Asia News: Super Nintendo World, Festival Promoter Consortium

Costing $550 million to build and based on the popular virtual world created by games maker Nintendo Company, the attraction will eventually spread to other Universal Studios theme parks throughout the world. 

Visitors enter Super Nintendo World through a “giant warp pipe” that deposits them in real-world version of the Mushroom Kingdom featuring piranha plants, punch-able coin blocks and the famous Mount Beanpole. 

Visitors purchase a “power-up band” that syncs with the park’s app to rank them as they gather virtual “coins” by punching blocks in their quest to defeat evildoers. According to wire services, Shigeru Miyamoto, who created the Super Mario games, said at the opening ceremony, “This is an area where everyone from children to adults can use their five senses to enjoy. I want people from around the world to visit once the coronavirus pandemic is over.” 

USJ’s marketing manager, Ayumu Yamamoto, told reporters at an earlier press conference, “It took almost a year longer than we had expected to open this place, and we are really glad [it is finally open].”

The attraction also features a “Mario Kart” ride, which uses augmented reality goggles attached to a red visor that simulates a racing game. Visitors manipulate a steering wheel to navigate the track and shoot various objects at opponents. 

Media report that the Super Mario attraction was realized in order to satisfy investors who have been frustrated with Nintendo’s reluctance to take advantage of its huge fan base. Nevertheless, it may be months before the attraction can prove its potential since the park is operating at reduced capacity. Guests must purchase timed tickets to enter the park.

In related news, Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea have announced that they will extend their operating hours starting April 1. Currently, both parks close at 7 p.m. owing to guidelines from the central government. The closing time will be moved back one hour to 8 p.m. for Disneyland and two hours to 9 p.m. for DisneySea. The purpose of the different closing times is to avoid traffic congestion. These hours will be in effect until April 18, after which they may be changed again. In addition, the daily capacity rates for the parks will be increased from 10,000 people to 20,000 people. 

Seven of Japan’s biggest concert organizers have joined together to form a consortium for the purpose of promoting and developing sustainable outdoor summer music festivals in the post-pandemic world and beyond. 

The seven organizers include Space Shower Networks Inc., which presents Space Shower Sweet Love Shower; Wes Co. Ltd., which holds the Rising Sun Rock Festival; GIP Co. Ltd., which sponsors Arabaki Rock Fest; Smash Co. Ltd., which holds the Fuji Rock Festival; Rocking On Japan Co. Ltd., which presents the Rock In Japan Festival; Creativeman Production Co. Ltd., which is in charge of Summer Sonic; and Greens Corporation, which presents Rush Ball. 

In a press release, the consortium points out that they represent but a fraction of the 300-some summer outdoor music festivals held annually in Japan, but since their events are perhaps the most well-known they have banded together to promote the idea that outdoor festivals pose less of a health hazard than indoor events, which are “sealed” to a certain extent. 

Their main aim is to create “rules” for large outdoor festivals that will guarantee that such events are “safe and secure.” 

All outdoor festivals were cancelled last year, resulting in huge economic losses for the music industry as well as “cultural losses” for society at large. These rules and guidelines will be formulated in conjunction with local governments in order to gain their cooperation so that this year and in coming years outdoor festivals can be held, which will greatly benefit local economies in the regions where they take place. One outdoor festival can have a “ripple effect” of generating millions of dollars for local businesses. 

Another aim of the consortium is to combine the organizers’ experiences to make for better festival management, since, as the press release says, Japan has a relatively “brief” history of music festivals. Consequently, the consortium will work not only with local governments as a priority but also with national authorities to help make summer outdoor music festivals a fixture of Japanese life. 

The timing of the announcement is sensitive since almost all the major summer festivals in Japan would normally announce their lineups in March or earlier. For most of the consortium members, this is not so much of a problem because they tend to present only domestic artists. However, Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic present international acts who would need to be booked by now and so far neither festival has announced any artists for this year. 

Last year, both festivals operated under special circumstances owing to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Fuji Rock, which is normally held the last weekend of July, was moved to the end of August. Summer Sonic, which is held simultaneously in Osaka and a suburb of Tokyo in mid-August, was replaced by a similar festival called Super Sonic that was scheduled for September. Both festivals were postponed due to the fact that foreign visitors were banned from entering Japan, and they are following similar schedules this year. 

Reportedly, both Smash and Creativeman are resolved to resume their summer festivals in 2021 regardless of the availability of foreign artists, meaning that they could feature domestic artists only. In that case, the consortium may have another function, which would be to coordinate acts among the various festivals, since there would obviously be a lot of overlap.