The Tokyo Disney Resort, which is made up of Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, is by far the most visited theme park in Japan. The Disney parks are Japan's most popular theme parks and are situated in Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo (and among the most visited theme parks in the world).

The Tokyo Disney Resort is typically highly busy, and the wait periods for popular attractions can exceed two or three hours (in high season sometimes over 4 hours). Get the official Tokyo Disney Resort apps and reserve a FastPass in advance for popular attractions and shows to cut down on wait times.

• Tokyo Disneyland: The first Disney theme park outside of the US, Tokyo Disneyland, opened its doors in 1983 and comprises seven themed areas. You can enjoy many daily performances of indoor and outdoor shows and parades in addition to thrilling and entertaining rides (if the weather permits).
  
  
• Tokyo DisneySea: With seven themed ports, Tokyo DisneySea is a first for Japan and inaugurated in 2001. The DisneySea's main live entertainment takes place on the park's central lake in the evening and features brilliant fireworks.

Founded: April 15, 1983
Headquarters: Urayasu, Chiba, Japan
Daily opened: from 10am – 9pm

Admission fee: starting at ¥8,200
Website: https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/top.html

After Tokyo Disney Parks, Universal Studio Japan (USJ), which debuted in 2001 in Osaka Prefecture, is the most popular theme park in Japan. Among the ten zones that make up USJ, you'll find thrilling roller coasters, kid-friendly attractions, and 3D or 4D shows based on hit films like Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Terminator 2, Minions, and Shrek.

Moreover, USJ presents a range of live performances both indoors and outside. The night of USJ's Universal Spectacular is highlighted by the Best of Hollywood Night Parade. The worlds of Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Minions, and Transformers are recreated in this parade using projection mapping and sparkling floats. Make sure to check their official website before you go because the procession starts at a different time every day depending on the day and the weather and lasts approximately an hour.

The most amazing news is that Super Nintendo World will open in March 2021, which some of you may have previously heard. It recreates the Super Mario Bros universe. If you're a fan of Nintendo games, you must visit this place while you're in Japan because it has thrilling Mario Kart rides, lots of photo opportunities, and entertaining shops.

Founded: 31 March 2001
Headquarters: Konohana-ku, Osaka, Japan
Daily opened from 8.30am – 9pm
Admission fee starting at:

• 1 day Studio Pass: ¥7,800~ – adults (12 – 65 yrs old); ¥7,100~ – senior (65+ yrs old); ¥5,400~ – children (4 – 11 yrs old)

• Twilight Pass: ¥6,600 (adults); ¥4,900 (children)

Website: www.usj.co.jp/

Fuji-Q Highland is the place to go if you're seeking for some extreme exhilarating adventures. This amusement park, located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, provides roller coasters that boast "the fastest acceleration in the world", "the largest loop in the world", "the world's record falling angle" and/or "the world's greatest number of revolutions".

The park is renowned for its spooky attraction as well. The ghostly hospital's two-story edifice is definitely not for the timid. The park also has family-friendly attractions available. Thomas Land, a second park with a railway theme inside Fuji Q Highland, is inspired by the British children's novels and television program Thomas & Friends. There are 11 attractions, eateries, and cafes in Thomas Land. The breathtaking view of the majestic Mount Fuji in the foreground of the rollercoasters is another reason to visit Fuji Q Highland, if the other reasons weren't enough to persuade you.

Shinjuku station, Shibuya station, and Tokyo station are just a few of the major train stations in Tokyo where you may board a Fuji Kyuko Highway bus that will transport you directly to the park in one hour and forty minutes (1h50m). Train service is another simple way to get to the park. Combo tickets are listed on their website.

Founded: March 2, 1968
Headquarters: 5 Chome-6-1 Shinnishihara, Fujiyoshida-shi, Yamanashi-ken 403-0017, Japan
Daily opened from 10am – 6pm
Admission fee starting at ¥3,900
Website: www.fujiq.jp/

An indoor theme park devoted to Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters is called Sanrio Puroland. It debuted in Tokyo's Tama New Town in 1990. The park is incredibly kid-friendly and filled with cuteness, or kawaii.

Due to the park's indoor location, you can visit it year-round regardless of the weather. Many live performances, movie screenings, parades, amusement rides, and houses of the main Sanrio characters are available in the park, where you can even meet and greet the characters.

Even the food is adorable, with pasta and curries modeled after the Sanrio characters being served at the Character Food Court and Sanrio Rainbow World Restaurant. Take the Keio Line toward Hashimoto from Shinjuku Station and get off at Keio Tama Center (about 30 min).

Founded: December 7, 1990
Headquarters: Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan
Daily opened from 8.30am – 8pm
Admission fee starting at ¥3,300
Website: puroland.jp

Asakusa, Tokyo's Hanayashiki is thought to be home to Japan's first amusement park. The area was first used as a flower garden in the late Edo era (1603–1868), and further amusements were added to the park in 1872. Local developers intended to reconstruct it into a substantial entertainment park following World War Two. The park, which has 19 attractions including a roller coaster, space shot, merry-go-round, haunted house, and 3D and 4D theaters, is renowned for its vintage 1950s vibe.

In 1953, the rollercoaster was first used, and it is still in use today! One of the park's most well-liked attractions is a one-hour ninja training, which you may also participate in. It is just 5 minute walk from Asakusa station.

Founded: 1872
Headquarters: Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo, Japan
Daily opened from 10am – 6pm
Admission fee starting at ¥1,000 (adult), ¥500 (children) + ride tickets starting at ¥100
Website: https://www.hanayashiki.net/

In the heart of Tokyo, close to the Tokyo Dome, lies a place called Tokyo Dome City. Although the park reopened in 2003 as a component of the Tokyo Dome City entertainment complex, which also includes the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a hot spring spa facility, it was originally known as Korakuen when it first opened in 1955.

The park's two primary attractions are a roller coaster and a ferris wheel. You can take a 15-minute ride on a centerless (!) Big-O Ferris wheel and sing along inside your gondola while enjoying lovely city views. At a high speed of 130 km/h, the Thunder Dolphin roller coaster travels through a building's hall and the hub of the Ferris wheel.

You feel like you're floating between the buildings because it runs so close to the structures. Live performances of Japanese idol groups, popular children's TV series, or anime characters are frequently held in the park. Short distance from Kasuga station, Korakuen station, and Suidobashi station (6min).

Founded: 1958
Headquarters: 1-3-61, Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8575, Japan
Daily opened from

• 12pm – 7pm weekdays
• 10am – 8pm weekends
  

Admission fee starting at ¥4,200 (adults), ¥1,800 – ¥3,700 (children)
Website: https://www.tokyo-dome.jp/

One of the newest theme parks in the nation is Legoland Japan, which debuted in Aichi Prefecture in 2017.
This outdoor amusement park provides more than 40 different rides and attractions mostly geared towards (young) children. 10,000 distinct Lego models and structures totaling 17 million Lego blocks can be found inside the park.

There are various sections at Legoland Japan, and each one provides different experiences. For instance, you may view the manufacturing process for Lego bricks at the Factory. Bricktopia is a place where you may use your creativity to build robots and cars and test their functionality.

Using more than 10 million Lego pieces, Miniland Japan offers ten sites of landscapes and city skylines from coast to coast throughout Japan. Together with various rides and activities, the park has an observatory tower that rotates.

Founded: April 1, 2017
Headquarters: Minato-ku, Nagoya, Japan
Daily opened from

• 10am – 5pm (weekdays),
• 10am-6pm (weekends)

Admission fee starting at ¥3,400
Website: https://www.legoland.jp/

This amusement park is a component of Nagashima Resort, which also includes a water park, a hot spring complex, an outlet shopping mall, a floral park, and an amusement park, and is situated in Mie Prefecture just outside of Nagoya.

The best roller coaster amusement park in western Japan is said to be Nagashima Spa Land. The park has over 40 rides including thrilling roller coasters and calm rides for youngsters. Inside Nagashima Spa Land is a water park that only operates during the summer. Take a bus headed towards either Nagashima Onsen (approximately 35 minutes) or Nabana no Sato from the Meitetsu Bus Terminal close to Nagoya station (about 50 min).

Founded: 1966
Headquarters: 333 Urayasu, Nagashima, Kuwana, Mie 511-1135 Japan
Daily opened from 9:30 AM–5 PM
Admission fee starting at:

• ¥6,500 (admission, unlimited rides Spaland and waterpark)
• ¥5,200 (admission and unlimited rides)
• ¥3,800 (admission, unlimited rides waterpark)
• ¥1,600 (admission only
• )¥300 – ¥1,000 fee per ride

Website: www.nagashima-onsen.co.jp

Huis Ten Bosch is a theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture that portrays a Dutch town complete with canals, recognizable windmills, lovely gardens, and impressive architecture. One of the three official houses of the Dutch royal family is the inspiration for its name.

In 1992, Huis Ten Bosch was constructed to honor the lengthy and fruitful history shared by the Netherlands and Japan. You can enjoy both free and paid attractions at the park, which is divided between a theme park section and a harbor area, including a boat cruise along canals. The park is exquisitely lit up at night, and you can view fireworks there as well.

If you're interested in learning more about other theme parks in Japan that were influenced by other nations, such as Canadian World and German Village, see this article: 11 Special Theme Parks in Japan to See the World. Take the JR Seaside Liner Fast or Local Train from JR Nagasaki station to Huis Ten Bosch station (approx. 1.5 hrs).

Founded: 25 March 1992
Headquarters: 1-1 Huis Ten Bosch Machi, Sasebo, Nagasaki 859-3292, Japan
Daily opened from 9am – 10pm
Admission fee starting at ¥7,000 one-day ticket
Website: english.huistenbosch.co.jp

A major onsen town in Kanagawa Prefecture called Hakone has an onsen theme park called Yunessun. Together with water slides, open-air scenic baths, and private indoor baths, Yunessun has distinctive onsen pools with flavors like red wine, sake, maple syrup, and coffee. Yunessun requires bathing suits, in contrast to the majority of hot spring spas in Japan.

Take the Limited Express Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku station to Hakone-Yumoto station (about 90 min). Take the Shinkansen Kodama to Odawara station from Tokyo Station instead (about 35 min). Take the Hakone Tozan Bus or Izu Hakone Bus to the Kowakien bus stop from Hakone-Yumoto Station or Odawara Station.

Founded:
Headquarters: 250-0407Hakone-machi1297 Ninotaira, , Japan
Daily opened from:

• 10am – 6pm (weekdays)
• 9am – 7pm (weekends)

Admission fee starting at ¥2,500
Website: https://www.yunessun.com/

The theme park that built the well-known tourist destinations not only in Japan but also throughout the world with miniatures launched in the Ariake neighborhood near Odaiba in 2020. The region is separated into 6 different themes, including those that feature some of the most well-known anime of all time: Space Center, Global Village, Lovely Guardian Sailor Moon, Kansai International Airport, Evangelion: Cage, and Evangelion Tokyo-III. The miniatures are constructed in 1/80 size.

Each section provides a stunning tiny landscape where you can also witness trains moving, planes taking off, and rockets being launched. And one of the most unique things you can do is to use the most recent 3D scanners to become a small human figurine and enter the realm of miniatures. You might find yourself in the 1/80-scale figurine after being scanned in 3D. Your figure can stay in your preferred spot for a year.

Founded: June 11, 2020
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Daily opened from 9:30 am - 8 pm
Admission fee starting at ¥2,900
Website: www.smallworlds.jp

In the Aichi prefecture's Expo 2005 Aichi Memorial Park, Ghibli Park debuted in November 2022. There are five distinct locations in this eagerly anticipated theme park for Ghibli fans: the Hill of Youth, Ghibli's Big Warehouse, Mononoke's Village, Valley of Witches, and Dondoko Forest. Hill of Youth, Ghibli's Big Warehouse, and Dondoko Forest are three that will debut in 2022, while the others will do so in 2023. Each area features popular Ghibli films such as,

• Hill of Youth – Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns
• Ghibli’s Large Warehouse – Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, Arrietty
• Mononoke’s Village – Princess Mononoke
• Valley of Witches – Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service
• Dondoko Forest – My Neighbor Totoro

Founded: 1 November 2022
Headquarters: Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
Daily opened from

• 10am – 5pm (weekdays)*Closed on Tuesdays

• 9am – 5pm (weekends & holidays)

Admission fee starting at ¥1,000~

• Ghibli’s Large Warehouse: ¥2,000 (adult, weekdays), ¥2,500 (adult, weekends & holidays)
• Hill of Youth: ¥1,000 (adult)
• Dondoko Forest: ¥1,000 (adult)

Website: https://ghibli-park.jp/