Roller coasters meet hot springs in bizarre theme park concept in Japan

Herald online

29 Nov, 2016 01:57 AM2 mins to read

Source: YouTube: 温泉ハイスタンダード！極楽地獄別府

If you've ever dreamed of combining a heart-racing roller coaster ride with a relaxing soak in a hot spring, Japan's latest theme park idea could be right up your alley.

The spa resort city of Beppu, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, has revealed its bizarre theme park plans in a promotional video on YouTube — with mayor Yasuhiro Nagano pledging to build the park if the video received a million views.

Filmed at Beppu Rakutenchi park, the video shows guests walking around the park barefood, clad only in towels. The rides, including roller coasters, carousels, Ferris wheels and cable cars, have been modified to contain built-in tubs of hot spring water, while the gaming area doubles as a steam room.

The video has since been viewed nearly two million times and the mayor has released a statement to thank the public for their support and to confirm he would construct the park.

While a completion date has not been announced, the mayor said in his statement that the Yu-enchi onsen amusement park would be an "exciting, thrilling tourist spot that could represent Beppu", Rocketnews24 reported.

Visitors don towels to explore the park. Photo / YouTube

"I believe that, as one of the world's best hot spring tourist spots, the appeal of having an onsen theme park in the town creates an opportunity for the citizens of Beppu, particularly young residents, to feel that "Beppu is fun" and have a sense of pride for their hometown."

However, it's still unclear whether the completed park will resemble the one seen in the viral video.

"It's only an image. We are still discussing safety issues, for example, whether we could actually run hot water inside a roller coaster," said Michitaka Kubota, a spokesman from Beppu's tourism department told The Japan Times.