Japan’s first LEGOLAND is now open

LEGOLAND Japan has now officially opened, continuing the march of Merlin’s theme park chain around the world. A grand opening was held on Saturday, April 1, for the attraction based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.

Nikkei Asian Review reported on high ticket prices that the theme park is charging:

Legoland Japan has taken a bullish management stance on the new theme park. Although the park occupies a relatively confined space of around 9 hectares, a one-day ticket for adults is priced high, at 6,900 yen ($62.35), almost comparable with Tokyo Disney Resort’s 7,400 yen. Children aged 3 to 12 pay 5,300 yen, higher than the 4,800 yen charged by TDR for 4- to 11-year-olds.

But visitors appeared to have accepted the ticket prices as reasonable. A university lecturer, 41, from Kyoto who visited the park with three children, aged 7, 5 and 2, said, “We enjoyed it, though I thought (the tickets) were somewhat expensive.”

Visitors speaking to the outlet had a positive reaction:

Lego construction toys are popular across Japan. A housewife in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, visited the park with her 4-year-old daughter, on a visit to her parents in Nagoya.

The park is “good because it not only offers enjoyable rides but also has space where children can freely touch and play with Lego toys,” the housewife said. “I want to come here every time I return to visit my parents.”

But adults enjoyed their visits as well. Toshimasa Usaka, a 31-year-old company employee who visited the park with his wife from Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, purchased a set of special Lego plastic blocks only available there for about 50,000 yen. “I am so happy about my shopping,” he said.

In Japan, Merlin operates indoor Legoland Discovery Centers in Tokyo and Osaka and Madame Tussauds in Tokyo, and is planning to open Sea Life in Nagoya in 2018. The company is also planning to open additional LEGOLAND Discovery Centre attractions in Japan.