Travel Oct 2, 2020
After a long ride, will anyone save this Tokyo carousel?
by Motoko Rich and Hikari Hida
More than 110 years after its creation in Germany, the future of Toshimaen's El Dorado merry-go-round now seems uncertain.
Entertainment News Oct 31, 2019
Attraction featuring full-scale Godzilla replica to launch in Japan
An interactive attraction featuring a full-scale replica of popular movie monster Godzilla will be launched next summer at a theme park on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, the operator said Thursday. The Godzilla Interception Operation Awaji attraction at the Nijigen no Mori theme park will ...
National Dec 31, 2017
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 ...
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Dec 17, 2017
Living it up at the Hilton — Disney style
by Danielle Demetriou
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 ...
Business Feb 27, 2017
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 ...
National / Politics Jul 8, 2016
Career park's mock election lets kids get into voting spirit
by Daisuke Kikuchi
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 ...
Business / Corporate Nov 2, 2015
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 ...
National Jul 2, 2015
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 ...
Business / Corporate Jun 10, 2015
Japan's budget king turns to robots to revive bubble-era theme park
by Yuko Takeo
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, ...
Business Apr 22, 2014
H.I.S. eyes island off theme park for casino
by Yuki Yamaguchi
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.
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Apr 18, 2014
Make a splash on a family outing
by Jason Jenkins
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 ...