is a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

Sasebo, Nagasaki is a core city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. It is also the second largest city in Nagasaki Prefecture, after its capital, Nagasaki. On 1 June 2019, the city had an estimated population of 247,739 and a population density of 581 persons ...

, Japan, which recreates the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

by displaying life-sized copies of old Dutch buildings. The name ''Huis Ten Bosch'' translates into English as "House at the Woods/Forest". It is named after

Huis ten Bosch Huis ten Bosch ( nl, Paleis Huis ten Bosch, ; English: "House in the Woods") is a royal palace in The Hague, Netherlands. It is one of three official residences of the Dutch monarch; the two others being the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague a ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

, one of the three official residences of the Dutch Royal Family.

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 around 12 km southeast of Sasebo. It is on Hario Island, essentially an area of reclaimed marshland on the main coastline of Kyushu facing

Ōmura Bay is a bay of the East China Sea in the centre of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. Geography The bay measures about north-to-south and east-to-west. The length of the shoreline is about and the surface area is about . This corresponds with abo ...

. Its location in this area of the country reflects the historical relations between the Netherlands and Japan, which began in 1609 when a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

was opened by the Dutch in Hirado, an island off the coast of Kyushu around 35 km northwest of central Sasebo. The Huis Ten Bosch 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 is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

. It can also be reached by boat from

Nagasaki Airport is an international airport located west of the railway station in the city of Ōmura and north northeast of the Nagasaki railway station in the city of Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The airport terminal and runway 14/32 are on ...

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. 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. 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.

References

External links

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Check In With the Velociraptor at the World’s First Robot Hotel
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, ''Wired'', 2016-03-02. {{Authority control Tourist attractions in Nagasaki Prefecture Buildings and structures in Nagasaki Prefecture Amusement parks in Japan 1992 establishments in Japan 2022 mergers and acquisitions Sasebo