By SATOSHI KIMURA/ Staff Writer
April 14, 2021 at 17:58 JST
An artist's rendering of the newly renovated Seibu Amusement Park (Provided by Seibu Amusement Park)
TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Prefecture--The world's first Godzilla ride will take passengers along to see a fierce clash fresh off the silver screen at the renovated Seibu Amusement Park here when it opens on May 19.
Seibu Railway Co. announced the reopening date for the theme park on April 13.
The "Godzilla the Ride" attraction, designed by director Takashi Yamazaki, known for the “Always--3-chome no Yuhi” (Always--Sunset on Third Street) series, and other creators, lets visitors ride vehicles bearing a special armored car motif where they can witness a fierce battle between Godzilla and King Ghidorah up close.
The park itself has adopted a retro 1960s look that resembles a townscape from Japan's Showa Era (1926-1989).
The park also features attractions themed on renowned cartoonist Osamu Tezuka' s popular works "Astro Boy” and “Jungle Emperor Leo" in a newly established family area, with a roller coaster ride called “Astro Boy no Getsumen Ryoko” (Astro Boy’s Moon Trip) and another attraction titled “Tobe! Jungle no Yusha Leo” (Jump! Jungle Brave Leo).
Seibu Amusement Park, which opened in 1950, attracted about 1.94 million visitors at its peak in fiscal 1988.
But the number of visitors has dropped below 500,000 annually in recent years due to its aging facilities and other reasons. In fiscal 2019, it welcomed 380,000 visitors.
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