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NEWS
Japanese ‘spa-amusement’ park draws in the crowds
POSTED 10 Aug 2017 . BY Tom Walker
A spokesman for the Buppa tourist department said the city is discussing safety issues, such whether they could run hot water inside a roller coaster
A spa-themed amusement park, which first started as an internet campaign intended to promote the 2,000 onsens (or hot springs) in the Japanese city of Beppu, became a reality this month.

The existing Rakutenchi theme park in Beppu was “re-purposed” over a single weekend and renamed “Yu-Enchi” – a play on the words fun and spa – with a number of rides being transformed into having an onsen theme.

Riders on the park’s roller coaster were drenched in soapy foam before going out onto the track, a merry-go-round featuring bath tubs was introduced and a number of spa-themed group activities were organised around the park.

The park is a result of a tongue-in-cheek video – showing guests sitting in a roller coaster, waist deep in onsen water – launched by the mayor Beppu last year.

Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano promised to make the ‘spamusement park’ a reality if the video got one million views – which it did in the matter of days.

Beppu is famous for having more than 2,000 onsen – or hot springs – and the video was part of the mayor’s plans to promote the city as a wellness tourism destination.

Once the 1m view milestone had been hit, Nagano kept his promise and the city raised more than ¥33m ($US300,000) through crowdfunding alone in order to bring the park to life.

The park was opened for three days – from 29 July to 31 August – and attracted more than 12,000 visitors.

See the original video of the park below


The media attention created by the park and the viral campaign over the past year has seemingly worked, too.

In June, hotel giant InterContinentalGroup (IHG) announced that it would be opening its first ever onsen resort in Beppu in 2019.

The ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa will include a public onsen bath, spa and pool, and the 89 bedrooms will each feature their own private onsen with water from a local hot spring.
RELATED STORIES
  Intercontinental to open first onsen resort


InterContinental Hotels will open its first onsen resort in the Japanese city of Beppu in 2019.
  Hot springs-filled roller coasters could become reality as Japanese ‘Spa-musement park’ video goes viral


A combination spa and amusement park may become reality, thanks to a tongue-in-cheek video from the Japanese city of Beppu – famous for its more than 2,000 onsen, or hot springs.
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Uniting the world of spa & wellness
Get Spa Business and Spa Business insider digital magazines FREE
Sign up here ▸
News   Products   Magazine   Subscribe
NEWS
Japanese ‘spa-amusement’ park draws in the crowds
POSTED 10 Aug 2017 . BY Tom Walker
A spokesman for the Buppa tourist department said the city is discussing safety issues, such whether they could run hot water inside a roller coaster
A spa-themed amusement park, which first started as an internet campaign intended to promote the 2,000 onsens (or hot springs) in the Japanese city of Beppu, became a reality this month.

The existing Rakutenchi theme park in Beppu was “re-purposed” over a single weekend and renamed “Yu-Enchi” – a play on the words fun and spa – with a number of rides being transformed into having an onsen theme.

Riders on the park’s roller coaster were drenched in soapy foam before going out onto the track, a merry-go-round featuring bath tubs was introduced and a number of spa-themed group activities were organised around the park.

The park is a result of a tongue-in-cheek video – showing guests sitting in a roller coaster, waist deep in onsen water – launched by the mayor Beppu last year.

Mayor Yasuhiro Nagano promised to make the ‘spamusement park’ a reality if the video got one million views – which it did in the matter of days.

Beppu is famous for having more than 2,000 onsen – or hot springs – and the video was part of the mayor’s plans to promote the city as a wellness tourism destination.

Once the 1m view milestone had been hit, Nagano kept his promise and the city raised more than ¥33m ($US300,000) through crowdfunding alone in order to bring the park to life.

The park was opened for three days – from 29 July to 31 August – and attracted more than 12,000 visitors.

See the original video of the park below


The media attention created by the park and the viral campaign over the past year has seemingly worked, too.

In June, hotel giant InterContinentalGroup (IHG) announced that it would be opening its first ever onsen resort in Beppu in 2019.

The ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa will include a public onsen bath, spa and pool, and the 89 bedrooms will each feature their own private onsen with water from a local hot spring.
RELATED STORIES
Intercontinental to open first onsen resort


InterContinental Hotels will open its first onsen resort in the Japanese city of Beppu in 2019.
Hot springs-filled roller coasters could become reality as Japanese ‘Spa-musement park’ video goes viral


A combination spa and amusement park may become reality, thanks to a tongue-in-cheek video from the Japanese city of Beppu – famous for its more than 2,000 onsen, or hot springs.
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Industry mourns the loss of Les Mills, a founding father of fitness
Les Mills, whose name became synonymous with one of the world's leading fitness brands, has passed away peacefully at the age of 91.
HCM News: Taking GLP-1s is linked to a decline in physical activity
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Mubadala makes €1 billion bid for Pierre and Vacances
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed €1 billion offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the continental European Center Parcs business.
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ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

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