So back over 100 pages in March, we first learned that the publicly traded Universal Studios Japan was beginning work on an all new theme park resort in Okinawa Japan. That was pretty great news, but we've let a few months pass by. Back then there was a conversation about what type of park this would be, me and
@rteetz had a conversation on our observations.
Now we've got new information straight from Disney and More.
"Nangoku translates to “Southern Country,” and the term is often used in Japanese to refer to tropical regions and islands. The new name makes sense given that the new Okinawan location is in one of the most southern parts of Japan, but netizens are confused as to why management would drop the Universal brand, which is strongly entrenched in the Japanese market and, obviously, a huge draw. Presumably, this would mean also the absence of many of Universal Studios Japan’s signature movie-themed rides.
Many people took to their keyboards questioning why the company would drop the connection to the Universal film branding.
“Will the new theme park have no relation to movies?”
“I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t they use the studio branding?”
“The Universal Studios brand is a widely known name. It will make things harder if they don’t use it.”
“This is out of character; totally unexpected. ”
“Nangoku? What kind of theme park is that?”
Admittedly, it is surprising to build a tropical theme park in Okinawa – the place has no shortage of natural tourist attractions with more than enough activities to occupy your time, such as world-class snorkeling, swimming, diving, and kayaking, in between the island hopping and shrine visits visitors can also engage in.
However, it could very well be that USJ is planning to branch out from its traditional movie themes, since it already has an amusement park for such attractions in Osaka. There was recent speculation that the company would partner with Nintendo, for example, which would presumably allow it to expand its horizons somewhat.
According to a statement made by Glenn Gumpel (CEO of USJ) back in March, the park’s main target will be inbound tourists to Japan, in an attempt to lure them to travel to southern Japan beyond the more oft-visited likes of Tokyo and Kyoto. The number of foreign tourists visiting Okinawa has increased significantly over the last year; in 2014, 8.9 million tourists visited the southern tropical island, representing a 62-percent increase from the previous year. It is hoped that the Nangoku Resort will attract even more tourists by showcasing the natural beauty and charm of Okinawa and tropical Japan.
The location and planned opening date for Nangoku Resort are yet to be revealed, but possible candidate sites include Ocean Expo Park and Neo Park Okinawa."
It seems like our initial expectations about this were right on point. It's not Universal Branded and it's also not geared to the same audience as Oriental Land and Universal Studios. For random predictions back in March that's not bad lol. I wonder how it will all turn out, and it sounds like it's going to be a pretty cool attraction. Anytime a new theme park opens among the big companies that's exciting news.
