This book is a document of the dramatic 13-year history of the construction of Tokyo Disneyland, from the planning of the project to its actual completion, with many twists and turns, based mainly on interviews and testimonies from those involved. I began this report with a great interest in the fact that, at a time when Japan was just beginning its rapid economic growth, a project was already underway to attract and build Disneyland in anticipation of the coming of the full-fledged leisure time era. However, as I continued my research, I realized that the interest of this project lay not only in the details of the project, but also in the human drama surrounding the dreams and passion, setbacks and failures, conflicts and confrontations, courage and determination, and good fortune and success of the many people who worked to attract and build Disneyland, and this is what I set the goal of this book as.
CCC Media House, Inc. and Tsune Noguchi, "Light and Shadow of the Kingdom of Dreams: The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland," Kindle, 2013 edition, p. 2-5.
Rather, the heart of the project lies in the many serious and intense human dramas played out behind the scenes."
This is exactly what happened. There was tremendous human drama involved in the opening of Tokyo Disneyland. I, too, was amazed by this book.
And as the above quote shows, Japan was at a time when the concept of leisure was beginning to emerge as a result of the country's rapid economic growth. This book is also a fascinating opportunity to learn about these trends of the times.
And in the "Conclusion" of this bookInteresting prophecywas preached.
Chiharu Kawasaki and Ryusuke Sugaya, in their bid to bring Disneyland to Japan, said, "It should be a dead copy, exactly as it is. If it is a dead copy, it will succeed. And their prediction proved to be spot on. They believed that it was more important to import the real entertainment culture (Disney culture) of the U.S., the home of Disneyland, and to experience and absorb it, rather than to arrange it in Japan, which did not have a unique and genuine entertainment culture.
However, it is hard to believe that Japanese consumers will remain satisfied with the daisy-copy culture forever. Japanese people have been actively experiencing different things and cultures, absorbing (consuming) them voraciously, and creating something new and unique. The current Japanese youth, in particular, have such energy and ability. In this sense, I am very interested to see how they will greedily absorb Tokyo Disneyland, which they directly imported as a dead copy, and create a new entertainment culture that fits their own leisure life and consumer culture.
Tokyo Disneyland will probably change in the future. Based on the universal culture of Disney, it is likely to be transformed into a "Japanese Disneyland" that fits the Japanese consumer culture and lifestyle.
Walt Disney said, "Disneyland is something that will never be completed. It is something that can be constantly developed and added to. In this sense, the real drama of building Tokyo Disneyland by Japanese people in response to changes in Japan's consumer society and lifestyle is just beginning. A Disney culture and entertainment culture different from that of the U.S. will be created in Japan.
CCC Media House, Inc. and Tsune Noguchi, "Light and Shadow of the Kingdom of Dreams: The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland," Kindle, 2013 edition, p. 292-293.
I suspect Tokyo Disneyland will change in the future."
This book was published in 1991, and this prophecy will come true indeed.
Tokyo Disneyland has undergone a unique change from its home in the U.S., and has become so Japanized that it is now being referred to as de-Disneyized. This was written by Katsuya Arai, who has been featured on this blog before.The Sociology of Disneyland: The De-Disneyization of TDR.(published 2016).
This book will examine from various perspectives why Tokyo Disneyland has taken a unique route that is different from the original, and why its operating profit continues to grow despite taking a different route. This is interesting!
In particular, the episode of Duffy's birth is a must-see. Duffy's existence has always been a mystery to me, too, but reading this book made me think, "Oh! I see!" I couldn't help but groan when I read this book. I was surprised that there was such a background. I was surprised to learn that there was a unique Japanese situation here as well.
This book explains exactly what Mr. Tsune Noguchi predicted, and I highly recommend that you read it as a set.
The Light and Shadow of the Kingdom of Dreams: The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland" is very exciting. It is extremely interesting! It is as realistic as if you are watching a movie. I would love to see this movie made into a live-action film. Recently, Disney movies seem to be struggling at the box office, but if this drama, which describes the behind-the-scenes of the bid to bring Tokyo Disneyland to Japan, is perfectly recreated, I think quite a few people would be interested in it. It is that interesting. I think it would be even more perfect if it were made in the style of "Naoki Hanzawa. This nonfiction story is so tumultuous and thrilling that it could be told in that worldview without any discomfort at all.
I think this book will stick not only with those interested in Disney, but also with business people who are trying to start something. The passion and energy, the tenacity and resourcefulness, and the behind-the-scenes stories of how they turned things around in one fell swoop, make this book an unforgettable read. I read through the book in one sitting. It is a very good work. There is no doubt about it.
I highly recommend this work. Why not pick up a copy?
The above is "Tsune Noguchi's "Light and Shadow of the Kingdom of Dreams: The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland" - The Most Exciting Nonfiction Masterpiece! The above is "Tsune Noguchi's Light and Shadow of the Kingdom of Dreams: The Men Who Created Tokyo Disneyland!
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