Kitakyushu's Space World draws early morning crowd for farewell party
Fans began lining up at 4 a.m. Sunday to enter Space World amusement park in Kitakyushu for its final day in business. Attendance at Space World, which opened in April 1990, peaked at 2.16 million in fiscal 1997. But the gradual decline in business since ...
Living it up at the Hilton — Disney style
The seemingly simple act of checking into a hotel can be a recipe for disaster with tired young children: cue tackling mundane paperwork while trying to preempt high-volume meltdowns or contain hyperactive runarounds. So recently, it was something of a surprise to arrive at a ...
Authenticity main focus of Japan's first outdoor Legoland, chief says
Japan's first outdoor Legoland has been created with much effort devoted to making its buildings appear more Lego-like before its opening in Nagoya in April, the head of the theme park said. "We have put a huge effort in improving the park's image, which is ...
Career park's mock election lets kids get into voting spirit
What about us kids? With 18- and 19-year-olds due to vote for the first time in the Upper House election this weekend, preteens and preschoolers got into the act Friday with a mock election at the KidZania Tokyo career theme park in Koto Ward. KidZania organized ...
The Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka had its best month ever in October, drawing around 1.75 million visitors as Halloween events attracted a large number of non-Japanese and families. The figure surpassed the previous record of approximately 1.46 million posted in October of ...
Investment firm Fintech Global Inc. said Tuesday it will build a Moomin-themed amusement park in Saitama Prefecture, with plans to open the facility in 2017. According to the Tokyo-based company, it will be the first such theme park outside Finland, the homeland of the beloved ...
Japan's budget king turns to robots to revive bubble-era theme park
Light shows and pirate rides helped Hideo Sawada pull a bankrupt theme park in Kyushu back to profitability. Now he wants robots to finish the turnaround. Five years after buying Huis Ten Bosch, a replica Dutch village that had bled money for more than a decade, ...
H.I.S. eyes island off theme park for casino
H.I.S. Co.'s Dutch-themed Huis Ten Bosch amusement park along the Nagasaki coast is considering buying a deserted offshore island in an expansion to boost its appeal as a possible site for a casino resort.
Make a splash on a family outing
Spring has arrived, and with it a taste of the sunny, sweltering climate to come. Longer days and warmer rays make my kids thirst for a swimming pool. However, Japan's outdoor swimming season doesn't officially begin for months, and indoor locations such as Tokyo ...
Huis Ten Bosch, the Dutch-style resort and theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, is busier than ever as its annual tulip festival — one of the biggest of its kind in Japan — approaches its peak. This year, the resort, which has seen a surge ...
USJ Co., the operator of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, said Thursday it plans to open one or more new theme parks by 2020, with potential sites identified in Japan and other emerging Asian economies. While the final number of new parks has yet to ...
