Miffy area to open at Japan's Dutch-themed Huis Ten Bosch resort
Huis Ten Bosch, a Dutch-themed seaside resort in southwestern Japan, will open in June a new area featuring the Miffy rabbit character made famous by author Dick Bruna.
The opening of Miffy Wonder Square on June 21 falls on the 70th anniversary of the character's inception. The area will give visitors the opportunity to take photos with Miffy and also access to an attraction that offers a view of the park, according to the resort operator.
"We want to create a one-of-a-kind place in the world by making the most of the character's charms," said Kotaro Takamura, the president of Huis Ten Bosch Co., at a press conference held recently in Tokyo.
Takamura said it is the largest project in terms of scale and investment since the resort's opening in 1992, and he hopes the project will inject life into the region's tourism industry.
The company also revealed that it plans to open another new facility in the square in the fall to allow visitors to enjoy the world of Miffy as if they are in its storybooks.
While the resort in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, has proven a draw to visitors in their 60s and over, it seeks to attract younger travelers with the introduction of the character.
Bruna created the Miffy character in 1955 as a story to entertain his young son. More than 85 million books about Miffy, known as Nijntje in the Netherlands, have been sold globally.
Related coverage:
Japan's Oita aims to lure tourists with renamed "Hello Kitty Airport"
Jungle theme park with dinosaur ride to open in Okinawa on July 25
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
5 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Surrounded by Water, Dutch Swimmers Have Plenty of Places to Cool Off
AMSTERDAM (AP) — While Parisians have recently rediscovered the pleasure of swimming in the Seine, Amsterdammers have been enjoying a cooling dip in the Dutch capital's Ij waterway for years. In a country dominated by waterways, canals, rivers and below-sea-level pastures, wild swimming is on the rise in the Netherlands as climate change increases temperatures and extends the summer season. Amsterdam had just one official open-water swimming location in 2023. This summer, the city has 13 legal options for taking the plunge in a canal, pond or river, though residents frequently avail themselves of dozens of unofficial spots. Tucked off of the Ij, a short walk from Amsterdam's central train station, the Marineterrein, a former base used by the navy since the 1600s, is one of the newest official spots. On a hot afternoon, the jetties and nearby parks are crammed with locals swimming, sunbathing and relaxing in the shade with a full-size replica of an 18th-century Dutch East India Company cargo ship moored nearby. 'I saw a video on Instagram showing some different places you can go swimming and this was nearby so I was like, 'perfect, let's go,'' Noortje Mol, who had just gotten out of the water, told The Associated Press. In famously egalitarian Amsterdam, there are neither showers nor lifeguards and the area is free for everyone to use. The former base was only designated a legal swimming area earlier this year. Before that, locals risked a 170-euro ($200) fine. The city tests water quality regularly and the results are published on a national website. 'People think it's dirty, but it's not dirty at all,' said Argentinian Mike von Hütter, as he sat on a towel on the jetty. ' The early-morning crowd skews older and sportier than the afternoon revelers. A woman on a run stripped off her workout clothing and dove in, swimming a few laps before redressing and continuing her jog. 'Every morning is a light show,' said Myra de Rooy, 68, who started swimming at the naval base during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Dutch swimming areas allow skinny dipping and some so-called 'naked beaches' even require nudity. While bathing suits are supposed to be worn at the naval base, some among the morning crowd flout the rules. There is a changing area but, de Rooy explained, in the morning no one uses it. Despite the expansion of official swimming locations, many locals still jump into the nearest water when they want to cool off. On the other side of the city, Hans, who declined to give his last name because he was swimming in an unofficial location, does his morning laps in a canal alongside passing boats. 'I swim every day, I've never had a problem,' he said.
SoraNews24
7 days ago
- SoraNews24
Tokyo Disney Resort's low park attendance continues amid extreme heat
With a new temperature record set in Japan, more people than ever seem to be saying no thank you to going outdoors altogether. On July 30, Japan's highest-ever temperature of 41.2 degrees Celsius (106.16 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture. With one local resident describing the heat as 'homicidal,' it's easy to see why more and more people have been pulling the plug on typical outdoor summer activities and plugging in the AC instead. This predicament, however, has been creating barriers for some of Japan's biggest attractions as they grapple with how to attract customers in the midst of unprecedented heat waves. For instance, it was reported last year that Tokyo Disney Resort (comprised of two main theme parks: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea) was experiencing declining numbers of visitors, which resulted in Tokyo Disneyland losing its crown as the top-attended theme park in Japan for two years in a row. From April through September 2024, Tokyo Disney Resort recorded 12.2 million visitors, which is a 2.4 percent decrease compared to the same period during the previous year. It's also the first decrease in attendance since the park reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic. While the decline in numbers has been attributed to many factors, including inflation/rising costs for Japanese consumers as well as Tokyo Disneyland's decision to discontinue annual passes, the effect of the extreme heat is undeniable, especially for visitors who would be standing in long lines under the boiling sun to enter park attractions. ▼ Eventually there comes a time when not even a sports drink can help. Tokyo Disney Resort's operator, the Oriental Land Company (OLC), has implemented various measures to try to beat the heat and attract more visitors. The parks currently have a Summer Cool-Off campaign that's emphasizing water rides, parades with water sprayed over large areas, the creation of more on-site shaded spots, including temporary overhead tarps, and expanded entry times outside of the peak heat. Stores on the premises also sell misting fans and cooling towels for guests. However, despite OLC's best efforts, as of late July, its stocks have decreased more than 20 percent in the span of one year. Only time will tell if OLC manages to find a recipe for summer success–and if the global data is any indication, the summer heat is here to stay. In the meantime, if not even the lure of Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea is enough to draw you out under the sun, you can have fun with other activities such as devouring Totoro-themed shaved ice or taking part in a nighttime taxi tour of haunted locations that will give you a different kind of chill. Source: Nikkei Business via Golden Times Top image: SoraNews24 Insert image: Pakutaso ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
![Podcast [English World] Episode 110: Budgeting for summer vacation](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish-kyodo.ismcdn.jp%2Fmwimgs%2F8%2Ff%2F1200x%2Fimg_8f30662d1ce0113a0ae31bba35f067a81275246.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![Podcast [English World] Episode 110: Budgeting for summer vacation](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkyodonews.net.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Kyodo News
7 days ago
- Kyodo News
Podcast [English World] Episode 110: Budgeting for summer vacation
How are you spending your summer vacation? Three Kyodo News reporters -- Ellessa Yamada, Eduardo Martinez and Junko Horiuchi -- talk about how Japanese people plan to spend a record high of over 100,000 yen on average for their summer holidays this year. Listen as they discuss how, despite wage hikes by some companies, many also plan to cut back spending amid persistent inflation. Articles mentioned in the podcast: Japanese budget for summer holidays hits record high: survey Okinawa theme park opens with higher entry fees for overseas guests Kyodo News presents a bilingual podcast for English learners about the ins and outs of news writing and how to translate tricky Japanese phrases into English. Have fun listening to journalists discuss recent articles as they occasionally go off on unrelated tangents.
