2023 Updates from Tokyo’s “The Making of Harry Potter”
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Potterheads in Japan have a lot to look forward to at the Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo: The Making of Harry Potter, opening in summer 2023.
Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo: The Making of Harry Potter
Potterheads get ready, there are some new Harry Potter developments happening in Japan! Ever since the rumors of a new Harry Potter theme park in Tokyo began circulating back in 2020, fans of this magical book and movie series have been keeping a close eye on the plot of land that had previously been home to the retro amusement park Toshimaen for over a century. In place of the old-fashioned carousels and rollercoasters, Harry Potter attractions were in the works, but for a long three years, all news from the Harry Potter facility has been kept very hush-hush. But finally, with Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo: The Making of Harry Potter ready to open in the summer of 2023, there are some exciting new updates for fans to fawn over.
Sets: From Diagon Alley to Hogwarts
Officially, this new attraction in western Tokyo is the second location of the original London Harry Potter studio tour facility, which has been letting fans behind the scenes and onto the real sets of the Harry Potter movies since 2012. The Tokyo version is planning a similar behind-the-scenes experience, showing how the magic was made, and letting visitors onto some of the real sets from the first three movies: Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban.
New reports have revealed that guests will be able to enter four main movie sets. First is Diagon Alley, where visitors can play the part of young wizards as they prepare for the school year at Hogwarts. The shops found along Diagon Alley change throughout the series (like Harry's go-to ice cream parlor, which closes down after poor Florean Fortescue is murdered by Death Eaters), and different directorial choices had an undeniable effect on the set throughout the movies as well, but this version features the distinct shopfronts of Ollivander's Wand Shop and Weasley Wizard Wheezes among the crowd of colorful window displays. Just like Harry Potter beginning his first year at wizarding school, visitors can head next to Platform 9 ¾, taking pictures as they "board" the Hogwarts Express and look forward to the feast waiting for students in Great Hall. The Great Hall is the next set at the Studio Tour – where Harry Potter was famously sorted into "not Slytherin" by the Sorting Hat, and where the young adolescents of Hogwarts experienced the pangs of romance during the Yule Ball. The set was originally modeled after the dining hall at Christ Church College, but signs of the four Hogwarts houses set the scenery apart from the real Oxford dining hall.
Took a wrong turn in the flying Ford Anglia and found yourself crashing into the Forbidden Forest? This gloomy forest set at The Making of Harry Potter features cameos from Aragog the spider, depressing Dementors, and even the beloved Buckbeak.
Props & Costumes: Goblets, Gowns, and Goblins
Within the sets and displayed in separate exhibitions, the Studio Tour has a whole selection of real movie props ready for visitors to see up close, showing off the detail of each item in a way that's simply impossible in the movies. Some highlights of the Tokyo facility include the Goblet of Fire, made of rough-hewn wood, Dumbledore's fabulously embroidered seafoam robes, and Hermione's famous pink Yule Ball dress.
To this day, cosplayers go back to Hermione's "dress robes" for the Yule Ball again and again, striving to recreate the structured bodice and the delicate flounces that Emma Watson wore so well. If you need to see the original dress from every angle for costuming purposes, this is your chance!
Eats & Experiences: Butterbeer & Broomsticks
The broomstick flights and Quidditch games that appeared in the Harry Potter movies were the product of green screens and CG special effects, but visitors can feel the magic of a broom flying into their hand thanks to the more mundane power of practical effects. Updates from the new Making of Harry Potter include a variety of more hands-on attractions, so that visiting wizards and witches can really dive into the world of Harry Potter (and of course test their magic powers).
Before heading home, the temptations of the Studio Tour's "Food Hall" and the two cafes might not quite stand up to the rich detail that so deliciously described the feasts and treats in the Harry Potter series, but there's plenty to please diners in search of a little magic. Dining options will be available from breakfast to dinner, and both butterbeer and a Harry Potter afternoon tea are already on the menu.
The original Making of Harry Potter studio tour in London has been selling out on the daily for more than ten years now, and with plenty of Harry Potter passion to be found in Japan, there's no doubt that fans will be lining up to see the Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo: The Making of Harry Potter from the moment it opens its doors. As a unique chance to peek behind the scenes of a major motion picture, even those without much interest in Harry and his magical pals are likely to be charmed by the meticulously crafted props and the large-scale sets. With the facility's Tokyo opening date still set as an undetermined day midway through 2023, this summer is going to be a battle for the butterbeer.
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NAME:Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo: The Making of Harry Potter (ワーナーブラサース スタジオツアー東京 ‐ メイキング・オブ・ハリー・ポッター)
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Nara Prefecture's important history reaches back to 710, a time now called the Nara era, when it was once capital of Japan. Called "Heijo-kyo" during its time as a capital, it's said that nara was once the end of the silk road, leading it to flourish as a uniquely international region and produce important cultural properties of all kinds. To make the most of each season, travelers head to Nara Park, where the Nara deer who wander freely, or climb Mount Yoshino, a famous cherry blossom spot.
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Osaka is known for friendly (and funny) people, but its history is nothing to laugh at, playing a major part in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's 16th century unification of Japan. Thanks to long years of economic activity, it's one of Japan's biggest cities, and Osaka's popular food culture earned it the nickname "The Kitchen of the Nation." To this day Osaka is the model of western Japan, and alongside historic structures like Osaka Castle, it also has major shopping malls like Umeda's Grand Front Osaka and Tennoji's Abeno Harukas. Osaka is a place to eat, eat, eat, with local specialties like takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and kushi-katsu, and for extra fun, it's home to Universal Studios Japan.
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The Chugoku Region (中国地方) consists of five prefectures: Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, and Yamaguchi. In Chugoku you’ll find the sand dunes of Tottori, and Hiroshima’s atomic bomb site, plus centers of ancient history like Grand Shrine of Izumo.
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HIROSHIMA
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Hiroshima Prefecture has everything, from world heritage sites to beautiful nature and delicious local cuisine, and it's either an hour and a half from Tokyo by plane, or four hours by train. Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island and the Atomic Bomb Dome, two Hiroshima UNESCO sites, are famous around the world, but in Japan it's also famous for food. Seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, especially oysters, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and Setouchi lemons are all popular, and the natural scenery alone is worth seeing.
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SHIKOKU
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On the other side of the Seto Inland Sea opposite Japan’s main island, Shikoku (四国) is a region made up of four prefectures: Ehime, Kagawa, Kochi, and Tokushima. The area is famous for its udon (in Kagawa), and the beautiful Dogo Onsen hot springs (in Ehime).
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KAGAWA
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Kagawa Prefecture is on the northern part of the island of Shikoku, facing Japan's main island and the Seto Inland Sea. It's known for being the smallest prefecture in Japan, by area, but at the same time Kagawa is called the "Udon Prefecture" thanks to its famous sanuki udon. Aside from Kotohiragu Shrine and Ritsurin Garden, the prefecture's small islands are popular, and Kagawa is full of unique destinations, like Angel Road. They say that if you lay eyes on Zenigata Sunae, a huge Kagawa sand painting, you'll never have money troubles ever again.
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KYUSHU
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Located in the most southwestern part of Japan, Kyushu (九州) is an island of 7 prefectures: Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. The island's unique culture has been influenced by Chinese and Dutch trade, along with missionaries coming in through Nagasaki's port. Modern-day travelers love the lush natural scenery and fresh food, plus the natural hot springs found all throughout the area (thanks to volcanic activity)!
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FUKUOKA
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Fukuoka Prefecture has the highest population on the southern island of Kyushu, with two major cities: Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. Thanks to growing transportation networks, Fukuoka is more accessible than ever, and so are the many local attractions. On top of historical spots like Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, travelers shouldn't miss Fukuoka's food scene, with motsu nabe (offal hotpot), mentaiko (spicy cod roe), and famous Hakata ramen―best eaten from a food stall in the Nakasu area of Hakata. Plus, it's full of all sorts of destinations for travelers, like trendy shopping centers, and the beautiful nature of Itoshima and Yanagawa.
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KAGOSHIMA
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Kagoshima Prefecture played a major role in Japan's modernization as a backdrop for famous historical figures like samurais Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi, who pushed Japan out of the Edo era and into the Meiji. Because of that, Sengan-en Garden is just one of many historical destinations, and when it comes to attractions Kagoshima has plenty: the active volcano of Sakurajima, popular hot springs Ibusuki Onsen and Kirishima Onsen, World Heritage Site Yakushima Island, even what Japan calls the "island closest to heaven," Amami Oshima. Kagoshima might be found on the very southernmost tip of the southern island of Kyushu, but there's plenty to see.
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OKINAWA
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The island chain of Okinawa (沖縄) makes up the southernmost tip of Japan, which is why it's also the most tropical area in the country. Thanks to a history of independence and totally distinct political and cultural events, Okinawa has a unique culture, and remnants of the Ryukyu Kingdom are still visible all over the islands. Food, language, traditional dress, it's all a little different! It's also said to be the birthplace of karate.
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