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Tokyo’s own Harry Potter theme park slated to open in 2023 on Toshimaen site

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Stars and Stripes •
The Toshimaen amusement park, which has been in business in central Tokyo for the past 94 years, is expected to close this month. An indoor Harry Potter theme park and public park will take its place.

The Toshimaen amusement park, which has been in business in central Tokyo for the past 94 years, is expected to close this month. An indoor Harry Potter theme park and public park will take its place. (Kaoru Yamamoto/Stars and Stripes)

The Toshimaen amusement park, which has been in business in central Tokyo for the past 94 years, is expected to close this month. An indoor Harry Potter theme park and public park will take its place.

The Toshimaen amusement park, which has been in business in central Tokyo for the past 94 years, is expected to close this month. An indoor Harry Potter theme park and public park will take its place. (Kaoru Yamamoto/Stars and Stripes)

The Toshimaen amusement park, which has been in business in central Tokyo for the past 94 years, is expected to close this month. An indoor Harry Potter theme park and public park will take its place.

The Toshimaen amusement park, which has been in business in central Tokyo for the past 94 years, is expected to close this month. An indoor Harry Potter theme park and public park will take its place. (Kaoru Yamamoto/Stars and Stripes)

TOKYO — A theme park based on the Harry Potter films is scheduled to open in Tokyo in 2023, companies developing the park announced Monday.

Warner Bros. Studio Tours, Warner Bros Japan, Seibu Railway Co., Itochu Corp. and Fuyo General Lease Co. concluded an agreement Monday to develop “Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo — The Making of Harry Potter” at a site in northern Tokyo in Nerima-ku, the companies stated in a news release.

The site is now occupied by the Toshimaen amusement park, which will close this month after 94 years.

It’s replacement will be a 323,000-square-foot indoor park offering a “new type of experiential entertainment in Japan,” the release stated.

According to the plan, Studio Tours Tokyo will offer special features based on the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. Visitors will be able to explore the movie sets that were designed and built by the creators of the Harry Potter series and see original costumes and props.

Studio Tour Tokyo will be the second facility of its kind in the world, according to the news release. The Harry Potter studio tour in London has attracted more than 14 million visitors since it opened in 2012.

Studio Tour Tokyo will offer “fans of all ages a unique way to get closer to the films and truly immerse themselves in the Wizarding World,” stated Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Ann Sarnoff.

Toshimaen covers 54 acres with rides and pools, Kyodo News reported. The new theme park will be developed on part of the site; the rest will be turned into a public park by Tokyo Metropolitan Government to be used as an emergency shelter in case of disaster.

kusumoto.hana@stripes.com Twitter: @HanaKusumoto

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Hana Kusumoto is a reporter/translator who has been covering local authorities in Japan since 2002. She was born in Nagoya, Japan, and lived in Australia and Illinois growing up. She holds a journalism degree from Boston University and previously worked for the Christian Science Monitor’s Tokyo bureau.

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