Mickey Mouse made one of his first appearances in Japan representing (as he so often does) American hegemony. He was an evil Mickey, leading a cartoon assault on the homeland meant to represent the result of Japan’s pullout from the League of Nations. Through the years, however, Japan’s Mickey softened, grew more lovable, and into somewhat of a sensation. The timing seemed ripe for the Oriental Land Company, with several acres of pristine land near Tokyo Harbor, to open up their own version of Disneyland.

On this day, April 15, in 1983 Tokyo Disney, the first Disney theme park to open outside the United States, let in its first guests. Similar to the two American resorts it had five lands: World Bazaar, Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.

The OLC were initially rebuffed by Disney where pitching their idea, but pushed through by assuming all the risk. They financed construction on their own, and paid Disney for licensing – 10 per cent of all admissions and 5 percent of all merchandise and concessions sales. To make the park more appealing to Japanese visitors, they made some subtle adjustments, for instance, putting a canopy over the open-air World Bazaar. Tokyo, unlike California and Florida, was frequently rainy, with an occasional typhoon.