Theme parks in Japan take measures to keep visitors cool amid intense heat
Tokyo Disneyland, Universal Studios Japan and Yomiuriland have taken measures to help visitors feel cooler amid warm temperatures.
With the arrival of July and the onset of intense heat, leisure facilities in Japan have begun holding events and implementing measures to help visitors feel cooler.
Each facility's operators are racking their brains for ideas to counteract the severe heat that might keep guests away.
More splash on Splash Mountain
Starting in July 2025 , Tokyo Disneyland, in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, will increase the water flow on its popular 'Splash Mountain' ride, causing more spray than usual when the ride plunges into an area resembling the basin of a waterfall.
This summer-only initiative reportedly features the 'largest flow volume ever', which will cause water to splash like a shower not only on passengers but also on spectators nearby.
On July 1 , the park held a summer parade, with mist spraying in time to the music, and visitors cheered when water was sprayed toward them along the way.
'I got more water than I expected, and it cooled me down quite a bit,' said a 46-year-old part-time worker from Kobe who came with her family.
Extended evening hours
Universal Studios Japan (USJ), in Osaka, began giving away salt candy to visitors for the first time on July 1 .
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore No train service across entire Bukit Panjang LRT line due to power fault
Singapore Pedestrian-only path rules to be enforced reasonably; focus on errant cyclists: Baey Yam Keng
Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG Credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July
Singapore 17-year-old youth charged with trespassing on MRT tracks; to be remanded at IMH
Business Microsoft cutting 9,000 jobs companywide in second major wave of layoffs this year
Asia Malaysian nurses following the money abroad for more opportunities
World Trump tax Bill stalled by Republican rebellion in Congress
Opinion How Apple gave 'the gift of fire' to Chinese electronics firms
The park has also extended its opening hours into the evening to encourage visitors to come after the heat has subsided.
'People have begun to avoid going out in summer. We need to take serious measures to prevent people from getting heatstroke,' a USJ spokesman said.
At Yomiuriland, an amusement park on the border of Inagi, Tokyo, and Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, all 42 gondolas of the observation wheel 'Sky-Go-LAND,' which opened in October 2024 , are equipped with air conditioning, allowing visitors to enjoy the view comfortably even in summer.
Its predecessor did not have air conditioning. All three free rest areas in the park have also been equipped with air conditioning.
Impact of heatwave
The number of visitors to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea from April to September 2024 was 12.2 million, 300,000 fewer than the same period the previous year.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the average temperature in Tokyo from July to September 2024 was 28.1 deg C, 2.8 degrees higher than the average for that period.
That heatwave is believed to have been one of the reasons for the decline in visitor numbers.
According to the agency, this summer is also expected to be hotter than average nationwide.
'In recent years, extreme heat has had a negative impact on visitor numbers at many outdoor leisure facilities.
'How to keep visitors comfortable during the summer has become an important question for management,' said Mr Chiaki Kato of Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
International Business Times
4 hours ago
- International Business Times
Trump Says He 'Loves Sydney Sweeney' and Responds to Her 'Great Jeans' Ad After Learning She Is a Registered Republican
President Trump on Sunday praised Sydney Sweeney after learning she's a registered Republican — a revelation that surfaced amid ongoing backlash from the woke crowd over her American Eagle jeans advertisement. Trump, 79, expressed delight when informed by a reporter that the 27-year-old "Euphoria" star holds conservative views like his own. He went on to say that he now considers her much-debated new denim ad campaign "fantastic." "Oh, now I love her ad," he told a group of reporters while preparing to board Air Force One in Allentown, Pennsylvania. "You'd be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That's one I wouldn't have known, but I'm glad you told me that." Trump Impressed with Sweeney Trump, 79, expressed delight when informed by a reporter that the 27-year-old 'Euphoria' star holds conservative views like his own. X "If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic," Trump added. The "White Lotus" actress has been registered as a Republican in Monroe County, Florida since June 2024, according to public voter records. The revelation about the blonde, blue-eyed star's conservative affiliation came on Saturday, amid intense criticism from left-leaning voices who have likened the fashion brand's provocative ad to "Nazi propaganda," accusing it of promoting racism and eugenics. Sydney Sweeney seen in teh American eagle ad X The campaign's slogan reads: "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans." In one promotional video, Sweeney discusses how genes are passed down from parents to offspring, "often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color," before declaring, "My jeans are blue." In another witty ad, she walks up to a billboard displaying her photo alongside the phrase, "Sydney Sweeney has great genes," and playfully edits it by crossing out "genes" and writing in "jeans" instead. Sweeney Gaining More Support The campaign sparked a social media frenzy this week, igniting debates about Western beauty ideals and race, which led American Eagle to stand by both its marketing strategy and "Anyone But You" actress Sweeney. Sydney Sweeney in teh enw American Eagle ad YouTube Several members of the Trump camp also took aim at the backlash. Steven Cheung, Trump's communications director, slammed the bizarre backlash on Tuesday, calling it "cancel culture gone wild." Vice President JD Vance also slammed Democrats, accusing them of overreacting to "a pretty girl" promoting jeans to American youth. American Eagle's latest denim campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney. Instagram/American Eagle "My political advice to the Democrats is: Continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive that they're a Nazi," Vance said on Friday's episode of the "Ruthless" podcast. "That appears to be their actual strategy. So you have a pretty girl doing a jeans ad and they can't help but freak out. It reveals a lot more about them than it does us." Sweeney is yet to respond to the public reaction.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
US could require up to $19,300 bonds for some tourist visas under new pilot programme
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The new visa programme, effective August 20, will last for approximately a year, the government notice said. WASHINGTON - The US could require up to US$15,000 (S$19,300) bonds for some tourist and business visas under a new pilot programme launching in two weeks, a US government notice said on Aug 4, an effort that aims to crack down on visitors who overstay their visas. The programme gives US consular officers the discretion to impose bonds on visitors from countries with high rates of visa overstays, according to a Federal Register notice. The bonds also could be applied to people coming from countries where screening and vetting information is deemed insufficient, the notice said. US President Donald Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a central focus of his presidency, surging resources to secure the border and arresting people in the US illegally. The Republican president issued a travel ban in June that blocks citizens of 12 nations from entering the US on national security grounds. The new visa programme, effective August 20, will last for approximately a year, the government notice said. The US government launched a similar pilot programme in November 2020 during the last months of Mr Trump's first term in office, but it was not fully implemented due to the drop in global travel associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the notice said. REUTERS
Business Times
5 hours ago
- Business Times
US could require up to US$15,000 bonds for some tourist visas under new pilot programme
[WASHINGTON] The US could require up to US$15,000 bonds for some tourist and business visas under a new pilot programme launching in two weeks, a US government notice said on Monday (Aug 4), an effort that aims to crack down on visitors who overstay their visas. The programme gives US consular officers the discretion to impose bonds on visitors from countries with high rates of visa overstays, according to a Federal Register notice. The bonds also could be applied to people coming from countries where screening and vetting information is deemed insufficient, the notice said. US President Donald Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a central focus of his presidency, surging resources to secure the border and arresting people in the US illegally. The Republican president issued a travel ban in June that blocks citizens of 12 nations from entering the US on national security grounds. The new visa programme, effective Aug 20, will last for approximately a year, the government notice said. The US government launched a similar pilot programme in November 2020 during the last months of Trump's first term in office, but it was not fully implemented due to the drop in global travel associated with the Covid-19 pandemic, the notice said. REUTERS
