Crane (Meet the World)

The Crane is the main character from the former Tokyo Disneyland attraction Meet the World. As her name suggests, the Crane is a Japanese crane (Grus japonensis) that takes two children back in time to the ancient periods of Japan.

Role in the attraction

The Crane is an animated crane that takes the children to tell the two the whole story of Ancient Japan. She takes the two children back in time where the ancient Jōmon people have a difficult relationship they encountered with the sea and land, which then changes to other eras such as the era where Prince Shōtoku devoted his efforts to "meet the world" and created a constitution. The crane and the two children then arrive at Tanegashima where Portuguese traders met with locals, introducing Japan to new trade opportunities as well as the outside world and the dark days of Japan which later ended to which the crane reassured the two children about the eras changing from time to time.

At the end of the attraction, the young boy asks the crane to know if she is the Spirit of Japan, but the crane says that she is not, but she responds to the boy that he and all the other people of Japan were the "Spirits of Japan". At the final montage of the attraction, the crane takes the two children via hot air balloon. The crane and the two children are last seen on the hot air balloon while the attraction's theme song "We Meet the World with Love" is heard in the background.