News On Japan

One Piece-Themed Roller Coaster, Show Added to Universal Studios Japan

Numerous attractions themed after the upcoming anime movie One Piece Film: Red are coming to Universal Studios Japan.

Apr 27, 2022 (cbr.com) - Universal Studios Japan revealed new details about its upcoming One Piece event.

As reported by Siliconera, Universal Studios Japan and One Piece are teaming up for a number of new attractions designed to promote the upcoming One Piece Film: Red movie and the 25th anniversary of the publication of Eiichiro Oda's original manga. The Straw Hat Pirates are set to take over the park from July 1 to Oct. 2 with a multi-month celebration that will feature a new live show, a themed roller coaster ride, and even a restaurant with cuisine inspired by long-running adventure series.

The roller coaster experience, which is called the "One Piece X Hollywood Dream the Ride – Departure! Mini Merry II," will be built around Universal Studios Japan's famous Hollywood Dream rollercoaster, which allows riders to choose and customize the music they hear as they race along the steel rollercoaster's 3,900 foot track. During the One Piece event, the ride will feature new decorations themed after the Merry II, the tiny boat built by Frankie in the style of the Straw Hat Pirates' beloved original ship, the Going Merry. The ride's standard selection of music will also be replaced with sound effects from the show, as well as all-new voice clips from the anime's cast.

A new pop-up restaurant will also come to the park as part of the event, which will be named "Sanji’s Pirate Restaurant." Themed after the series' famous fighting chef, the restaurant will specialize in French cuisine. Actors potraying the Straw Hat Pirate crew will also provide live entertainment while guests eat their meals.

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Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) began causing significant disruption to Japan's Obon holiday travel on August 11, with ANA canceling 58 flights serving Haneda and Narita airports, JAL canceling four flights, and JR East suspending some services on the Joban Line as the storm approached eastern Japan.

Typhoon No. 15 (Chan-hom) was closing in on the Kanto region on the evening of August 11 and is expected to soon make landfall in or around Ibaraki Prefecture before crossing Honshu from east to west, an unusual path that could bring heavy rain, powerful winds and high waves across a wide stretch of Japan through August 12.

Japan's H3 Rocket No. 9 successfully placed the Michibiki No. 7 navigation satellite into its planned orbit after lifting off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 4:23 a.m. on August 11, marking the country's second consecutive successful H3 launch.

The Tokaido Shinkansen operated its first overnight service ahead of the Obon holiday period, offering travelers a 15,000 yen trip from the Tokyo area to Kyoto and Shin-Osaka while allowing them to save on hotel costs and arrive earlier than the first regular morning trains.

Typhoon No. 15 is expected to approach and likely make landfall somewhere in the Kanto region on August 11, bringing strong winds and heavy rain that could disrupt conventional rail services, expressways and flights while also affecting a wider area extending into Tohoku.

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