Legoland to open in Japan
A new Legoland park will open in Japan, operator Merlin Entertainment has announced.
The 32 billion yen (£185 million) park will become the company’s eighth worldwide.
Merlin, which bought Legoland in 2005 and also operats Madame Tussauds and Alton Towers in the UK, will pump £53 million into the new project, which has also attracted investment from Kirkbi, the company run by the original family behind the Lego brand.
The park is due to open in 2017 in Nagoya, two hours from Tokyo, but further details about what it will include have not yet been announced.
Typically Legolands combine traditional theme park rides with detailed miniature Lego models of famous buildings and cityscapes from around the world.
Rival park operator Disney has had a park in Tokyo since 1983 and it was its second most-visited park last year, after Disney World in Florida.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025