ABSTRACT
Theme parks aim to provide people with entertainment and leisure. A certain theme governs all elements of a theme park. This creates extraordinary environment for visitors. American-origin Disney's theme parks and Universal Studios run their businesses in Japan as Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR) and Universal Studios Japan (USJ). TDR comprises Tokyo Disneyland (TDL) and Tokyo DisneySea (TDS) opened in 1983 and 2001 respectively. The success of TDL and Development of Comprehensive Resort Areas Act triggered the emergence of countless theme parks across Japan. However, most of them, especially those in non-urban areas were short-lived. The success of TDR and USJ is supported by their great locations and ease of access, repeat visitors and development of new attractions. Japan has absorbed foreign cultures and adapted them to Japanese society without causing serious conflicts. This is represented by super popularity of TDS unique to Japan and rise of USJ's new attractions not associated with films, which may be criticised as a lack of authenticity. Japan also has theme parks featuring a European country where European-style buildings are re-created as replicas. This can also be blamed as an absence of respect for originality; however, it stems from Japanese yearning for European cultural heritage.
