One Piece has been a shonen series staple for decades at this point, spanning countless movies, video games, cafe pop-ups, and merchandising even as the manga series continues into the foreseeable future. One piece of One Piece merchanding that has met its end, however, is the Tokyo One Piece Tower amusement park. First opened in 2015, the park was one of the world’s first permanent indoor theme parks, and it was all dedicated solely to the One Piece franchise.
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From games to a themed cafe, to a manga walk that put you into the pages of a volume of One Piece, the park had it all.
However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent strain on the park’s revenue, management for the park announced that the park would be closed permanently on July 31st. Until that time, the park has chosen to allow visitors free admission to the park while adhering to proper social distancing guidelines and procedures for amusement parks in Japan. In addition, the last two shows of Tokyo One Piece Tower’s special live-character show “One Piece Attraction Marionette” will be live-streamed on YouTube for everyone to watch.
While the park has been partially open since June 1st, the dates and procedures for the park’s final reopening will be posted on the park’s official website. The park has also posted a notice asking visitors to send in their memories of their time at the park to be shared on the park’s blog, the Tongari Column. They’ll also be looking through Twitter as well for stories, using the hashtag #tokyoonepiecetower.
While the closure of an intricate and well-thought-out theme park dedicated to a beloved franchise is a sad moment, sadder still are the implications that current circumstances have brought to light. Will theme parks be a feasible form of entertainment in the future? How do you balance the human need to explore and have fun with the need for everyone’s health and safety? Hard questions that can’t be answered here, to be sure. What is sure is that Tokyo One Piece Tower will be missed, and will remain an interesting part of the franchise’s history.
