Harry Potter magic destined for Tokyo theme park

A Harry Potter-inspired theme park will replace a 94-year-old amusement park in Tokyo in a treat for the legions of fans of the boy wizard.

Warner Bros Japan and partners including Seibu Railway and trading house Itochu announced on Tuesday that the theme park paying homage to the Harry Potter series of films will open in the first half of 2023.

Seibu Railway, which owns Toshimaen, one of the oldest amusement parks in Tokyo dating to 1926, will turn part of the 220,000-square-meter site into the new theme park. The rest of the land will be sold to the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Occupying about 30,000 square meters, the theme park will display film sets, costumes and props used in the beloved fantasy films based on the popular novels of the same name by British author J.K.Rowling.

Ann Sarnoff, chairwoman and CEO of Warner Bros, said in a statement that the theme park will offer "fans of all ages a unique way to get closer to the films" and that the company is "looking forward to creating something very special".

'Good news'

According to Seibu, the park will be the second such facility after Warner Bros Studio Tour London-The Making of Harry Potter, which has welcomed over 1.4 million visitors since it opened in 2012.

"I think it is very good news," said Kaori Kawasaki, a student in her 20s in Tokyo, "By then, the COVID-19 pandemic will be over and I hope many people like me can enjoy the theme park."

"It also shows that neither Lord Voldemort nor the pandemic can disrupt the daily lives of human beings."

The Tokyo metropolitan government said the rest of the Toshimaen facility will be repurposed as a large public park, which could also serve as an emergency evacuation site.