Huis Ten Bosch (theme park)
Huis Ten Bosch (ハウステンボス, Hausu Ten Bosu) is a theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan, which recreates the Netherlands by displaying real size copies of old Dutch buildings. The name Huis Ten Bosch translates into English as "House in the Woods/bush". 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 and former home to Princess Beatrix.
Overview
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 4.25 million 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 Company until March 2010, when H.I.S., a travel agency, took over the management by injecting 2 billion yen.[2]
The park was featured in the 2010 series of the Dutch TV show Wie is... de Mol?.[3]
In 2015, the Henna Hotel ("Strange Hotel") opened on site. It is the world's first hotel staffed by robots, although humans will initially work alongside them.[4]
References
- ^ Ken Belson (2003-02-27). "A Japanese Theme Park Company Fails - New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
- ^
"H.I.S. to take over troubled Huis Ten Bosch park". Asahi Shimbun. Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture: Asahi.com. 13 February 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Tim Huisman (2011-11-15). "Interview with Anton Jongstra and Aldo Paape, makers of Wie is de Mol? (Dutch)". Oneplanetoneworld.info. Retrieved 2013-06-10.
- ^ Renee Lewis (February 5, 2015). "Hotel staffed by robots to open in Japan". Al Jazeera America. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
External links
- Official website
- A 'theme park' that's an eco-friendly dream, C.W. Nicol, The Japan Times, 7 October 2004
- Check In With the Velociraptor at the World’s First Robot Hotel, Gideon Lewis-Kraus, Wired, 2016-03-02.