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The story
According to a report by the Yomiuri Shimbun, JUNGLIA Okinawa, the large theme park in northern Okinawa Island, has seen visitor numbers stuck at roughly half of its original projections about a year after opening, and is now requesting additional loans and investment as its cash flow worsens. Tsuyoshi Morioka, CEO of the consulting firm “Katana,” which spearheaded the park’s planning, reportedly attended the shareholders’ meeting and presented a turnaround plan with lowered visitor targets and break-even points. On 5ch, opinions were split over whether poor accessibility or thin content was the main cause of the slump, with many also pointing out that the public-private Cool Japan Fund is among the park’s investors.
Struggling “JUNGLIA” Seeks Additional Loans and Investment… Visitor Numbers at About Half of Plan, “Risk of Running Out of Cash”
Fri, Sep 25, 21:03 JST
Yomiuri Shimbun Online
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
I think they'd have quietly financed it without it ever becoming public.
Back in the day there was something called Sankei Valley, you know…
Apparently Nishino (from the comedy duo Kinkon) is going in November.
You really think he'd start drawing properly again just because his back got better?
'The T-Rex really does chase you. I mean it, it seriously chases you — nobody's ever experienced anything like it.'
So, how did the finished product turn out?
Well, they say Okinawa was at the bottom of the ocean back when dinosaurs roamed the earth lol
Honestly, the location itself isn't that big a problem. Churaumi Aquarium, just nearby, gets 3.4 million visitors a year. The reason JUNGLIA only pulled in a mere 1 million in its first year comes down to one thing: JUNGLIA just isn't fun. That's really all there is to it.
I feel like having the aquarium nearby is actually dragging it down too.
No, it's not actually close — it's over 30 minutes by car, so even from the aquarium you'd have to take a bus. I just looked it up, and there's only one direct bus a day from Churaumi Aquarium to JUNGLIA, leaving around noon. Realistically, trying to hit both the aquarium and JUNGLIA in one trip is a fool's errand. If it were at least within walking distance of the Ocean Expo Park tourist area, it could have scooped up the aquarium's visitors too.
And the fact that money's coming out of the Cool Japan Fund for this makes it truly unforgivable.
Once a month would be one thing, but a weekly closing day is pretty rough lol. That's basically no different from some mom-and-pop shop lol
Customers are showing up more than expected, but apparently that level of turnout still isn't enough — the business itself is in serious trouble.
If anything, wasn't it like 2,700 people a day? Once it came out how pathetically small that number is, I was actually surprised that many people were showing up every day lol
Even Tokyo Disneyland — if it were near the tip of the Boso Peninsula, nobody would go.
Speaking of the Boso Peninsula, there's Mother Farm. That place isn't in a convenient location either, but it's stayed steadily popular.
Actually, out of everywhere I've been, that was one of the most fun trips. The fog was so thick you could barely see the scenery, but I got to stay in a lodge, ate Genghis Khan (grilled mutton) for the first time, tried sheep grazing and cow milking, and had some soft-serve ice cream too.
Huh?
It went bankrupt and ended up under the Turnaround Corporation.
The Cool Japan Fund is one of the investors.
In other words, it's a government project.
Is 3 billion yen actually going to fix anything?
Wouldn't it make sense to just raise the admission price?
What's raising the price any further going to do?
It's already overpriced as it is — that'll just drive even more customers away.
With the exaggerated YouTube/social-media hype they ran at launch using YouTubers and influencers, plus a management team with no operational competence and zero credibility, this isn't going to work, is it?
Advertising that's designed to deceive consumers doesn't just cost you trust — it costs you your integrity too.
It won't work unless the entire management team quits, but there's probably nobody willing to take over either, so it's rough — this thing is checkmated.
They went ahead and casually lied that 'the T-Rex will chase you.' How do you even say that with a straight face when it was only a concept and the actual thing wasn't even working yet?
But it's way too shoddy.
The developers and consultants skimming their cut off the top must have been brutal.
There's nothing inside.
'Skim-Off Japan.'
Every Cool Japan Fund failure boils down to exactly this.
That would only be a debuff lol
So they're gonna make drinks?
After Hikakin's barley tea and corn tea, next up is sanpin tea (Okinawan jasmine tea), huh?
The explanatory materials handed out at the venue were reportedly collected afterward to prevent them from leaking.
After the meeting ended, Morioka did not appear at the entrance where reporters were waiting, and instead left the venue through a different exit.
Let's make a 'Where's Morioka?' theme park.
Why isn't he being fired? If anything, the local government should be suing him.
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
JUNGLIA Okinawa is a large theme park that opened in Nago City in northern Okinawa Island. Even before opening, it drew attention through PR stunts like the T-Rex chase experience devised by Tsuyoshi Morioka of the consulting firm “Katana.” Its investors include the public-private Cool Japan Fund, and the fact that public money is involved is part of why this news struck a nerve. Opinions in the thread split mainly over whether location or content is the bigger cause of the slump: some pointed to the nearby Churaumi Aquarium (3.4 million visitors a year) to argue that “location isn’t the problem,” while others countered that with only one direct bus a day, the area has poor connectivity for sightseeing. One point readers could easily misread: the “skimming” accusations aimed at the development consultants are speculation within the thread, not facts confirmed by the reporting. That Morioka apologized and lowered the targets at the shareholders’ meeting is a fact from the article itself, but questions about management’s future or the legitimacy of any lawsuit remain strictly 5ch’s own opinions.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (News Flash+) thread “Struggling “JUNGLIA Okinawa” Seeks Additional Loans and Investment… Visitor Numbers at About Half of Plan, “Risk of Running Out of Cash”.”
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