Junglia, Japan's newest theme park, opens in northern Okinawa
The theme park operator, Japan Entertainment, aims to make it a new tourism destination in Okinawa, known as a beach resort, with the theme park's economic impact projected to be about ¥6.8 trillion ($46 billion) in the coming 15 years.
Located in the village of Nakijin about 90 minutes by car from the island's capital and nearest airport of Naha, Junglia covers 60 hectares with restaurants, shops, and 22 attractions and stage shows.
Rather than roller coasters, however, Junglia focuses on adventure sports and encounters with tyrannosaurs and other prehistoric creatures amid Okinawa's subtropical greenery.
During a press preview in the days before Junglia's official opening, media members were able to experience three adventure sports attractions in the park's Jungle Extremes area: Titan's Swing, on which groups of four hurtle back and forth over nearby treetops; Sky-End Trekking, a precarious walk across a suspension bridge that is at points 30 meters off the ground and features obstacle course-style challenges; and Buggy Voltage, in which visitors drive all-terrain vehicles along predefined courses.
First to greet visitors to Okinawa's newest theme park is the 14½-meter-tall 'Junglia Tree,' a combination of an artificial base and a natural upper portion. |
Owen Ziegler
Junglia also previewed several of its dinosaur-themed attractions.
In the 'Jurassic Park'-esque Dinosaur Safari ride, guests are driven through a simulated habitat of several dinosaur species before a containment breach of several Tyrannosaurus rexes incites a dash to safety.
In the child-friendly Finding Dinosaurs, visitors are guided through a mock dino conservatory as they search for a missing baby triceratops.
For general admission tickets, Junglia is offering a two-tiered pricing system. For Japan residents, a one-day ticket costs ¥6,930 for adults and ¥4,950 for children between 4 and 11 years old (children under 3 are free of charge).
Access to Spa Junglia — the park's on-site collection of baths, saunas and the world's largest infinity pool by tub size, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records — costs a further ¥2,640 for adults and ¥1,540 for children, with combo tickets coming with a ¥500 voucher for food carts within the park.
For nonresidents, general admission costs ¥8,800 for adults and ¥5,940 for children, plus ¥3,080 and ¥1,870, respectively, for Spa Junglia.
Nonresident prices put Junglia on roughly equal footing with Japan's other high-profile theme parks, including Tokyo Disney Resort and Osaka's Universal Studios Japan. Junglia is also offering a Premium Pass that allows guests to skip queues for individual attractions (costs range from ¥1,800 to ¥2,700, with the high end pairing different combinations of attractions together).
In Buggy Voltage, visitors drive all-terrain vehicles through predefined courses during a media preview at Junglia in Nakijin, Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday. |
Owen Ziegler
Japan's ongoing typhoon season makes Okinawa's weather unpredictable this time of year.
During Junglia's preview opening, tropical storm Francisco, or taifū No. 7 as it's known in Japan, brought occasional heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 72 kilometers per hour, forcing the temporary closure of some attractions as the storm passed to the south of Okinawa. Less rain and cooler temperatures from October may bode well for guest experiences.
However, long wait times are anticipated during Junglia's opening weeks. Given the nature of most adventure sports attractions, Junglia requires all participants to sign waivers, be weighed for safety and equipment checks, and don full-body harnesses.
Also, many attractions are able to accommodate only a handful of participants at a time — a positive for the personal touch offered by Junglia park staff, referred to by the company as 'navigators,' but a negative for fast-moving queues. For example, the bungee-inspired Human Arrow attraction is a single-rider operation, as opposed to a typical roller coaster that can accommodate dozens at a time.
Junglia's location deep in the mountains of Okinawa's Motobu Peninsula may deter travelers who favor convenience and may prove prohibitive for overseas tourists whose only means of transport to and from Naha Airport are expressway buses.
But for those already set on trekking outside of the Okinawan capital, Junglia may establish itself alongside the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium as one of the must-see attractions of the island's northern reaches.
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