Thursday, November 6, 2008 to Sunday, November 9, 2008
Hilton Tokyo Bay | Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo, Japan

YOKOSO!
Welcome!

For the fifth time we gather, our first time off the North American continent. It has been an extraordinary experience planning an Event in a country so far away from our home base. We continue to be amazed by the kindness of our friends at Cirque du Soleil who once again have gone above and beyond our expectations. This beautiful country holds the promise of many surprises, both big and small.

As CirqueCon reaches its quintessential event we find we have somewhat of a “core” of Cirque Passionates that will gladly follow us wherever we might choose to go. That core has changed from our first event in 2004; the faces of that first event are different from this one. In the intervening time many friendships have been made, as Passionates have bonded with others of like mind.

OUR MEMBERS - We had an extraordinarily strong showing for such a distant location: 43 on-site members with 45 paid memberships (several Passionates, though they cannot join us in Tokyo, still wish to be part of our group!), 11 hotel rooms at the Hilton Tokyo Bay coming to 45 room nights total. Our members come from one-fifth of the United States, Japan (of course!), Mexico, Canada, Australia, Germany and even Russia. WOW! We are truly humbled by the faith you have put in our small committee.

GROUP MEAL / RAINFOREST CAFÉ – One of the highlights of CirqueCon is when Cirque fans gather at a local eating establishment, enjoying a meal and getting acquainted (or re-acquainted) with each other. It’s something that brings us together as a community. This year we were fortunate to find a Tokyo location of a famous American franchise close to the Cirque Theater in the Tokyo Disney Resort! And we reserved the "Cave" room especially for us! We had...

1. Our choice of four of the following.
• Entree: Rice Pilaff, Dry Curry or Curry and Rice
• Salad: Mixed Salad or Caesar Salad
• Pasta: Meat Sauce Pasta, Tomato Sauce Penne or Cream Pasta
• Sandwiches: Tuna Sandwich, Egg Sandwich or Ham Sandwich
2. An assorted selection of deep-fried foods (Squid, cheese potato, white fish, and waffle potato fries)
3. Two kinds of pizza (Tomato sauce, mushroom, olive, tomato, mixed cheese, smoke chicken, or Pepperoni)
4. Stewed Hamburg (hamburger steak cooked with tomato sauce)
5. Teriyaki Chicken
6. Drinks: Oolong Tea and Orange Juice

SPECIAL CIRQUE ACTIVITIES - Our fun with Cirque du Soleil began on the afternoon of the 7th, as passionates all funneled into the ZED Theater two by two. Inside we watched a rehearsal with members from the artistic staff to explain what was going on (which wasn’t necessary – we know a flying trapeze when we see it!), but we did appreciate the time spent with us answering our questions and pandering to our curiosity about all things Cirque. Following the show, we stuck around for what is becoming a CirqueCon tradition: stepping onto the stage for an exclusive group photograph with some of the ZED cast!

TOKYO DISNEY RESORT – The Resort encompasses two Disney Theme Parks; Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea. The entire resort is currently celebrating Tokyo Disney Resorts 25th Anniversary. In addition, starting November 7, both parks festoon themselves in beautiful Christmas decorations; Tokyo Disneylands' "Christmas Fantasy" and DisneySEAs' "Harborside Christmas". From a shows and parades point of view, in typical Disney fashion there are lots! Tokyo Disneyland includes a daily parade as well as their version of the "Electrical Parade," with other shows and events all day long. DisneySea also has shows and events, including the daytime show, "The Legend of Mythica" and the evening spectacular, "BraviSEAmo!"

We took full advantage of our Disney neighbors by having a CirqueCon DisneySEA exploration day complete with lunch at Magellians. The atmosphere recalls the glory days of oceanic explorers, with a deeply detailed décor that screams refinement. The food is Western-style. Ricky and Rich hosted a table of 8 at 11:00am, Keith a table of 8 at Noon, and Lucy a table of 8 at 1:00pm.

OUR SCHEDULE