Immersive Theme Park Experience Coming to Tokyo in Odaiba at Former Venus Fort Site in Spring 2024

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, October 12, 2023

An indoor theme park will be the latest addition to Tokyo’s bayside Odaiba district, which has been seeking new ways to draw visitors.

Immersive Fort Tokyo will open next spring, taking over the second and third floors of Venus Fort, the commercial facility that closed last year.

The immersive theme park will cover about 30,000 square meters across the two floors, with 12 attractions, including theatrical ones in which the audience are part of the story. The idea is to give visitors heightened sensory experiences, according to Katana Inc., an Osaka-based marketing firm involved in such attractions.

“We’d like to stimulate the audience in a way that only live performances can,” said Katana CEO Tsuyoshi Morioka at a press conference earlier this month.

Morioka is known for working to revive the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka. His company has been involved in renovating Seibuen Amusement Park in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, and is supporting Huis Ten Bosch, the expansive resort facility in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture.

Venus Fort opened in 1999 and was popular for its evocation of Renaissance European streets in its indoor shopping and dining areas. In March 2022, it was closed due to redevelopment.

The Palette Town complex that included Venus Fort ceased operations in August 2022. On the site of Palette Town, a multipurpose arena for sports and concerts is scheduled to open in 2025.

As for Immersive Fort Tokyo, ticket prices and further details will be announced at a later date.