Moomin theme park to be built in Saitama

Over two years ago, the Finnish ambassador to Japan announced that a Moomin theme park was being developed in Japan with the expected opening date in 2015. Some of our readers might be asking, “What the heck is a Moomin?” but these hippo-like fairies who originated in Finland have a very strong following and fan base in Japan. You might not be familiar with Moomin before you come to Japan, but once you get here, you grow to welcome them at your dining table.

On June 30, it was announced that the Moomin theme park – to be known simply as Metsä, the Finnish word for forest – will indeed be built in Saitama Prefecture. The people behind the project have announced that the Moomins will be taking up residence on the shore of Lake Miyazawa in Hanno City, a spot whose nature and surroundings are not dissimilar to Finland’s own Moomin World theme park.

The park will be divided into two sections – the “Moomin Zone” and “Public Zone”. The former will be filled with various Moomin-filled shops, restaurants and attractions, while the latter will be open to all members of the public for free. Metsä is due to open its doors in 2017.

The characters from Moomin line up perfectly with the Japanese sensibilities of cute characters: they look like animals, have large eyes, and they have disproportional body shapes. Never mind that they look like hippos, which are incredibly dangerous and scary in real-life, these fictional fairies are actually a very huggable bunch.

Sources: Embassy of Finland official Twitter, Moomin official website

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