News On Japan

Struggling Legoland Japan will shut down for two days a week starting in fall

Jul 18 (rocketnews24.com) - If you want to visit the Nagoya amusement park on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you'd better go soon.

It's been a rough couple of months for Legoland Japan. While hopes were high at the time of the Nagoya park's grand opening back in April, visitors haven't been flocking to the facility in anywhere near the numbers many had envisioned.

The general reaction from those who have made the trip to Legoland Japan (including us) is that what's there is nice, but with ticket prices roughly comparable to those for the much larger and more prestigious Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan, Legoland is a tough sell. Legoland only met 30 percent of its revenue goals for April, and things were still pretty bleak in May, when it pulled in just 60 percent of what management had expected.

The park was initially open every day of the week, but in June the decision was made to close the facility on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the official reason being to allow time for maintenance crews to do their work and to give service staff some time off. The maintenance explanation, in particular, seems suspect, seeing as how the park had only been open for two months, and with fewer guests coming through the gates than originally estimated, the attractions should ostensibly be showing less wear and tear than initially projected.

With Japanese schools going on summer vacation right about now, as of this week Legoland Japan is back to being a seven-days-a-week park. However, that status will only last until the end of August. In September, the park will once again be closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The park is back to seven days a week in October, before once again being closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from the start of November through the week of December 18.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

New Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Ishiba is moving forward with personnel appointments, aiming to appoint former Defense Minister Iwaya as the new Foreign Minister.

Japanese weather officials say that over the next few days Typhoon Krathon will likely approach the southwestern islands of Okinawa Prefecture. (NHK)

Autumn foliage is advancing early in the Tateyama region of the Northern Alps in Toyama Prefecture, with vibrant red and yellow hues starting to appear.

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

A Japanese government information-gathering satellite has successfully been put into a planned orbit around Earth. (NHK)

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A tragic accident occurred in Saitama Prefecture when an 18-year-old, allegedly driving under the influence, collided with a passenger car at high speed.

A large dog was caught on camera running down a road in Yoshioka, Gunma Prefecture, with police officers wielding nets in hot pusuit.

A 17-year-old girl was found dead in a hotel in Osaka on Saturday at around 11 p.m., when a hotel employee reported, 'A woman is wrapped in bedding and not breathing.'

Three men broke into the Paris home of renowned chef Kei Kobayashi, 47, who has earned three Michelin stars, on September 26th, assaulting Kobayashi's wife who suffered severe injuries. Kobayashi commented, saying, 'This is unforgivable.'

Four Japanese men have been caught at an Australian airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle a large amount of cigarettes into the country. (NHK)

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

The former representative of the martial arts event company 'Breaking Down,' Yugo Itagaki, along with two other individuals, has been arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on charges of defrauding a company executive out of 80 million yen.