Nintendo’s $356M theme park will be ready by 2020

Just in time for the Olympics

Surprised it’s been nearly a year since we got word Nintendo would partner with Universal Studios on a theme park in Japan.

The world’s first theme park based on Nintendo properties (I did win a Mario plush in a shady carnival game somewhere once…) will be contained within Universal Studios Japan and will, understandably, be Super Mario-focused, according to Sankei.

Universal is dumping ¥40 billion into the Nintendo land, which will be ready ahead of Tokyo’s duties hosting the 2020 Olympics, though Universal Studios Japan is in Osaka, 300 miles southwest of Tokyo. That’s an hour on a plane or almost four on a train. Plan accordingly.

Actually, have you ever been the Olympics? Would you ever want to go to the Olympics? Who attends the Olympics? I don’t even watch it on TV, though I suppose I can appreciate the pageantry four seconds at a time in GIF highlights because we’re in the modern age. But I can’t imagine making a trip out of going to the Olympics. Then again I know someone who just spent a night in Arizona to watch a meaningless Spring Training baseball game, so who am I to tell rich people what to do with their money (give it to me, please).

ＵＳＪ、マリオに４００億　任天堂との新アトラクションは正面ゲート左側に [Sankei]