Organizers of a new theme park opening today in Tokyo Bay's waterfront development project expressed hope Thursday that the park will spark life in the Japanese economy.
Palette Town, a complex of shops, rides and malls, opens this evening at 5 p.m. The area will feature the world's largest Ferris wheel towering 115 meters above it and include an indoor entertainment center, a theme park dedicated to automotive transportation, a concert arena and free fall amusement rides.
The park "brings into being many and varied explorations into 'something new,'" said Minoru Mori, head of the park's managing committee and president of Mori Building Co. "We have striven to build a park that will become a source of new energy and ideas."
Four of the five segments of the park open today, including Toyota Motor Corp.'s "Mega Web" automobile theme park. In this section, visitors can ride on elevated courses up to 1.4 km long and try their hand riding electric cars or use simulators to design the cars of their dreams.
Palette Town is projecting an annual draw of 1.2 million visitors and will remain for 10 years, after which its lease with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government expires.