As Tokyo DisneySea celebrates its 25th anniversary, we look back on some of the cast members (park employees) who have helped create special moments for guests over the years.
Among them is Shinta Mori, a gondolier who has spent the past decade guiding visitors through the park’s Venetian-inspired waterways.
Now 28, Mori is in his 10th year operating the gondolas. He still carries fond memories of visiting Tokyo Disney Resort as a child.
Shinta Mori, stationed at the stern, helps steer the gondola with a single oar.
Until sixth grade, Mori traveled with his family from Aomori Prefecture to Tokyo Disney Resort every winter, staying through New Year’s. It was the highlight of his year.
He remembers how cast members would notice the Disney character merchandise he wore and warmly strike up conversations with him. Those small interactions left a lasting impression.
“I can still clearly remember how the cast members seemed to shine,” he says.
After graduating from high school, Mori decided to pursue his dream of becoming a cast member himself.
Working Together to Guide Each Gondola
Each gondola is operated by two gondoliers, one at the bow and one at the stern, with each playing a different role.
The gondolier at the front guides the boat while pointing out scenic highlights to guests. The gondolier at the back uses a single oar to propel the boat forward.
“A gondola can only move smoothly when the two of us work together.”
Shinta Mori and his partner guide a gondola through “Mediterranean Harbor.”
At first, Mori felt nervous speaking in front of guests. Now, he says the moments when he feels connected with passengers are what he enjoys most.
“When guests smile while they’re on the boat, I feel like I’m getting a little closer to becoming the kind of cast member I once looked up to,” he says with a smile.
Mori waves to guests walking along the canal. For a gondolier, the job doesn’t end on the boat.
He has also experienced heartwarming reunions with guests who remind him of his younger self. Some children who took part in gondolier experience events six to eight years ago have returned to the park years later, now grown up.
“If meeting me inspires even one child to dream of becoming a cast member, I would be truly happy.”
Mori hopes to become the kind of cast member guests want to meet again and again. With that wish in mind, he ends each gondola journey with the same farewell:
“Arrivederci [until we meet again]!”
Shinta Mori’s gondola passing through the narrowest section of the canal.
(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: Hideyuki Matsui, The Sankei Shimbun
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AloJapan.com