A Paddington-themed visitor attraction has come to Japan, marking the Peruvian bear's first foray into the country's theme park market.
Covering 4,420sq m (47,500sq ft), Paddington Town is an addition to Sagamiko Resort “Pleasure Forest”, offering five rides and attractions, including a railway line, miniature fire engine, mini-coaster, science attraction and a maze.
Operated by Fujikyuko Co – which also operates two other amusement parks among a number of businesses in operation around Mount Fuji – Paddington Town opened its doors on 21 July following a ¥230m (US$2m, €1.8m, £1.6m) investment into the park's expansion.
Close to Tokyo, Pleasure Forest is themed around nature. The park consist of different zones, with its signature Ferris wheel an icon of the park. An outdoor zone has camping spaces for both daytime and overnight uses, while the hobby zone has mountain bike courses and one of the largest radio-control car courses in the Kanto region. The park's operators hope that the Paddington-themed addition will up total visitor numbers to one million people annually.
Currently entering its 60th year, the first Paddington book by Michael Bond was published in Britain in 1958. The fictional bear has gone on to become an icon of British literature and later media, with two feature films in 2014 and 2017 grossing a combined £376.5m (US$494.9m, €424m) in worldwide box office sales.
