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The story
JUNGLIA Okinawa, the theme park that opened in the northern part of Okinawa’s main island last July, was expected to be a catalyst for the local economy. But the first earnings report since opening, released by the parent company of the operating firm, showed a net loss of over ¥17.3 billion. On 5ch, some pointed to the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East for driving up construction and operating costs, but many pushed back, arguing the real problem was simply the lack of visitors. Discussion ranged over both location and content issues — poor access from Naha Airport, unfavorable comparisons with the nearby Churaumi Aquarium, and difficulty attracting repeat visitors.
JUNGLIA Okinawa’s parent company posts over ¥17.3 billion loss
The parent company of the firm operating JUNGLIA Okinawa — the theme park that opened last July amid high hopes it would be a catalyst for Okinawa’s economy — has released its first earnings report since opening, revealing a net loss of over ¥17.3 billion…
Source: news.web.nhk / Read the original article here
What people said
A jungle… in Okinawa??
That's it!
Get Hamada and Komuro to do the commercial! (comedian Masatoshi Hamada and producer Tetsuya Komuro)
Costs are climbing across the board for running big facilities like theme parks these days
This is way beyond a cost problem — the number of visitors is just abysmal
Any attraction with no repeat visitors is going to die out fast
Is this basically just a way to keep milking cash out of investors forever?
Cool Japan (the government's pop-culture export campaign)
And on top of that they faked being popular for a while too
That stuff you can find anywhere, the place on Okinawa's coast is way better
You can find it anywhere? Everything there was a first for me
Which place? I want to go
That's the Biwako guy, right? (a YouTuber known for scathing, low-rated reviews)
Calling in someone who got famous for bashing places — you can really tell they're cornered
Those dinosaur park booms only happened back when games and CG couldn't really depict that stuff yet
"I want to trek all the way out to the middle of nowhere in Okinawa for a dinosaur experience" is such an old-man idea
Okinawa and dinosaurs just don't click together in people's heads
and none of them were tagged as sponsored
Makes you wonder if they all really went on their own
It makes for good content, so they might go even without a paid deal
And with stealth marketing, as long as both sides keep their story straight, there's no proving otherwise
Junglia's a non-starter too, when it takes a ridiculous amount of time by rental car from the major airport
But isn't boosting the northern region also part of the point?
It's right by the Churaumi Aquarium, so if people can't decide, they'll just go there instead
Giant whale sharks, gorgeous ocean right nearby, and the sightseeing to and from is a lot more straightforward too
"the staff are so kind and warm"
That's just because they're not busy, so they can spend more time on each customer
Same with KFC — it's worst on Christmas and best on a weekday morning when the veteran staff are on shift
The governor changed, so maybe that'll shift things a bit?
Kind of sad, really
Japan really does love piling on someone once they're down or failing
Such a nasty habit, honestly
Just a reminder that the Churaumi Aquarium is still massively popular
They could've just thrown up an AEON Mall without overthinking it, added a Ferris wheel and a hot spring as a package deal, and been fine — why'd they build that thing instead
My prefecture's even got two of them
And since they're publicly run, admission's cheap too
The Fukui dinosaur museum is on a completely different level in every way — you should go once
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
JUNGLIA Okinawa is a theme park developed with involvement from Katana, the company led by marketer Tsuyoshi Morioka, known for turning around Universal Studios Japan — local expectations were high even before it opened. This ¥17.3 billion loss comes from the parent company’s earnings, not the operating company itself, and is likely to reflect upfront investment and depreciation typical of a park’s first year. On the thread, opinions split between those blaming rising costs tied to the Middle East and Ukraine situations, and those who argued the bigger issues were the park’s poor location in northern Okinawa and the sheer lack of visitors. The long drive from Naha Airport was a concern raised even before the park opened. Judging a theme park’s success or failure from a single year’s loss may be premature — visitor trends and repeat-customer strategies going forward will be what to watch.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “JUNGLIA Okinawa Posts a ¥17.3 Billion Loss lol.”
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