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Universal Studios Japan considers new theme park in Okinawa

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© 2015 AFP

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cHow entertainment existence affected Base expansion in USA

Camp Pendleton 9n Orange 'County Disney Land was created. Then Anaheim Angels (Now LA Angleles) Huge Irvine Village became Irvine City that invited UC Irvine and also Top Ramen company, So no expansion of Camp Pendleton.

Omce Nellis Air Foce base in Nevada was the center or Atomic Bomb test site. From Nellis, ABomb was sent to Japan and USA won WW II. Meanwhile entertainment city Las Vegas became so profittable tjat Nellis is now forgotten small US base.

Who knows? More entertainment business sprout in Okinawa, It might be known as Entertainment Capitol of Japan.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

toshiko,

Tourism will bring $$$ and local employment increases.

Yes, exactly.

Whereas a new superbase in Henoko would just turn Okinawa into a bigger target.

For God's sake, military bases are so dark and gloomy.

I'd much rather see people having fun and enjoying themselves than heavily guarded enclosures, ammunition dumps and several thousand people waiting for the order to "make the world safe for Democracy!"

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Jt will be happy id it isees 8 % ibcreased revenue a year. just like others in USA

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

AFP: “Especially after we opened attractions featuring ‘Harry Potter,’ we have seen very good visitor numbers, which we expect to hit 12 million this fiscal year alone,” said a USJ spokesman.

Okinawa population 1.4M, tourist visitors 6.4M, in 2014.

Don't think one new attraction is going to double that.

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@Bertie: Universal will not reveal its future plan on Okinawa without some info about Bases. It wants to build in Okinawa. It knows American tourists love warmer climate places/ China is restricting Macao. So, next better location is Okinawa. Let's wait to see if other US entertainment companies will reveal their plans and wait what US Defense Dept's plan for bases. Tourism will bring $$$ and local employment increases. ;

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Hopefully they call it Universal Studios Okinawa, or USO for short!

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If they were to build something on the land where Camp Kinser is at (should be returned soon), it would be a nice financial shot in the arm for the Urasoe City area. But the north has more land to give.

And actually, Expo park just needs a little bit added to it to make it a better attraction. Just built the park nearby.

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They couldn't have a mock osprey ride, some mainland protesters would try to fly some kites and balloons in the flight path.

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Naw . . . Might be too noisy & dangerous to the locals. They'll be content with the " Harry Potter " attraction.

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I have a great idea for an attraction! A mock Osprey ride!

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Tourism is the biggest source of income in Okinawa. Amusement parks like Universal Studios would increase the already rapidly rising income from tourism dramatically.

The US bases have been around since the end of WWII and they haven't brought prosperity. Okinawa is still the poorest prefecture.

However, if the US bases were returned, Okinawa could easily become one of the richest:

The returned lands in Kuwae and Kitamae area in Chatan have created 108 times more direct economic effect and those in the Shintoshin area in Naha have produced 32 times more.

Read the whole article:

http://english.ryukyushimpo.jp/2015/02/18/17119/

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

The honeymooners are the very reason there is financial thriving to that local economy. Add a USJ? Well heck, let's dance.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

A USJ park will be much better for the local economy,and certainly more welcomed by the locals than a casino complex Abe's government was originally trying to build there.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It's the usual perfect marriage: US military and corporate capital. The problem is the honeymooners never go home.

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Guilty as charged, I enjoy theme parks, well run and well done theme parks.

That being said, they need to seriously upgrade Universal Studios Osaka first. Their New York street scenes are starting to look like real NYC, dirty and dank. USJ is in desperate need of a makeover, it looks exactly like I remember Universal Studios looked like when I first went there in Orlando, Florida, 25 years ago!

The Universal Studios in Orlando has since updated the rides several times over, built another park, Islands of Adventure, and is already planning to expand Harry Potter World.

And Ive been to the new Biohazard experience here, which is nothing like the commercial promises and the Evangelion and Attack of the Titans additions seem rushed.

All in all, USJ is fun, but there's so much dead space. I know the classic rides like Back to the Future and Backdraft are more well known here than The Simpsons and maybe Twister are, but come on, they could bring the Men in Black ride or The Tranformers attraction or The Mummy ride here.

Just my opinion.

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Those japanese sure love US amusement parks. You'd think a Disneyland and the Universal in Osaka would be enough. @Bertie W. sorry but national security got first dibbs. They aint packin up to go home anytime soon. Deal with it.

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It was reported that the proposed site might be in an existing park the Nago area of Motobu. If this should happen, then it would join the '75 Expo site as a tourist attraction in northern Okinawa. A positive idea for Okinawa ...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Lol the plot from Sega yakuza 3 was right lol, they beat the amusement park idea years ago.

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It seems no doubt that Okinawans would welcome more theme parks than military bases.

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@BertierWooster Perhaps a few anti-basers could go home as well. I'm thinking a theme park would be better than a bunch of know-nothings.

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Perhaps a few of the US bases could pack up and go home to leave space for more ventures like this in Okinawa. It would be a much better use of space and provide jobs for Okinawans.

-9 ( +3 / -12 )

Plans like this seem to have a way of not working out. Back in 2004 U.S. movie studio Paramount Pictures said they would build a theme park in the town of Hisayama, Fukuoka Prefecture. It was supposed to open in 2010.

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