Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million international visitors in 2025, and its theme parks have become a major draw alongside the country’s culture, cuisine and scenery. The sector now spans globally branded destination resorts, character-driven attractions and regional amusement parks, with several major expansions and openings scheduled or recently completed.
Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, open since 2001, remains a flagship. It added Super Nintendo World in 2021, the first such area at a Universal park, and the world’s first Donkey Kong Country area in 2024. The park also runs limited-time collaborations with properties including Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Pokémon, One Piece and Resident Evil, plus seasonal Sanrio shows and parades. In 2026, it announced its first expansion since 2001, with plans to invest up to 300 billion yen in new attractions across 60,000 square metres of nearby land.
Tokyo Disneyland, which opened on 15 April 1983 as the first Disney park outside the United States, is based on Disneyland in California and has seven themed lands. It is owned and operated by Oriental Land Company under licence from The Walt Disney Company, as is Tokyo DisneySea. In 2026, Tokyo Disneyland announced Space Mountain Earthrise and Sugar Rush: Sweet Rescue as part of a 100 billion yen ($630 million) transformation of Tomorrowland; the new Space Mountain is set to replace the original coaster in 2027. Tokyo DisneySea, which opened in September 2001 and spans 49 hectares, is divided into seven themed ports. Its largest expansion to date, Fantasy Springs, opened in 2024 at a cost of $2.2 billion, with worlds inspired by Frozen, Tangled and Peter Pan.
Ghibli Park, inside the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park, brings Studio Ghibli films to life across five themed areas. It opened in November 2022 with three areas, added Mononoke Village in November 2023 and Valley of Witches in March 2024, and in 2026 announced plans for an indoor area inspired by Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The park has no major thrill rides; highlights include a large-scale Howl’s Moving Castle recreation, a My Neighbor Totoro playground with a replica of Satsuki and Mei’s house, and Catbus electric vehicles.
Character parks include Sanrio Puroland in Tokyo, an indoor park opened in 1990 with Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll attractions; Sanrio Harmonyland in Oita, which opened Nakayoku Lab with an AR experience in 2026; PokéPark Kanto, the world’s first permanent outdoor Pokémon attraction, opened in February 2026 at Yomiuriland in Tokyo with more than 600 Pokémon across two zones; Moominvalley Park in Saitama, opened in 2019; and Sylvanian Park in Ibaraki. Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura recreates the Edo period across 49.5 hectares, while Asakusa Hanayashiki, established in 1853, is considered Japan’s oldest amusement park and still operates a roller coaster built in 1953.
Thrill-focused parks include Fuji-Q Highland, opened in 1968 near Mount Fuji, with coasters such as Fujiyama, Eejanaika and Takabisha; Nagashima Spa Land in Mie Prefecture, opened in 1966, which has Japan’s largest collection of operating roller coasters, 13 in total, including Steel Dragon 2000, and sits within a resort with a water park and hot springs; Greenland in Kumamoto, with about 80 attractions and a 105-metre Rainbow Ferris wheel; and Hirakata Park in Osaka, dating to 1910, with 45 attractions and about 1.3 million visitors a year. Legoland Japan opened in Nagoya in 2017 and features Miniland Japan, built from more than 10 million Lego bricks. Huis Ten Bosch in Nagasaki Prefecture, opened in 1992 and spanning about 152 hectares, is Japan’s largest theme park by area; in 2025 it opened Japan’s first premium flying theatre with an 8K LED dome screen and the world’s only Miffy area, Miffy Wonder Square.