Legoland Nagoya Facing Difficulties

 

Legoland Nagoya Lego Factory

Just after opening before Golden Week in May, Legoland Nagoya hoped it could cash in on the amusement park success of Legoland Japan in Tokyo and Universal Studios in Osaka.

The hopes have yet to materialize.  The chief reason being the farflung location of the park from Nagoya City.  The park is located near the dock area of Amami Port  which is over 30 KM from central Nagoya.

On Saturdays for the entire month of June our correspondent Ryan Nesbit reported small crowds.  The park itself is rather small as it only takes 10 minutes to walk from the front gate to the very back of the park where the Knights Kingdom is located.  Few people were eating at the park's restaurants where food is expensive.  An example, an order of fried potatoes shaped as Lego bricks costs 750 Yen for 6 little bricks. A hotdog costs 1000 Yen.  Drinks come in small and regular (250ml and 500ml) and cost 700 Yen and 850 Yen respectively.

One mother with her husband and son commented, "We were so excited to come.  The high admission was expected, but inside we pay to get into the Lego Museum, the Lego Factory, and extras add up to more than the admission.  We are not very happy."

Last week the park announced it would offer a discount to families with more than 4 people.  The Family pass with more than 4 people costs 25,000 Yen and a pass for 4 costs 18,300 Yen, a pass for 3 costs 14,700 Yen and individual tickets cost 6200 Yen for adults, and children under 12 cost 4000 Yen.

Granted, Legoland does have some nice deals on annual passes, which work out to be several tens of thousands of yen less than Disneyland’s, and also offers discounts of 700 yen for advance-purchase tickets. Still, with such a specialized theme, it’s hard to imagine too many people will be planning to come multiple times a year, and with hardly any difference in price for a same-day pass, Legoland Japan is setting itself up as a hard sell to amusement park fans of just about any age, so if the park’s management really wants to get people coming through those gates, it might want to think about lowering its prices even further.