Look forward to real-life takes on Peach and Bowser’s castles, Mario Kart themed attractions and more!
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theme park
Customers get to enjoy four floors of steamy hot baths, exquisite restaurants, and fun activities right in the heart of Osaka.
The much-anticipated park will resemble the original park in Finland and allow guests to explore the world of the beloved characters.
Universal Studios Japan‘s upcoming Universal Cool Japan campaign rides are rolling out in January with a new ride attraction inspired by fashion model and singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (Crayon Shin-chan) and upgraded versions of “Evangelion The Real 4D,” “Attack on Titan The Real,” “Biohazard (Resident Evil) the Escape,” and “Monster Hunter the Real.”
Fan anticipating the launch of “vangelion The Real 4D” got a sneak peek of the experience in a new ad.
Escape games, where people work in teams to solve puzzles to free themselves from confined spaces, have become hugely popular in Japan and around the world. When combined with a role-play theme, these events become even more exciting, as participants get to dress up and live out their fantasies in cleverly constructed worlds filled with props, sound and oodles of atmosphere.
As luck would have it, the escape concept is an idea that fits in perfectly with the narrative of the hugely popular Attack on Titan franchise, where members of the human race live in the confines of a walled city and spend a large chunk of time running away from flesh-eating giants. If you ever wanted to experience the thrill of being chased by a hungry Titan while also dealing with the stress of solving a puzzle within a time limit to save your life, it’s time to dress like a member of the Survey Corps and head out to Tokyo or Osaka this summer.
Over two years ago, the Finnish Ambassador to Japan announced that a Moomin theme park was being developed in Japan with the expected opening date in 2015. Some of our readers might be asking, “What the heck is a Moomin?” but these hippo-like fairies who originated in Finland have a very strong following and fan base in Japan. You might not be familiar with Moomin before you come to Japan, but once you get here, you grow to welcome them at your dining table.
Well, it’s already halfway through 2015, and there is still no Moomin theme park ready to take our money. Or is there? There might be a forthcoming announcement that has us all in a tizzy.
Ahoy, landlubbers! The Thousand Sunny, the preferred vessel of the Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece, is paying a call at the port of Laguna Ten Bosch, a theme park in Gamagori, southeast of Nagoya. Interested fans are invited to board the ship for a few hours to partake in a cruise. They will be treated to a stage show, music and a toast to the Straw Hat crew. Commemorative mugs and certificates will be given as souvenirs.
Disney lovers have Disneyland, Harry Potter fans got The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and even those who like Hello Kitty and her friends have the Sanrio Puroland.
And now Mario fans have reason to celebrate, as Nintendo has announced its partnership with Universal to bring you the first Nintend0-themed park attractions!
No trip to the Kansai region is complete without a visit to Universal Studios Japan. With a wide range of attractions featuring beloved franchises from Harry Potter to Resident Evil, it’s got something for everyone, and it’s definitely not just for kids!
Having said that, we’re betting that kid-favourite mega-series Yo-Kai Watch‘s attraction is going to be bringing in a lot of little ones and parents when it opens this summer! (Hey, it’ll free up the other attractions for the rest of us!)
Hopes were high when Hello Kitty Park officially opened its doors on February 4 in Zhejiang Province, China. The largest Hello Kitty theme park in the world, Hello Kitty Park was backed by Kitty-chan’s creators Sanrio and The Hettema Group, a California-based theme park design company. Unfortunately for Kitty fans, however, the park has been widely blasted online during its initial opening period for its underwhelming attractions, small size, and rumours of fake Kitty goods.
At the Ghibli Museum in Mikata, Tokyo, in an enchanting building designed by Hayao Miyazaki himself, you can wander among sketches and storyboards, gaze up at the iconic Robot Soldier standing guard on the building’s roof, and learn about the history of animation.
What you can’t do is ride a Laputa roller coaster, a Sea of Decay log flume, or a monorail shaped like the Cat Bus, because a) Mr. Miyazaki would probably hate that and b) Ghibli is presumably doing pretty well out of its other endeavours and doesn’t feel the need to build an actual amusement park just yet.
So, alas, these beautiful plans for a full-blown theme park by Japanese artist and Studio Ghibli fan Takumi won’t be being realised any time soon. Which is a shame, because Takumi’s incredibly detailed Tokyo Ghibli Land is one theme park that we’d happily pay through the nose to visit.
Once you’ve tired yourself out playing with your rideable 4-metre tall robot from Amazon Japan and experienced the neon assault to the senses that is Shinjuku’s Robot Restaurant show, you’ll also be able to visit a hotel in Japan with robot staff once the new Hen-na Hotel opens this summer.
As well as robot receptionists, porters, cleaners and waitresses, the aptly-named Hen-na Hotel (literally meaning “strange hotel”) in the Huis Ten Bosch theme park, Nagasaki, will also feature a whole host of futuristic technology aimed at reducing energy consumption and human staffing levels, therefore keeping room prices down.
Anime and manga fans will soon have even more reason to visit the country that offers the opportunity to eat Pikachu-themed meals at the Pokémon restaurant or gaze up in awe at an 18-foot tall giant Gundam. The long-awaited world’s first One Piece amusement park will be arriving on March 13 2015 in Tokyo!
The various Disney-operated theme parks scattered throughout the world have brought joy to children (and grown-ups!) for decades. Disney’s major character contribution is none other than Mickey Mouse, who has grown to become one of the most recognizable cultural icons on the world scene. But how about a famous cultural export from Japan? Why, that would be Hello Kitty, of course!
Sanrio’s darling may be celebrating her 40th birthday this month, but she’s showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, her birthday celebration comes along with a recent announcement that a new “Hello Kitty Park” will open in China early next year! Along with plans for the upcoming Shanghai Disneyland, China sure seems to be on a roll these days making children’s dreams come true. More details about the park after the jump.
Come next year, Chinese Disney fans will no longer need to travel to Hong Kong to get their magical fix as plans for the massive Shanghai Disney Resort were finally announced at the 2014 China International Tourism Trade Fair. The Resort will not only be home to Shanghai Disneyland, but also two themed hotels, as well as a large shopping and dining area aptly named ‘Disney Town’, all centered around a beautiful artificial lake. We sure are curious to find out how Mickey and Minnie will sound like speaking Shanghainese!
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