Tokyo Disneyland - Case Study Example

Chapter Problem and its Background Introduction Tokyo Disneyland opened in April 1983, with its staff heavily involved in the promotions andintegrating the park' theme, it has been a huge success, with currently around 14 million visitors per year, and has spawned a large number of alternative theme parks in Japan. It is unashamedly American in orientation at the request of the Japanese. Tokyo Disneyland was built to preserve the American flavor as much as possible. There are some differences from the American parks: there are more covered-in areas because of the less benign weather than in Florida and southern California; there is no Nautilus submarine for example there are 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at Disney World) because of Japanese concerns about nuclear weapons; Hall of Presidents is replaced by an animated history of Japan, sponsored by Matsushita, makers of Panasonic electrical goods; the World Bazaar has replaced Main Street, USA as the main shopping area; and there is a Japanese restaurant for older visitors (Bordern, 1992). Background of the Study Even though, there is still a taste of the American culture in Tokyo Disneyland, they still appeal to be deep-seated Japanese passions as cleanliness, order, outstanding service and technological wizardry. Tokyo Disneyland is so successful and admired because of the Disney's approach to training and management (Business Week, 2000); other Japanese firms are known for this. Disney attributes of cleanliness, quality, and so on are so central to the Japanese mind-set that Disneyland 'is arguably the most Japanese institution in the United States. The synchrony between the Disney approach and Japanese preferences, coupled with the small differences from the US parks. As with Tokyo Disneyland, there are subtle concessions to the local culture and conditions. Objectives of the Study The main purpose of this study is to examine the success of Tokyo Disneyland in terms of culture, compared to other Disneyland theme parks globally. Particularly, this study aimed to meet the following: 1. To determine how the promote Disneyland to Japanese market and other regions even if there is still a touch of American culture. 2. To recognize how the differences of Tokyo Disneyland to other Disneyland theme parks in terms of the participation of staff. 3. To recognize how the differences of Tokyo Disneyland to other Disneyland theme parks in terms of the themes and features of the park. 4. To examine the visitor statistics of Tokyo Disneyland. 5. To know how Tokyo Disneyland maintain the Japanese culture in the park. Statement of the Problem The study intends to investigate the success of Tokyo Disneyland in terms of culture, compared to other Disneyland theme parks. Specifically the study intends to answer the following questions: 1. How does the management of Tokyo Disneyland promote the park to the Japanese market even if there is still a touch of American culture 2. What are the differences of Tokyo Disneyland to other Disneyland theme parks in terms of the participation of staff 3. What are the differences of Tokyo Disneyland to other Disneyland theme parks in terms of the themes and features of the park 4. How does Tokyo Disneyland maintain the Japanese culture in the park Conceptual Framework / Theoretical Framework This study will apply the input-process-output (IPO) framework. Originating form the Industrial Revolution, the IPO model has been applied to various fields-from manufacturing to communications to computer programming. (Harris & Taylor, 1997) The IPO model is a design of how different input, intermediate, and output variables form causal relationships in a system. (Walliman, 2001) In the IPO model, a process is viewed as a series of boxes (processing elements) connected by inputs and outputs. Information or material objects flow through a series of tasks or activities based on a set of rules or decision points. (Walliman, 2001) Flow charts and process diagrams are often used to represent the process. (Walliman, 2001) What goes in is the input; what causes the change is the process; what comes out is the output. (Walliman, 2001) Figure 1.1 illustrates the basic IPO model: Figure 1.1 Input-Process-Output Model The inputs are the literature and studies that have been reviewed and related to this study, and the data that were acquired through the descriptive research and the questionnaire technique (survey method). These acquired data were then analyzed and interpreted using a statistical formula. The IPO model will provide the general structure and guide for the direction of the study. Substituting the variables of this study on the IPO model, the researcher came up with the following: Figure 1.2 Conceptual Framework INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT OUTPUT Significance of the Study This study would be beneficial to the management of Tokyo Disneyland and other theme parks. This may provide information on the best way of how to make their theme parks more marketable. Also, this study may provide recommendations on how to motivate their employees so they will perform better. Further, this study may provide an understanding for the general public on how to maintain their own culture even if Western culture penetrated their own culture already just like what Tokyo Disneyland did. Scope and Limitation This research venue for this study will be in Japan only, specifically, in the vicinity of Tokyo Disneyland. However, related literature and studies cited for this study came from different parts of the globe so as to draw a more clear description regarding the theme park, although, the research methods will rely on the relevant literature. This research work was limited financially due to other expenses and projects / activities outside this study. Time was limited, too, due to other obligations apart from the study. Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature The Disney theme parks, then, are closely connected with the middle class. Targeting the parks at the middle class served to act as a strategy of product differentiation (to establish their difference from the conventional amusement park) and to attract the most affluent sections of the population. The latter would be most likely to own cars on which Disneyland was heavily dependent and they would be more likely to afford the price of admission and to spend heavily once in the park. They would also be less likely to engage in the kind of boisterous behavior which would destroy the ambience of the parks as regions for family entertainment. As will be seen, many of the features of the Disney theme parks which will be explored below were designed to dovetail with the world-view of the middle class (Graves, 1992). This occurred in two ways. First, many of the parks' features were designed to appeal to a middle-class audience (their cleanliness, safety, concern for the visitor). Second, many of the motifs to be explored below affirmed the middle-class world view. The parks provided an image of a Utopia that is not only congruent with middle-class values; the Utopia is middle-class America. A very obvious influence on Japanese theme parks is that of Walt Disney, for they have almost all developed since Tokyo Disneyland became popular and successful. Indeed, the year in which it opened, 1983, has in Japan been dubbed reja gannen, or 'the first year of leisure'. The features of several parks, such as parades, pirates, and 'characters', were related to the Disney idea, and interviews with business managers of any of the parks make reference to the almost legendary financial prosperity of Tokyo Disneyland. Its turnstile figures in 1993 exceeded those of any of the original Disney parks by at least 25%, and in that year they apparently came close to the aggregate takings for all the other Japanese parks put together. Walt Disney is also credited with inventing the notion of the 'theme park', intended as an improvement on the 'amusement parks' that preceded them, with which they are however still often confused, at least in Britain. In Japanese analyses of the phenomenon, the origin is discussed seriously, relating the term 'theme' to its Greek etymology and musical connections, carefully explaining the Disney idea of creating a three-dimensional world in which a visitor may participate, and noting that the 'magical world beyond time and space' is open to adults and children alike. Japanese 'tma pku' still display these features, and the influence is clear (Hopkins, 2003). The Disney phenomenon is much bigger than the theme park industry, however, and it could be seen as a prime component of the globalization or Americanization of leisure. Along with McDonald's and Coca Cola, Disney is a household name from Tashkent to Timbuktu, and children growing up in all but the most isolated of places are familiar with Mickey Mouse and his friends (Kleege, 1991). However, a collection of papers about McDonald's in five East Asian countries have identified considerable local variation in the representations of the Golden Arches, and the anthropological study of Tokyo Disneyland suggests that this version of the American park merits a rather different approach. The influence of Walt Disney on the development of 'theme parks'; indeed, it will set his contribution in a wider context by looking at a couple of other early examples of the genre. We shall thus continue to pursue the last chapter's objective of laying a global and historical foundation for examining the Japanese case, as well as shedding light on the adoption in Japan of the term tma pku. Some of the general theories put forward to account for the Disney phenomenon will also be examined, and, in the last section, the focus will turn to Tokyo Disneyland in order to assess the extent to which these theories apply cross-culturally, as well as to introduce the relationship of Tokyo Disneyland to other Japanese parks (Mathiason, 2003). The Tokyo version of Disneyland is situated on a section of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, close to Urayasu, Chiba prefecture. Entrance to the complex is a short walk along a shop- and flag-bedecked passageway from the local station, apparently only about 20 minutes from Tokyo Station. The layout is very reminiscent of the American versions of Disneyland, with a central castle, a 'funnel' street at the entrance, and a series of 'lands' featuring different themes. It is also spotlessly clean, creates the atmosphere of a 3-D film set, and provides amusement to fill at least a day with diversion, even for hard-nosed academics who protest that they were initially dragged along by their families. Chapter 3 Research Methodology This chapter shall discuss the research methods available for the study and what is applicable for it to use. Likewise, the chapter shall present how the research will be implemented and how to come up with pertinent findings. Basically, methodologies are outlooks on research; they set out an image for what research is and how it should be carried out. In addition, axioms and methods are connected to each other (Wallman and Baiche, 2001). Methods are tools or techniques of gathering of data, techniques of analysis, and techniques of writing. Since it is a tool, then a scrupulous method can often be used by many different methodologies (both qualitative and quantitative). Therefore, methodologies are at a more abstract (or general) level than are methods. Apparently, Creswell (1994) defined 'methodology' as a strategy or plan for achieving some goal. In contrast to this, methods are the tactics that can be used to service the goals of the methodology. In essence, methodologies provide the blueprints that prescribe how the tools should be used. Those prescriptions can be traced to the axioms -- beliefs about how research should be conducted. According to Creswell (1994), all research will possibly involve categorical or numerical data or data that can be use for analysis to help the researcher answer the research questions. In connection to this, Creswell (1994) defined quantitative as a type of empirical knowledge. Actually, qualitative data are described in expressions of quality. Qualitative is the converse of quantitative, which more precisely describes data in terms of quantity (that is, using 'formal' numerical measurement). The study shall be using the descriptive research method. It uses observation. In this method, it is possible that the study would be cheap and quick. It could also suggest unanticipated hypotheses. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to rule out alternative explanations and especially infer causations. This descriptive type of research will utilize observations in the study. To illustrate the descriptive type of research, Creswell (1994) will guide the researcher when he stated: Descriptive method of research is to gather information about the present existing condition. The purpose of employing this method is to describe the nature of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the cause/s of particular phenomena. The researcher opted to use this kind of research considering the desire of the researcher to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study. The research described in this document is based solely on qualitative research methods. This permits a flexible and iterative approach. During data gathering the choice and design of methods are constantly modified, based on ongoing analysis. This allows investigation of important new issues and questions as they arise, and allows the investigators to drop unproductive areas of research from the original research plan. The primary source of data will come from published articles from tourism and theme parks studies. For this research design, the researcher will gather data, collate published studies from different local and foreign universities and articles from tourism journals; and make a content analysis of the collected documentary and verbal material. Afterwards, the researcher will summarize all the information, make a conclusion based on the null hypotheses posited and provide insightful recommendations on the opinions of experts in the tourism industry. Secondary Research Technique From the word itself, secondary research is definitely easier and less-expensive compared to the primary research method since the information might already be available somewhere. For example, it could be in a public or private library. Since the information the researcher needs might exist already, there is no particular method that needs to be used to gather information. But rather, the place to look for the information is the primary concern here. A start would be to search the different libraries around the neighborhood. Next, the researcher could try publication companies, newspapers, magazines and books could also be a good source of data. Secondary data are usually considered to be supporting details to the research effort. Method of Research to be Used There are three kinds of research methods, correlational, experimental and descriptive. (Walliman and Baiche, 2001) The correlational kind of research method is used due to ethical problems with experiments. Moreover, it is also used due to practical problems with experiments. Moreover, inferring causality from correlation not actually impossible, but very difficult. This mode of study is widely applicable, cheap, and usually ethical. Nonetheless, there exist some "third variable" issues and measurement problems. The correlational research refers to studies in which the purpose is to discover relationships between variables through the use of correlational statistics (r). The square of a correlation coefficient yields the explained variance (r-squared). A correlational relationship between two variables is occasionally the result of an outside source, so we have to be careful and remember that correlation does not necessarily tell us about cause and effect. If a strong relationship is found between two variables, using an experimental approach can test causality. On the other hand, the experimental method is the only method that can be used to establish cause-and-effect relationships. (Creswell, 1994) That is, it is the only one that can be used to explain the bases of behaviour and mental processes. In this method, the subjects are split into two (or more) groups. One group, called the experimental group gets the treatment that the researcher believes will cause something to happen (this treatment is formally called the independent variable). The experimental and control groups are compared on some variable that is presumed to reflect the effects of the treatment, or outcome. This is formally referred to as the dependent variable. And lastly, the descriptive research method uses observation and surveys. In this method, it is possible that the study would be cheap and quick. It could also suggest unanticipated hypotheses. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to rule out alternative explanations and especially infer causations. Thus, this study will use the descriptive approach. This descriptive type of research will utilize observations in the study. To illustrate the descriptive type of research, Creswell (1994) will guide the researcher when he stated: Descriptive method of research is to gather information about the present existing condition. The purpose of employing this method is to describe the nature of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study and to explore the cause/s of particular phenomena. The researcher opted to use this kind of research considering the desire of the researcher to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study. The research described in this document is partly based on quantitative research methods. This permits a flexible and iterative approach. During data gathering the choice and design of methods are constantly modified, based on ongoing analysis. This allows investigation of important new issues and questions as they arise, and allows the investigators to drop unproductive areas of research from the original research plan. This study also employs qqualitative research method, since this research intends to find and build theories that would explain the relationship of one variable with another variable through qualitative elements in research. These qualitative elements does not have standard measures, rather they are behavior, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs. Furthermore, as we define the qualitative research it is multimethod in focus, involving an interpretative, naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Accordingly, qualitative researchers deploy a wide range of interconnected methods, hoping always to get a better fix on the subject matter at hand. Chapter 4 Data Analysis There have been several studies of Tokyo Disneyland, all of which adopt a similar broad interpretation. Each in their own way, they use their material to argue against the idea, also expressed by a few Japanese academics who spurn the place, that it is an example of the globalization, or Americanization, of world leisure. They reject the view that the Japanese park is a prime example of a process of Western hegemony or cultural imperialism that might hypothetically be called Disneyfication (McGrath, 1994). The authors have diverse attitudes to the generally 'postmodern' theory they see themselves opposing, but, in a nutshell, the de-contextualization, touched on above, is replaced by a much greater degree of Japanese context. The commoditized cultural artifacts of Disneyland are re-contextualized in Japanese terms at Tokyo Disneyland' and the notion of 'cultural flow' in which 'cultural acquisition is a slow, highly selective, and contextually-dependent matter, Tokyo Disneyland, superficially the epitome of Americanization, completely repudiates the notion of Americanization as the dead remnant of modernization theory (Raz, 1999). The historical analogy of black ships to stand for globalization, using an image of the American vessels that forced the closed country of Japan to open its ports in the nineteenth century if Disneyland is a black ship, 'then it is the Japanese who are riding and steering it, not the Americans. Tokyo Disneyland is in fact owned by the Japanese 'Oriental Land Company', and when discussions about building it were first mooted, it is said that the Walt Disney corporation suggested including some local modifications, such as 'Samurai Land', or shows based on Japanese folk tales, to convert the American dream to a Japanese one (Raz, 1999). The new owners were having none of it, however, and they claim they were determined to copy, as faithfully as possible, the original model. 'We really tried to avoid creating a Japanese version', a spokesman proclaimed, 'We wanted the Japanese visitors to feel they were taking a foreign vacation by coming here, and to us Disneyland represents the best that America has to offer'. There are, however, a number of crucial differences, which lend themselves to further analysis (O' Brien, 2002). First of all, an exception to the determination to copy faithfully was made in the case of two American attractions. Excluded were the Presidents' Hall, apparently just too American, and a Submarine Trip, because of references to nuclear power, about which Japanese visitors are (understandably) 'allergic'. Instead, a new attraction, 'Meet the World', was devised, which relates a history of Japanese encounters with the outside world. It is apparently not at all popular, according to this Japanese analysis, because it breaks the image for the Japanese visitor of being in America. There are also many less obvious changes. The entrance 'funnel' of 'Main Street USA', for symbolically significant to the American visitor, has been renamed 'World Bazaar' in Tokyo, and the subtle changes in size, angle and perspective make for a much less intimate welcome (Raz, 1999). The whole area is covered with a glass roof to protect it against the unpredictable Tokyo climate, 'giving the feel of a large suburban shopping mall rather than a quaint town center'. This modification is geared towards serving the greater expectation of souvenir shopping among the Japanese visitors, rather than appealing to an American sense of nostalgia. Frontierland, another very American section of the original Disney parks, has been converted in Tokyo to Westernland, thus drawing on a theme familiar from American film and television in Japan, also found in at least one other park mentioned in the Japan National Tourist Office's list of 'theme parks' (Raz, 1999). The Golden Horseshoe Review has also been renamed the Diamond Horseshoe Review, which quite does away with its echoes of the American gold-rush, but, 'gold does not have much cultural significance in modern Japan'. It is an example therefore of the process of re-contextualization, which involves making the exotic familiar, while simultaneously keeping it exotic. The term re-contextualization in his analysis of the way Tokyo Disneyland has modified the American model, offering detailed descriptions of three attractions to represent 'a gradient of cultural flow' that he feels applies to them all. He discusses, first, the Jungle Cruise, which is little changed beyond the Captain's 'spiel', which has been modified in its translation of American jokes and puns into the Japanese language (Rawsthorn and Skapinker, 1993). Unlike the case in Paris, where the colonialist theme may have been too close to home and the ride was abandoned, the Japanese apparently share the American amusement with third world people. Most interesting for our purposes here, however, is his analysis of the 'Mystery Tour' that has been introduced inside Cinderella's Castle and which is describes as 'Domesticating Disney'. This feature apparently opened three years after the main park, and it exists in none of the other Disney worlds. It consists of a tour, on foot, through the dungeons of the castle, where various evil characters from the Disney tales appear, threatening the visitors (Raz, 1999). A guide leads the way, engaging from time to time with Snow White's stepmother, who appears in mirrors hung at strategic points, with the guide always encouraging her followers that 'good' will eventually triumph over 'evil'. At the climax of the tour, a 'sword of light' is swung aloft by a chosen visitor and the evil characters are destroyed. The structure and popularity of this Japanese tour by comparing it with a feature of other Japanese amusement parks called an obakeyashiki, or 'ghost house', which apparently also has a long history in Japan. Some might have mentioned another childhood activity called a kimodameshi, a game in which groups of children are expected to make their way through a purposely frightening situation in order to learn that together they may contain and overcome their fear (Rawsthorn, 1993). There is a lack of the usual passivity found in the American parks as customers whoop and holler to one another and race wildly through the castle trailing their tour guide. They nevertheless end up together, in a disciplined manner usual for Japanese children, something he finds it hard to imagine happening in either of the American parks. This new attraction thus further illustrates the idea that Japanese seek 'freedom' from constraint in their parks, as opposed to the control that has been seen to characterize the original Disney parks, each thus offering the opposite of everyday life for a day out for Japanese and Americans respectively. Japanese parks as expressions of local cultural identity: indeed, they express a belief in cultural superiority, through a process of 'cultural flow', and his anticipation of a similar process at Euro-Disney written shortly after its opening has surely been accomplished. The selective importation of Disney cultural artifacts works in the service of an ongoing Japanese process of cultural imperialism. In practice, Tokyo Disneyland is, from a Japanese point of view, just another foreign country theme park. Foreigners employed there are called 'cast members', as in other Disney parks they demonstrate crafts and play the parts of characters such as Snow White or Peter Pan . In order to elucidate this well-designed strategy of Disneyland, it is important to understand that Disneyland is not a variation of amusement parks from the nineteenth century (Taylor, 1993). It is based on a completely different idea, the imagination of Walt Disney, who never stopped cultivating different media to express his world. From comic books to animation films, short black and white silent movies to longer talkies with color, from two-dimensional movies to three-dimensional Disneyland these changes were all a necessary continuation in Disney's imagination. As a result, the essence of Disneyland is much closer to movies than to other amusement parks. Visitor's Statistics Table 1 Visitor' Statistics in Terms of Profit 2004 2005 2006 2007 Attendance (million) 10 17.37 17 17.45 Recurring profits (mln Yen) 21,657 28,076 28,134 25,832 Total Sales (mln Yen) 153,923 171,502 180,965 175,471 Recurring Profit/ Total Sales 14.07% 16.37% 15.55% 14.72% Term Profit (mln Yen) 13,123 14,690 15,902 14,292 Net Profit/ Total Sales 8.53% 8.57% 8.79% 8.14% Table 2. Visitor' Statistics in Terms of Nationality Japan 95% Outside Japan 5% Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendation The challenges that were faced came during the data gathering period. The key informant interview was a good method to use, however, the execution of its procedures proved to be the greatest difficulty. Completing the required number of informants and finding time in the tight schedule they keep almost made this research endeavor a failure. The survey method came with its inherent challenge during the data encoding and the statistical tests that needed to be applied. Its analysis, interpretation and discussion of the generated findings and results almost made it impossible for the researcher to continue and complete the project. With continuous effort and perseverance to make the study a success as well as the support of the people who have helped in the project, the research was completed. For the future researchers that will have to undergo a series of data collection methods, it should always be keep in mind the possibility of incidents and instances that will hinder the execution of the research. Be prepared for the worst scenarios that could happen during field work whether the case concerns the participants, the location, the time and the gatekeepers. It is easy to find common elements between Disneyland and Disney films in all parts of the park. For example, it is well known that Disney made only one gate to Disneyland, against advice from amusement park experts. To Disney, the entrance gate and the beginning part of a movie are the same. From the gate, visitors head toward the shopping mall, where each store is a three-story house with a facade, similar to those of a small American city in the late nineteenth century. These facades reduced in various degrees, detach visitors from outside reality and bring them into the world of nostalgia. As a similar scenography is also used on streets that stretch from the entrance to the central plaza, the scene inside the park is put in a frame, and the street is long enough for visitors to transform themselves into inhabitants of Disney's world. The recommendation of this study is for Tokyo Disneyland to maintain representing the rich culture of Japan in Tokyo Disneyland since this is what their market needs. Works Cited "Tokyo Disney's Jay Rasulo," Business Week, September 15, 2000. 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Rawsthorn, Alice, and Michael Skapinker, "Empty Pockets Hit Imported Dream," Financial Times, July 9, 1993, p. 23. Raz, Aviad. (1999). Riding the Black Shio: Japan and Tokyo Disneyland. Harvard University Asia Center. Taylor, Charles Foster, and Stephen Richardson, "Focus on Leisure--Tokyodisneyland," Estates Gazette, April 7, 1990, p. 85. Walliman, Nicholas and Bousmaha Baiche. Your research project. SAGE Publications, 2001. Webster, Paul, "Red Carpet Rolled out for Tokyodisney," Guardian, May 3, 1991, p. 27. White, Christina, "Hollywood on the Seine," Business Week, March 25, 2002. Wise, Deborah, "Will Tokyodisneyland Be Able to Overcome Two Main Obstacles," Guardian, March 1, 1991, p. 26. Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 58. St. James Press, 2004. Read More