| Legoland Japan Resort | |
| Location: | Minato-ku, Nagoya |
| Location3: | Japan |
| Status: | Operating |
| Theme: | Lego toys and childhood amusement |
| Owner: | Merlin Entertainments |
| Season: | Year-round |
| Area: | 23acres |
| Rides: | Over 40 |
is a theme park in Nagoya, Japan. Opening on 1 April 2017,[1] it was the first Legoland theme park in Japan and the second in Asia (after the Legoland Malaysia Resort), and the eighth worldwide.[2] Upon opening, the park was projected to attract over two million visitors every year.[3]
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 USD $250 million, construction was implemented by Art and Project, TAA Group and Tejix.
The nine-hectare (22.24 acre) park is located in Nagoya's Minato Ward and contains seven areas. It has over 40 attractions and uses approximately 17 million bricks.[6] Attractions include Imagination Celebration, completed on March 12, 2017, and Lego-brick cityscapes of places like Tokyo and Nagoya, which were completed 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 Aonami Line, traveling from central Nagoya to the new theme park.
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 JPY¥10 billion.[9]
On December 1, 2017, Legoland Hotel began accepting reservations for its grand opening on April 28, 2018.[10] The opening of Sea Life Aquariums was set for April 15, 2018. [11]
On February 28, 2020, the park was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The park reopened on March 23, 2020, with limited services, reduced business hours, mask mandates and mandatory temperature checks.[12] [13] Lego Ninjago Live, the Observation Tower, Submarine Adventure, The Coral Reef buffet, and the Knight's Table restaurant were not in operation.
Themed areas of discovery within the resort include:
Bricktopia includes the robotic workshops Build and Test and Lego Creative, where park goers can learn to build and program their robots.
Lego Ninjago Live offers guests a 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, while Pino Cart offers Pino ice cream in a Lego souvenir box.
Located at the center of the park, Miniland features many popular tourist attractions from across Japan built from LEGO bricks, including locations in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya. 10,496,352 LEGO bricks were used to recreate the Japanese locations.[14]
| City/Region | Added | Closed | Image | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 2017 | – | Featuring models of Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Shibuya Crossing, Sensō-ji, and the Shinkansen. | ||
| 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. | ||
| 2017 | – | Featuring models of Osaka (Tsutenkaku Tower, Dōtonbori), Kobe (Kobe Port Tower), and Himeji (Himeji Castle). | |||
| 2017 | – | Featuring a model of Miyajima, Hiroshima. |
The Adventure area includes interactive games and maze-like areas for children's play. It is located on the east side of the park along with the park's underwater attractions. Rides in this area include Submarine Adventure, S.Q.U.I.D. Surfer, Cargo Ace and Beetle Bounce. The Coral Reef Pizza and Pasta Buffet, Artifact Shop, Sub Shop and Oasis Snacks are also located in this area of the park.
Lego City is located on the park's north side and has activities such as Junior Driving School, Coast Guard HQ and Rescue Academy. In this area of the park, guests learn to drive an electric car, take the wheel during a boat ride and work together to put out fires. The Lego Cinema plays Lego films and shopping is available in Studio Store, Heartlake Shop and City Shop. Pit Stop Juice ‘n’ Drive, Brick House Burgers and Marina Snack Shack offer snacks and lunch.
The Knight's Kingdom is found on the park's northwest side. The medieval-themed area includes roller coasters like Dragon and Dragon's Apprentice, as well as attractions including Merlin's Flying Machines, Merlin's Challenge and Kingdom Games. Shops include King's Market and Knight's Table Restaurant.
Pirate Shores is surrounded by water with activities including Splash Bottle, Castaway Camp, Anchors Away! and Blue Coat Games. The Lost Booty Trading Post is a gift shop in this area offering souvenirs.
The Factory is located on the park's southwest side, containing The Lego Factory Tour. The Lego Story, displayed along the walls, shares Lego and Legoland history with park visitors as they walk through the factory's corridors. On display is the machinery that creates various Lego pieces used throughout the park. After the tour, visitors 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 a limited edition Legoland photo album. The Corner Shop provides stroller and wheelchair services and sells sundries and other useful goods. Souvenirs purchased in the park can be dropped off here and picked up upon leaving the park. Other shops and restaurants include Big Shop, Ice Factory and Factory Sandwich Company.
Legoland Japan includes several rides as well as a miniature town featuring iconic landmarks such as Tokyo Station, Kiyomizu Temple, and Nagoya Castle.[15] [16] Most rides were imported, installed and modified to meet Japanese regulations by Sansei Technologies, Inc. Since the opening of Legoland Japan in 2017, Legoland Ninjago World, Legoland Hotel, and Sea Life Aquarium have opened.
Offers various workshops such as Daruma doll crafting, Tensegrity and Caterpillar.[17] Each workshop has a designated difficulty level.
| Coaster | Opened | Area | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Ninjago | 2019[18] | Lego Ninjago World | The ride is on the back of a dragon, giving park guests 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.[19] | |
| The Dragon | 2017 | Knight's Kingdom | This ride travels around the king's castle, with animated lego figures and a dragon along the way. | |
| Dragon's Apprentice | 2017 | Knight's Kingdom | Similar to the dragon, but built for younger riders. |
| Ride | Opened | Area | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lloyd's Spinjitzu Spinners | 2019[20] | Lego Ninjago World | Containers that spin 360 degrees. | |
| Kai's Sky Masters | 2019 | Lego Ninjago World | Guests sit in four-person cars and shoot at other vehicles to gain points. | |
| Coast Guard HQ | 2017 | Lego City | Up to three guests sit in an electric-powered boat while the driver navigates around obstacles. | |
| Splash Battle | 2017 | Pirate Shores | Eight ships, each seating eight people, compete to avoid getting sprayed with water cannons from the shore and the other ships in the water. | |
| Anchors Away! | 2017 | Pirate Shores | A rotating pirate ship moving along a U-shaped track. | |
| Merlin's Flying Machines | 2017 | Knight's Kingdom | Guests pedal themselves far into the air as their car travels around the carousel. | |
| Merlin's Challenge | 2017 | Knight's Kingdom | Merry-go-round-like ride on a wooden train. | |
| Lost Kingdom Adventure | 2017 | Adventure | Egyptian-themed ride with a point system based on the number of targets shot with laser guns. | |
| Observation Tower | 2017 | Bricktopia | A 60-meter tower that offers guests a 360-degree view of the entire park. |
| Cole's Rock Climbing Wall | 2019 | Lego Ninjago World | A small-scale rock climbing wall designed for younger children. | |
| Jay's Lightning Drill | 2019 | Lego Ninjago World | Guests compete to press buttons on the wall as the light up within 30 seconds. | |
| Ninja Games | 2019 | Lego Ninjago World | Carnival-style game where guests hit targets with toy ninja stars to win prizes. | |
| Palace Cinema | 2017 | Lego City | Large indor movie theater showing 4D Lego movies with features like rain and wind. | |
| Rescue Academy | 2017 | Lego City | Guests compete to user their fire engine's water guns to put out a fire. | |
| Driving School | 2017 | Lego City | Riders race their own electric car around the circuit. Each guest receives their own Legoland driver's license. | |
| Miniland | 2017 | Miniland | This attraction features imagery of 10 different cities in Japan built out of Lego bricks. Over 10 million bricks were used in this walkthrough experience. | |
| Kingdom Games | 2017 | Knight's Kingdom | Carnival-style games with prizes on the line. | |
| Submarine | 2017 | Adventure | An underwater attraction where guests can see fish and sea creatures up close with Lego models hidden underwater throughout. | |
| Build and Test | 2017 | Bricktopia | Guests create and race their unique lego contraptions. | |
| Lego Creative Workshop | 2017 | Bricktopia | Workshops spanning from simple machines to advanced robots. | |
| Robotic Play Center | 2017 | Bricktopia | Guests build their own Lego Mindstorm Robot. | |
| Lego Factory Tour | 2017 | Factory | Guests see firsthand how Lego bricks are produced on an informational walkthrough of this factory. |
| Sea Life Nagoya | |
| Date Opened: | April 2018 |
| Owner: | Sea Life Centres |
| Management: | LEGOLAND Japan Resort |
| Members: | JAZA |
| Exhibits: | "Ryugu-castle (Under Water tunnel)" "Stingray Bay" etc. |
Sea Life Nagoya (ja: シーライフ名古屋), opened April 15,2018, is a public aquarium located on the 1st and 2nd floors of the Legoland Japan Hotel.[21] It is a member of the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA).[22]
The aquarium is divided into 11 sections, including an exhibition with a Kiso River theme, a Ryugu Castle area with an Urashima Taro theme, and an exhibition related to Lego blocks and seafood.[23] Although part of Legoland Japan Resort, admission is charged separately for the aquarium and theme park. Sea Life Nagoya is the second Sea Life in a Legoland park, opening after Sea Life Aquarium in Legoland California. The aquarium emphasized experiences, with features like backyard tours and animal interactions.[21]
Sea Life Nagoya facilities include Shoaling Ring, Kiso River, Rockpools, Harbour, Seahorse nursery, Coral reef, Stingray Bay, Jellies, Sunken Shipwreck, Ryugu Castle (underwater tunnel), and Amazing Creations.[24]
The park is near Kinjō-futō Station on the Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit Aonami Line.[25]
Legoland Japan Resort offers 12 stores, located throughout the park. These stores have different themes, but guests are able to pick any type of Lego they want at each location.
| Minifigure Market | April 2017 | Bricktopia | Mini legos, lego keychains, lego plushes, build your own mini-figure lego.[27] | |
| Pick a Brick | April 2017 | Bricktopia | Guests build their own Lego building.[28] | |
| Studio Store | April 2017 | Lego City | Lego movies.[29] | |
| Heartlake Shop | April 2017 | Lego City | Based on the Lego Girl series.[30] | |
| City Shop | April 2017 | Lego City | Part of Driving School, where guests may create or buy Lego cars.[31] | |
| The Corner Shop | April 2017 | Factory | Stroller and wheelchair services.[32] | |
| Lost Booty Trading Post | April 2017 | Pirate Shores | Pirate Lego souvenirs.[33] | |
| Artefact Shop | April 2017 | Adventure | Ancient heritage themed store selling adventure Legos and Lego backpacks.[34] | |
| The Sub Shop | April 2017 | Adventure | Part of Submarine Adventure, offers pictures of guests on the ride.[35] | |
| King's Market | April 2017 | Knight's Kingdom | Part of Knight's Castle Restaurant, guests may buy Lego castles and dragons.[36] | |
| The Photoshop | April 2017 | Main entrance | Guests select their favorite photos from the park's seven locations.[37] | |
| The Big Shop | April 2017 | Main entrance | Variety of Legos sold in stores across the park.[38] |
The resort offers six restaurants, most of which are based on the theme of the area they are located within.
| April 2017 | Brick House Burgers | Lego City[39] | Hamburger style restaurant.[40] | |
| April 2017 | Factory Sandwich Company | Factory, 2nd floor of Corner Shop | Café offering handmade sandwiches and drinks. | |
| April 2017 | Chicken Diner | Bricktopia[41] | Chicken meals, including sandwiches. | |
| April 2017 | Coral Reef Pizza and Pasta Buffet | Adventure[42] | Seasonal pasta and pizzas. | |
| April 2017 | Knight's Table Restaurant | Knight's Kingdom[43] | Fantasy castle themed restaurant. | |
| April 2017 | Oasis Snacks | Adventure[44] | Snacks, including fries, churros, and cheeses. |