Huis Ten Bosch — Attraction in Sasebo

We went to see the fireworks (only). We bought tickets online, but that couldn't include the entrance fee. Paid for that at the entrance, but the price was double the advertised price. Once in, there was almost no time to look around before going in to the fireworks viewing area. There was only one entrance/exit. Fireworks were pretty cool, saving this review from being one star. Lines for snacks at the venue were hours long. The seats were assigned on the tickets, but the numbering system is very confusing so a lot of people had to change seats after finding out they were wrong. The seat area and numbers were written very small on the tickets making it even harder. As I mentioned, the fireworks themselves were great, but the venue played super loud J-pop music through the WHOLE event, in two locations causing it to be bad stereo, and so loud you couldn't even hear a lot of the loudest fireworks explosions. The poor, loud audio nearly spoiled the whole event. When it was over, everyone rushed to the one exit because everyone was told to go by train. Every day for a week in advance we were told that people going by car may not be able to leave until morning due to crowded roads, so they prepared four parking lots accessible by train. Too many people did as they were told. Because of that, thousands of people rushed to the one exit because only a few trains run that late, and there were too many people for a few trains to carry. It took around an hour and a half to get to the train station to catch an unscheduled train. Meanwhile we waited for more than an hour on a cold, windy bridge with no information being disseminated about if any train was even coming. Lots of families with tiny kids and babies freezing. I heard a lot of complaining. The hotels on site are extremely expensive, but considering how much we ended up spending on a much cheaper hotel in Nagasaki, train transportation, event and admission tickets, I'm not sure we saved any money. Bathroom lines, especially for women, are much too long, as are all ride and attraction lines as far as we saw. I can't imagine it being worth the time, cost, or frustration at the prices you have to pay. We will not go...

Embarking on a journey to 'House in The Forest' land turned out to be the unexpected high note of my 2023! I admit, I was side-eyeing the missus when she suggested a visit to a 'Holland-inspired theme park.' A Dutch-themed escapade? I thought, 'Hmm, sounds a bit naff.' Well, consider me tulip-surprised because I couldn't have been more wrong! I'm talking satisfaction level: off the charts.

This place is a wild ride of awesome. The architecture is so spot-on that in Amsterdam Town, I swear I accidentally strolled into Europe. From testing the waters of VR rafting to daring Bungee Jumps, and attempting to break the Tea Cup spin record at the Merry-go-rounds—every attraction delivered. Even 'Horizon Adventure' wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it was still eyebrow-raising fun. The Santa Xmas market and the Cheese & Chocolate Waag (shop) were practically oozing culinary ambrosia from abroad.

And the musical vibes? Unbeatable. The park cranked out 'themes' for every area, making it impossible not to sashay into a good mood. My wife kept insisting the tunes were going to be stuck in our heads forever, and she wasn't wrong. Speaking of tunes, hourly live shows at the nearby stage were like the cherry on top.

Regrets? Only one: time zipped by faster than a VR rollercoaster, and we couldn't squeeze in all the fun. Jurassic Island, I had my eye on you, but alas, next time in the Spring, you're mine.

Oh, and the downside? My wallet's on a diet now after shelling out a bit more cash than expected. But hey, it's a theme park, and I happily parted ways with my cash for the unbeatable and unforgettable time I had.

Pro Tips:

Weekdays are the way to go, and get there early. Hit the best rides before 4pm as afterwards the place turns into a teenage school-kid tornado and you might miss out on the VR ride bonanza due to the epic queues.

Don't miss the ferry to Jurassic Island—only a few sail each day. Check that timetable pronto...

HTB land of Miffy is very accessible from both Fukuoka and Nagasaki. There is a dedicated HTB train from Fukuoka which takes about 1.5 hours ride. We stayed in Okura Hotel which is the nearest hotel to the HTB station and a very short walk into HTB. There are lots to see in HTB with beautiful scenes of flowers / windmills and Dutch inspired buildings. The main theme is Miffy and she can be found everywhere in HTB from souvenir stores (which are plenty) to figurines popping up here and there. There is a daily parade at the Amsterdam City area, be sure to catch it. A bus also carries Miffy moves around HTB providing convenience to many. HTB theme park does not have thrilling rides or scary/horror rides and is very family oriented instead. There are rides and shows but on the mild side. The only most exciting will be the dinosaur hunting AR game which will take too much time. There are lots of eateries/restaurants for you to refill energy and some rest time. You can most probably cover the whole of HTB within a day. The fireworks is daily (i believe) but unfortunately the day was raining heavy so we didn't manage to catch the fireworks display. Sad. On a side, there are various places for smokers to puff, so really you don't really have to hold back, the HTB app provides info on where the smoking areas are (TG4HTBapp). hahaha....Its a nice theme park to come to for a relaxing holiday because it really is a beautiful and...