New Yokohama Theme Park
I read that the remains of the US Army's Kamiseya Communication Facility, which is a 20 minute train ride from downtown Yokohama, will be turned into a huge amusement park. About 125 hectares of the 242 hectare plot will be turned into the area's largest theme park. (In case you are wondering, this is bigger than Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea put together). City officials have said they will partner with a "famous foreign movie company", and that the project will cost an estimated 130 billion yen. They are hoping to attract 6.5 to 13 million visitors a year.
This really surprises me. For one thing, where are all those people coming from? Maybe they are thinking post pandemic, when foreign tourists come back to Japan. A second reason why it surprises me is that there are already so many other amusement or theme parks in Japan! Here are some of them: Tokyo Disney Sea, Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios, FujiQ Highlands, Nagashima Spa Land, Meiji Mura, Spa Resort Hawaiians, Toei Eigamura, Mikko Edomura, Tobu World Square, Huis Ten Bosch, Hakkeijima, Ninja Kingdom Ise, Spain Mura, Legoland, Moominvalley Park, Kodomo no Kuni, Sanrio Puroland, Yomiuriland, Cosmo World, Hitachi Seaside Flower and Amusement Park, Zushi Water Park, among others.
One that sounds kind of fun to me is Kidzania, which is an indoor family theme park. It's built like a city, scaled to children with buildings, shops, streets, and vehicles. Children age 3 to 15 perform "work" activities and are paid for their work. There are over 90 jobs to choose from including fireman, doctor, police officer, fashion model, dancer, cook, baker, etc. Another similar theme park is Kandu.
I have not been to any of these places. When I was young, I visited Disney World once and Six Flags over MidAmerica. I don't know how much the entry fee was, but I think the entry fee at parks today is rather pricey. Are you a fan of theme parks (or were you pre-pandemic)? What do you like or not like about them?
6 comments:
The visitors to the new park as well as the present ones will be coming in droves once the pandemic is under control and tourists flock to Japan again.
In former Toshima-en in Tokyo, Harry Potter Studio Tours will also open (this is a theme park to show the MAKING of the films, examples of the set, costumes, written documents, newspapers with moving pictures, the purple triple decker Knight Bus etc, it's more for studying than playing, although you will be able to have your photo taken against a green background to show you flying on a broom...)
I went to this park in London and it was very interesting, but maybe not hilariously fun. Other parks I have been to are Disney Land and Disney Sea in Tokyo. They are well made with great attention to detail, have a lot of greenery, and are spotlessly clean, and the staff friendly and helpful. The cons are, too crowded and far too expensive.
I think I'd rather stay home and stitch....
I'm not big on amusement parks. I prefer museums. But the Kidzania one sort of has that feel, doesn't it? Or at least sounds like it. Please, no roller coaster for me!
I have been to the theme parks on the Gold Coast here in Aus and I enjoyed them because the boys had a great time. I have been to Disneyland twice and enjoyed it, although it was very crowded and the food was expensive, also the queues for the rides were long. But I had fun and got a photo with Goofy 😁
Apart from visiting Disneyland in my early 20s, all other theme park visits have been for the benefit of my son. We've been to a couple of the Gold Coast ones in Queensland, and then also to Disneyland and Universal Studios in California. I don't enjoy the long queues and the over-priced food, but he loved the rides, and it is a good experience to look back on, in a "Been there, done that" way. Now that my son is not a kid any more, I can't see myself going to any more theme parks though.
I enjoy the Disney parks, especially the Tokyo ones, but am not such a fan of general amusement parks.
I will say, I have been to Spa Resort Hawaiians Iwaki some years ago and it is not on the scale of some of the other parks. There re a few water slides and a old magic show (the two friends I went with remembered it from their childhood)
I'm sure they are thinking post-pandemic with these numbers. It'll surely be some time until the park is even finished? I'm curious to hear which movie company they'll be partnering with!
I do enjoy amusement parks, we even tried getting into Tokyo Disney but couldn't get tickets on short notice.
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