About 1,000 people participated in a jogging event held at Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, on Thursday to mark Children's Day.

Disney characters cheered as they ran around the amusement park in a 2-km run before it opened for the day. Mickey Mouse greeted the participants at the finish.

"It was hot but I was happy to meet Mickey Mouse," said Hirochika Yajima, 6, who lives in the city of Maebashi, in Gunma Prefecture, with his mother.

According to Oriental Land Co., operator of the amusement park, it is the first time it held a jogging event in the park. The event was held to mark the 15th anniversary of Tokyo DisneySea.