Huis Ten Bosch (theme park)
Huis Ten Bosch (ハウステンボス, Hausu Ten Bosu) is a theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture that recreates the Netherlands by displaying real size copies of old Dutch buildings. The name Huis Ten Bosch literally translates into English as "House in the Forest". It is named after Huis ten Bosch, one of the three official residences of the Dutch Royal Family, located in The Hague in the Netherlands, which is the home of Queen Beatrix.
The park features many Dutch-style buildings such as hotels, villas, theatres, museums, shops and restaurants, along with canals, windmills, amusement rides and a park planted in seasonal flowers. Huis Ten Bosch, which opened on March 25, 1992, is located on Hario Island in the southern part of Sasebo, facing Ōmura Bay. Its location reflects historical relations between the Netherlands and Japan, which began in 1609 when a trading post was opened by the Dutch in Hirado, not far from Sasebo. The park is open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 9.30 p.m. (9.00 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. from December to February). A day "passport" ticket, covering entry and a number of attractions within the park costs 5,600 yen for adults and 4,400 yen for children. The park can be reached by JR train or bus from Nagasaki. It can also be reached by boat from Nagasaki Airport or from Sasebo.
The park recorded the peak of 4.25M visitors in 1996. However, due to the fall of the number of visitors caused by economic slump in Japan, the park declared bankruptcy in 2003 with debt of 220 billion yen.[1] The rebuilding plan was sponsored by Nomura Principal Finance Co until March, 2010. H.I.S. Co, a travel agency, took over the management by injecting 2 billion yen.[2]
External links
- Official website (English)
- A 'theme park' that's an eco-friendly dream, C.W. Nicol, The Japan Times, 7 October 2004