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Tokyo Disneyland opens new attraction area

Sep 29, 2020 (NHK) - Tokyo Disneyland has opened a new area of attractions on Monday based on the movie "Beauty and the Beast."

The opening was about six months behind schedule due to the coronavirus outbreak. The amusement park operator carried out the massive redevelopment project for three years.

The new area's landmark is a 30-meter-high castle that houses attractions representing famous scenes from the movie.

Visitors are required to make reservations through a smartphone app and are selected by lottery to enter the new area. This entry arrangement allowed visitors to enter smoothly without waiting in line on the opening day.

The operator intends to keep the number of visitors at less than half the usual level to avoid crowding and prevent coronavirus infections.

One of the visitors said she loves the movie "Beauty and the Beast" and the attraction is like a dream. She said she wants to have a good time while making sure that she uses hand sanitizers.

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Japan’s World Cup campaign ended in the cruelest possible fashion on June 29, as Gabriel Martinelli scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Brazil a 2-1 victory over the Samurai Blue in their knockout match in Houston. Japan had led in the first half and were still level at 1-1 in the final moments, but Martinelli’s late strike sent Brazil into the Round of 16 and eliminated Japan from the tournament.

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sweden on June 25, finishing second in Group F and setting up a Round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston.

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