Legoland Japan Resort

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LEGOLAND Japan Resort

Entrance
Location	Minato-ku, Nagoya, Japan
Coordinates	35°03′02″N 136°50′36″E / 35.05056°N 136.84333°E / 35.05056; 136.84333Coordinates: 35°03′02″N 136°50′36″E / 35.05056°N 136.84333°E / 35.05056; 136.84333
Theme	Lego toys and childhood amusement
Owner	Merlin Entertainments
Opened	April 1, 2017; 4 years ago (2017-04-01)
Operating season	Year-round
Area	23 acres (93,000 m2)
Attractions
Total	Over 40
Website	Official website

LEGOLAND Japan (Japanese: レゴランド・ジャパン, Hepburn: Regorando Japan) is a theme park in Nagoya, Japan. It opened on April 1, 2017.^[1] It is the first LEGOLAND theme park in Japan and the second in Asia, after Legoland Malaysia Resort, and the eighth worldwide.^[2] The park was projected to attract over two million visitors annually.^[3]

History[]

On June 30, 2014, Merlin Entertainments announced plans to open a LEGOLAND Resort in Nagoya.^[4] Construction officially began on April 15, 2015.^[5]

With a budget of 250 million USD, construction was implemented by Art and Project, TAA Group, and Tejix. Its designers were Art and Project, EDG Company, FORREC, and Scruffy Dog. The companies supplying the rides were Art Engineering, Bertazzon, ETF, Hafema, Lagotronics Project, Mack Rides, Metallbau Emmeln, Sansei Technologies, SB International, Sunkid, WhiteWater, Zamperla, and Zierer. Additional suppliers were Accesso, Alcorn McBride, Attractions.io, Christie Digital, Gateway, SAP, TAA Group, and Tejix.^[6]

The park is located in Nagoya’s Minato Ward, has over 40 attractions on the nine-hectare site (22.24 acres), and uses some 17 million bricks. The attraction “Imagination Celebration” was completed on March 12, 2017. Cityscapes of places like Tokyo and Nagoya were created with LEGO plastic bricks in the LEGOLAND Japan theme park in Nagoya’s Minato Ward on March 17, 2017.^[7]

On March 27, 2017, a commemorative Lego-themed train began running on the Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit Aonami Line to celebrate the park's opening.^[8]

The commuter train, named LEGOLAND Train, began daily service on the Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit’s Aonami Line, traveling from central Nagoya to the new theme park. LEGOLAND Japan's Divisional Director Jensen commented on the newly-developed LEGOLAND Train. “Today, I am extremely honored to be able to introduce the LEGOLAND Train, the only one of its kind in the world in Nagoya, after plans for it were put into motion nearly three years ago,” said Torben Jenson, Divisional Director of LEGOLAND Japan. He also credited the city of Nagoya and the Aonami transit line for their support.^[9]

LEGOLAND Japan is the eighth Lego park location in seven countries across the world. The theme park has seven areas to explore and over 40 attractions and shows.^[7]

The Central Transportation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation announced that it approved buses of three companies to serve the park. The outdoor LEGO-themed park was shown to the media before its April 1, 2017 opening.^[10] The theme park offered an annual passport, and if purchased before April 2017, an early preview day would be included.^[11]

LEGOLAND Japan officially opened on April 1, 2017.^[1] The entrance admission is ¥6,900 for adults and ¥5,300 for children aged 3–12. Many news sources commented on the ticket prices, which are comparable to Tokyo Disneyland's ticket prices despite the LEGOLAND park being considerably smaller.^[12]

LEGOLAND Japan released its first annual pass. The “First to Play Pass” was released before the grand opening, which offers passholders year-round access as well as special benefits.^[13]

President Jensen commented on making LEGOLAND a resort. “The point is to come and visit and stay overnight, we have a long-term plan to make it a resort.”^[14] On April 28, 2018 LEGOLAND was rebranded as "LEGOLAND Japan Resort."^[15]

Merlin Entertainments announced plans to build a LEGOLAND Hotel and a Sea Life aquarium next to the park in 2018 to help transform the area into a resort, which was expected to cost 10 billion yen.^[12]

On December 1, 2017, LEGOLAND Hotel began accepting reservations for its April 2018 grand opening.^[16] The Sea Life Aquarium’s grand opening was set for April 15, 2018 ^[17] and LEGOLAND Japan Hotel opened on April 28, 2018.^[18]

On February 28, 2020, the park was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The park reopened on March 23, 2020 with short business hours, staff wearing masks, and temperature checks.^[19][20] The LEGOLAND Japan theme park initially was planned to reopen on March 16, 2020, but reopened Monday, March 23, 2020, out of caution due to the coronavirus. However, not all services were available. LEGO Ninjago Live, the Observation Tower, Submarine Adventure, The Coral Reef buffer, and Knight’s Table restaurant were not in operation. Merlin’s Sea Life aquarium in Nagoya was also scheduled to reopen Monday, March 23, 2020. A statement released on behalf of LEGOLAND Japan about safety measures due to the coronavirus said, “To prevent the spread of infection and the safety and health of our guests and staff, we will strengthen measures against the new coronavirus in accordance with the guidelines from administrative authorities and medical experts. We will continue to ask each and every guest to cooperate so that children and their families can spend their time safely in the resort.”^[21]

Park locations[]

LEGOLAND is located away from the mainland with three different ways to access the park: by bus, by train, and by automobile. The park provides guest transportation to those who are needing wheelchairs and offers stroller rentals. On arrival at the park, there is a waiting area for entry. Entering LEGOLAND Japan, visitors are welcomed with large art works and sculptures of LEGO creatures and life-size animals. Observation Tower is located at the center of the entrance, allowing visitors to oversee the park. Walking by LEGOLAND's iconic sign, there are colorful buildings scattered around the resort, including restaurants and shops.

Themed areas of discovery within the resort include:

• Bricktopia (ブリックトピア)
• Miniland (ミニランド)
• Adventure (アドベンチャー)
• LEGO City (レゴシティ)
• Knight's Kingdom (ナイトキングダム)
• Pirate Shores (パイレーツショア)
• Factory (ファクトリー)

Bricktopia[]

This building is full of activities offering fun adventures. The area includes robotic workshops where children of all ages can learn to program and build their own robots. Within Bricktopia, there is Build and Test and the LEGO Creative Workshop. LEGO NINJAGO Live offers guests a state-of-the-art 4D interactive experience. Other interactive Bricktopia attractions include DUPLO Play, DUPLO Express, Imagination Celebration, and Observation Tower. The Chicken Diner offers chicken meals and sandwiches and PINO Cart offers Pino ice cream in a LEGO souvenir box.

Miniland[]

At the center of the park, Miniland features many popular tourist attractions in Japan built from LEGO bricks, including locations from Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya. Over 10,496,352 LEGO bricks were used to recreate the coast-to-coast locations.^[23]

City/Region	Added	Closed	Image	Description
Tokyo	2017	–		Featuring models of Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Shibuya Crossing, Sensō-ji, and the Shinkansen.
Sapporo	2017	–		Featuring models of Sapporo TV Tower and Sapporo Snow Festival.
Nagoya	2017	–		Featuring models of Nagoya Castle and Nagoya Dome.
Kyoto	2017	–		Featuring models of Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji, Byōdō-in, and Gion.
Hyōgo Prefecture	2017	–		Featuring models of Osaka (Tsutenkaku Tower, Dōtonbori), Kobe (Kobe Port Tower), and Himeji (Himeji Castle).
Hiroshima Prefecture	2017	–		Featuring a model of Miyajima, Hiroshima.

Adventure[]

The Adventure area includes interactive games and maze-like areas for children's play. It is located on the east side of the park, where underwater attractions and adventures are located. Rides such as Submarine Adventure, S.Q.U.I.D. Surfer, Cargo Ace, and Beetle Bounce are found here. A restaurant, the Coral Reef Pizza and Pasta Buffet is in this area, as are the Artifact Shop, The Sub Shop, and Oasis Snacks.

LEGO City[]

LEGO City is on the park's north side, with fun activities for the children and family to do together, like the Junior Driving School where children learn to drive an electric car and receive a driver's license at the end of the ride. Coast Guard HQ allows the driver to take the wheel in a gentle and relaxing boat ride. Besides showing children how to drive, the Rescue Academy offers a fun experience where teamwork is needed to put out fires. The resort also has a LEGO Cinema where everyone is welcome to watch LEGO movies. LEGO City has various places to visit such as the Studio Store, Heartlake Shop, and City Shop, each shop with a different theme. There are also three places to buy snacks or lunch, Pit Stop Juice ‘n’ Drive, Brick House Burgers, and Marina Snack Shack.

Knight's Kingdom[]

The Knight's Kingdom is found on the park's northwest side and creates the feeling of traveling back in time. The medieval land includes attractions like the roller coasters The Dragon and Dragon's Apprentice, which accommodate younger children. There are also fun activities to do such as Merlin's Flying Machines, Merlin's Challenge, and Kingdom Games. Shops include King's Market as well as the Knight's Table Restaurant.

Pirates Shores[]

Pirate Shores is the land of the Pirates surrounded by water. Fun activities include Splash Bottle, Castaway Camp, Archors Away!, and Blue Coat Games. The Lost Booty Trading Post is a gift shop offering souvenirs, and Walk the Plank Snacks offers a place to refuel.

Factory[]

The Factory is located on the park's west south side. The LEGO Factory Tour is located in the heart of the resort's Factory area. The LEGO story displayed on the walls shares its history with park visitors as they walk through the factory corridors. On display is machinery that creates the various LEGO pieces seen throughout the park. At the tour's end, visitors each receive a new LEGO piece from the production line as a souvenir. All photos taken in the park can be picked up at The Photo Shop, which offers an original photo album with a LEGOLAND album limited edition. The Corner Shop provides stroller and wheelchair rental services and sells sundries and other useful goods. Souvenirs purchased in the park can be left here to be picked up upon leaving the park. Other shops in the area include The Big shop, Ice factory, and Factory Sandwich Company.

Rides and attractions[]

The theme park includes several rides as well as a miniature town that includes landmarks such as Tokyo Station, Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto and Nagoya Castle.^[24] The park is divided into seven zones: Factory, Bricktopia, Pirate Shores, Knight's Kingdom, Adventure, LEGO City, and Miniland.^[25] Most rides were imported, installed and modified to meet Japanese regulations by . Since the opening of the LEGOLAND Japan resort in 2017, there have been new rides and attractions opening up over the years. These attractions include LEGO Ninjago World, LEGOLAND Hotel, and Sea Life Aquarium.

Roller coasters[]

Coaster	Opened	Area	Description
Flying Ninjago	2019[26]	LEGO NINJAGO World	The ride is on the back of a dragon, and park guests have the option to rotate 360 degrees in the air. The ride reaches heights of up to 22 meters and speeds up to 50 kilometers an hour. Height Restrictions: Must be 125 cm. Weight Restrictions: 120 kg. maximum[27]
The Dragon	2017	Knight’s Kingdom	This ride travels around the king’s castle, with animated lego figures and a dragon along the way. Height Restrictions: 105–195 cm. Weight Restrictions: 130 kg. max[27]
Dragon’s Apprentice	2017	Knight’s Kingdom	Similar to the dragon, but built for younger riders. Height Restrictions: 90 cm.[27]

Amusement rides[]

Ride	Opened	Area	Description
Lloyd’s Spinjitzu Spinners	2019[28]	LEGO NINJAGO World	When pressing a button, the containers spin 360 degrees. Guests also may ride without spinning if they choose. Height Restrictions: Must be 105 cm.. If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult. Age Restrictions: Must be four years or older[27]
Kai’s Sky Masters	2019	LEGO NINJAGO World	Each car seats four people. Shoot at the targets on the other vehicles to gain points. Height Restrictions: 90 cm. If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult.[27]
Coast Guard HQ	2017	LEGO City	Up to three people can fit in each plastic electric-powered boat. Drivers must steer around obstacles as they move forward. Height Restrictions: If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult.[27]
Splash Battle	2017	Pirate Shores	This ride has eight pirate ships in the water, each ship seating eight people. Riders must avoid getting hit with water cannons from the shore and from the other ships in the water. Height Restrictions: If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult.[27]
Anchors Away!	2017	Pirate Shores	This ride takes place on a pirate ship that rotates back and forth. As it rotates, it moves up and down on a U-shaped track. Height Restrictions: 90 cm. If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult.[27]
Merlin’s Flying Machines	2017	Knight’s Kingdom	Riders use pedals to send themselves far into the air as the car goes around the carousel. Height Restrictions: 90 cm. If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult.[27]
Merlin’s Challenge	2017	Knight’s Kingdom	Merry-go-round type of ride in a wooden train. Height Restrictions: 105 cm.[27]
Lost Kingdom Adventure	2017	Adventure	An Egyptian-themed ride through with a point system based on the number of targets shot with laser guns.[27]
Observation Tower	2017	Bricktopia	A 60-meter tower that offers guests a 360-degree view of the entire park. Height Restrictions: If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult.[27]

Other attractions[]

Attraction	Opened	Area	Description
Cole’s Rock Climbing Wall	2019	LEGO NINJAGO World	Meant for younger children, a small-scale rock climbing wall.[27]
Jay’s Lightning Drill	2019	LEGO NINJAGO World	To win, guests must tap each button on the wall as they light up within 30 seconds.[27]
Ninja Games	2019	LEGO NINJAGO World	Carnival style game. Throw toy ninja stars into target frames in order to win prizes like stuffed animals.[27]
Palace Cinema	2017	LEGO City	Large Indoor Movie Theater that plays 4D Lego movies throughout the day. 4D features include rain and wind.[27]
Rescue Academy	2017	LEGO City	Riders use water guns on their fire engines to put out a “fire” faster than the competition. Height Restrictions: 90 cm. If under 130 cm., must be accompanied by an adult.[27]
Driving School	2017	LEGO City	Riders get their own electric car and ride around the circuit. Once done, each guest receives their own LEGOLAND driver's license. Age Restriction: 6 to 13.[27]
Miniland	2017	Miniland	This attraction features parts of 10 different cities in Japan all built out of lego pieces. Over 10 million bricks were used to create this walkthrough experience.[27]
Kingdom Games	2017	Knight's Kingdom	Carnival style games with prizes on the line.[27]
Submarine	2017	Adventure	An underwater attraction where guests can see fish and other sea creatures up close. Lego models are also hiding underwater.[27]
Build and Test(1F)	2017	Bricktopia	Guests are able to create different lego contraptions and race each other.[27]
Lego Creative Workshop	2017	Bricktopia	Multiple workshops for different age groups, including simple machines and more advanced robots.[27]
Robotic Play Centre(2F)	2017	Bricktopia	Guests are able to build their own Lego Mindstorm Robot during the workshop.[27]
Lego Factory Tour	2017	Factory	A walkthrough of a factory that makes real lego bricks. Guests are given a history lesson about the founding of the company and are shown how the blocks are made. A fresh piece of Lego straight from the production line is given to each guest at the end of the tour.[27]

Sea Life Nagoya[]

Sea Life Nagoya

Entrance of Sea Life Nagoya
Date opened	April 2018
Major exhibits	"Ryugu-castle (Under Water tunnel)" "Stingray Bay" etc.
Owner	Sea Life Centres
Management	LEGOLAND Japan Resort
Website	www.legoland.jp/en/resort-guide/sealife-nagoya/

Sea Life Nagoya (ja: シーライフ名古屋, Si Laifu Nagoya) is an Public aquarium located on the 1st and 2nd floors of the LEGOLAND Japan Hotel.^[29] It opened on April 15, 2018. The hall is divided into 11 sections, including an exhibition with the theme of the Kiso River and a "Ryugu Castle" zone with the theme of the fairy tale Urashima Taro. Also, since it is a part of LEGOLAND Japan Resort, there is an exhibition related to Lego blocks and seafood.^[30] Admission is set separately from LEGOLAND Japan. Sea Life Nagoya is the second Sea Life in Legoland, which opened after Sea Life Aquarium in LEGOLAND California. The emphasis is on experiencing, including backyard tours where you can actually interact with animals.^[29]

Facilities[]

• Shoaling Ring
• Kiso River
• Rockpools
• Harbour
• Seahorse Nursery
• Coral Reef
• Stingray Bay
• Jellies
• Sunken Shipwreck
• Ryugu-castle (Under Water tunnel)
• Amazing Creations

^[31]

Access[]

The park is close to Kinjō-futō Station on the Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit Aonami Line.

Stores[]

LEGOLAND Japan Resort offers 12 stores, located in different areas of the park. Although these stores have different themes, guests are able to pick any type of Lego they want.

Store	Opened	Description
Minifigure Market	April 2017	The store is located near the Bricktopia.[32] The store involves mini legos, lego keychains, and lego pushies. They also let their guests build their own mini-figure lego.[33]
Pick a Brick	April 2017	Pick a Brick is located in Bricktopia.[32] The store brings different types of color bricks and they allow guests to build lego buildings.[34]
Studio store	April 2017	The store is located in Lego City.[32] The store offers Lego movies for purchase.[35]
Heartlake Shop	April 2017	Heartlake shop is located in Lego City.[32] The Heartlake Shop is based on the Lego girl series, which is about the four girl characters.[36]
City Shop	April 2017	The store is located in the City Lego and near the Driving School ride.[32] The store is part of the Driving school where guests may create or buy lego cars.[37]
The Corner Shop	April 2017	The Corner Shop is near the Welcome to the Factory.[32] The store offers guests support equipment such as wheelchairs or strollers for use in the park.[38]
Lost Booty Trading Post	April 2017	The store is located in the Pirate Shores.[32] Guests will find pirate legos or pirate souvenirs they can buy.[39]
Artefact Shop	April 2017	Located in the Adventure.[32] The store’s theme is based on ancient heritage and inside is a camel build of Lego. Guests may buy adventure Lego and Lego backpacks.[40]
The Sub Shop	April 2017	In the Adventure, they also have another store, The Sub Shop.[32] This shop is connected to the Submarine Adventure ride and offers pictures of guests on the ride.[41]
King’s Market	April 2017	The King’s Market is located in Knight’s Kingdom and is connected to the Knight’s Castle Restaurant. The store theme is based on the castle where the guests may buy Lego castles and dragons.[42]
The Photoshop	April 2017	Located at the resort's main entrance.[32] The shop offers pictures of the seven locations. Guests may select their pictures before leaving the resort.[43]
The Big Shop	April 2017	The Big Shop is near the entrance.[32] The store offers different varieties of Legos from the 12 stores. Guests may buy any type of Lego they want if they were unable to buy it in one of the 12 stores.[44]

Restaurants[]

The resort offers six restaurants, with most restaurants based on the area’s theme. The family restaurants also offer entertaining activities for meal guests, providing families with feelings of welcome and the resort's luxury.

Date	Restaurant	Description
April 2017	Brick House Burgers	Located in Lego City, this restaurant offers hamburgers.[45] The meat is guaranteed to be cooked fresh and of the best quality.[46]
April 2017	Factory Sandwich Company	This restaurant is located in the Welcome to Factory area. The restaurant is on the second floor of the Corner Shop. The Factory Sandwich Company offers different types of handmade sandwiches and cool and hot drinks.
April 2017	Chicken Diner	Chicken Diner is in the Bricktopia area.[47] The restaurant offers chicken sandwiches and other chicken meals. Inside Chicken Diner are Lego models to entertain guests.
April 2017	Coral Reef Pizza and Pasta Buffet	The Buffet restaurant is located in Adventure.[48] They are known as a famous buffet that serves seasonal pasta and pizzas.[46]
April 2017	Knight’s Table Restaurant	Located in the Knight’s Kingdom area.[49] The restaurant is the largest of LEGOLAND Japan Resort's six restaurants.[46] Their theme is based on castles and fantasy, with food that matches.
April 2017	Oasis Snacks	This small restaurant is located in the Adventure area.[50] It is popular based on its snacks and offers two types of fries, as well as churros and fresh cheeses.[46]

Creative Workshop[]

The resort has a Creative Workshop that offers types of workshops such as Daruma doll crafting, Tensegrity, and Caterpillar.^[51] The workshops are open for all ages except for Tensegrity. Each workshop has a designated difficulty level.

See also[]

• 2017 in amusement parks

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to Legoland Japan at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website