Harry Potter theme park to open in Tokyo in 2023

<p>Like The Making of <a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/harry-potter-6774" target="_blank"><strong>Harry Potter </strong></a>exhibition at Warner Bros Studio Tour London, it will feature film sets, costumes and props from the movie franchise based on the books.</p><p>Fans at the Studio Tour Tokyo will also be able to step into life-size re-creations of some of the film's most famous locations including Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Privet Drive and Gringotts Wizarding Bank.</p><p>The park will be based at a 30,000 square metre site in Nermira, an area around a half-an-hour's train ride outside of central Tokyo and famed as the birthplace of Japanese animation production.</p><p>An amusement park called Toshimaen with roller coasters and a water park is currently on the site but is due to close down at the end of this month.</p><p>One of the largest amusement parks in Tokyo, it's owned by the Seibu Group.</p><p>The railway operator has also sold part of the 22-hectare site to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for use as an emergency shelter space in the event of a disaster.</p><p>A spokesman for Japan's Itochu Corporation, which is helping to develop the park, said: "The franchise is an enduring and much-loved one by multiple generations, as adults who grew up with Harry Potter now take their own families to the theatres."</p><p>Ann Sarnoff, chairwoman and CEO of Warner Bros, said the theme park will offer "fans of all ages a unique way to get closer to the films" and that the company is "looking forward to creating something very special".</p> <p>The original tour, based in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, has welcomed over 1.4 million visitors since opening in 2012.</p><p>Additionally, there are also Harry Potter theme park spin-offs created by Universal Studios in Orlando and Hollywood in the United States, and Osaka, Japan.</p><p><strong><a href="https://news.sky.com/topic/j-k-rowling-6879" target="_blank">J K Rowling</a> </strong>published seven books about the boy wizard between 1997 and 2007, which have been turned into eight films between 2001 and 2011.</p> <p>A spin-off prequel - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - has also followed, with the third film currently in production. Rowling has said there will be five in total.</p><p>News of the new theme park will be welcomed by those working in Tokyo's hospitality industry.</p><p>The capital had been due to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer, but they were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p>Both have now been re-scheduled in Tokyo for 2021.</p> <p><strong>:: Listen to the Backstage podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/backstage/id1449619878" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3ByZWFrZXIuY29tL3Nob3cvMzI4NzI1MS9lcGlzb2Rlcy9mZWVk" target="_blank">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5lUMl2swObUj56TGMibLzm" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/backstage_17" target="_blank">Spreaker</a></strong></p><p>Meanwhile, Potter fans are being asked not to gather at King's Cross station on 1 September for the Back To Hogwarts celebration and instead be part of a virtual event online.</p><p>Fans have traditionally gathered annually at the London station and at 11am they raise their wands to mark the Hogwarts Express departure from the fictional Platform Nine and 3/4, as it takes pupils to the school of witchcraft and wizardry for another year.</p><p>However, people are being asked to stay at home this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and there will be a live-streamed event featuring appearances from stars of the films including James and Oliver Phelps, Jason Isaacs and Bonnie Wright.</p>