OSAKA -- Festivalgate, a large indoor amusement park in the Shinsekai district of Naniwa Ward here, will open July 18.
One building in the 30 billion yen, 23,500-sq.-meter park houses amusements, restaurants and movie theaters. The other building features a wide variety of bathing facilities and swimming pools similar to those of spa resorts.
The park's centerpiece is a 750-meter roller coaster that winds through the eight-story facility at a maximum tilt of 50 degrees and a maximum speed of 100 kph. The downtown park also has party rooms and a 36-room hotel.
The Osaka Municipal Government teamed up with four trust banks to develop the complex, which used to be the site of a train depot, in the hopes of revitalizing the area. The neighborhood regained popularity after it was used as a setting in last year's NHK television drama "Futarikko" ("Twin Sisters").