|
| |
|
HUIS TEN BOSCH |
| |
|
|
| |
Where the train from Takeo turns south beside Omura Bay there's a
surprise in store as the horizon fills with an unmistakably European-style
building, announcing your arrival at HUIS TEN BOSCH (
www.huistenbosch.co.jp ). Opened in 1992 at a cost of ¥250 billion, this
resort town is a meticulously engineered replica of a Dutch port caught
somewhere between the seventeenth and twenty-first centuries. As such it
might not seem a natural destination for most Western visitors, but the
overall concept - part theme park, part serious experiment in urban
living - and its top-quality design lift it above the ordinary.
Huis ten Bosch (meaning "house in the forest" in Dutch) owes its
existence to the drive and vision of Kamichika Yoshikuni , a local
entrepreneur who was so impressed with Dutch land reclamation and
environmental management that he persuaded his financiers it could work
in Japan as a commercial venture. After three years of planning, the
complex took only another three to build on an abandoned block of
reclaimed land. Twenty million baked-clay bricks were imported from
Holland and Dutch technicians came to advise, but Huis ten Bosch is
predominantly a Japanese venture. It employs thousands of local people
and has boosted the economy not only of Nagasaki, but all Kyushu through
increased tourism, especially from Southeast Asia.
While Huis ten Bosch may seem quaintly olde worlde, it's equipped with
the latest technology developed specially to manage its sophisticated
heating systems, wave control, desalination, water recycling and
security. All the pipes, cables and wires are hidden underground and, as
far as possible, it's designed to be environmentally benign. Though no
one's putting a date on it, the long-term goal is to launch Huis ten
Bosch as a fully functioning city
The Town
Huis ten Bosch (daily 9am-9pm; Jan, Feb, Nov & Dec 9am-8pm; last
admission two hours before closing) is divided into an exclusive
residential district, Wassenaar, and the public areas where you'll find
a bewildering choice of museums and attractions, plus dozens of souvenir
shops and numerous restaurants. Fortunately, there are plenty of
signposts in English, while the 105-metre-high Utrecht tower (Domtoren)
provides a prominent landmark, and a bird's-eye view from its
observatory.
It's just a couple of minutes' walk from Huis ten Bosch Station to the
entrance gate where there's a choice of three tickets , known as
"passports". The One Day Free Passport (¥5800), allows entry to all the
museums and attractions; the Two Day Special Passport (¥6800; only
available to foreign tourists staying in the resort) covers one-time
admission to all facilities in Huis ten Bosch and Holland Village, an
older prototype mostly of interest to children; and the ordinary
Passport (¥4200) covers admission only. Though there's a fair amount to
explore for "free" inside, especially in summer when they stage more
outdoor events, it's worth visiting at least a couple of the
attractions.
The best way to get around Huis ten Bosch is on foot, wandering along
the canals and past quaint, brick-faced houses on streets refreshingly
free of advertising hoardings, loudspeakers and the electrical spaghetti
you find elsewhere in Japan. In the far southwest corner, Paleis Huis
ten Bosch is a perfect replica of the Dutch royal palace - at least on
the outside. It's used for art exhibitions but, unless there's something
special on, there's not a lot to see, beyond a vast love-it or hate-it
mural designed on computer by Dutch artist Rob Scholte. The palace's
formal gardens follow an original eighteenth-century design, never
realized at the time, by Frenchman Daniel Marot for The Hague. Among
other museums, the Porcelain Museum is notable for its impressive
reproduction of the Charlottenburg's porcelain room as well as some
actual genuine pieces of local Imari-ware.
Most of Huis ten Bosch's attractions are a touch on the cutesy side.
However, three stand out for their high-quality special effects and
outrageous ambition. The Great Voyage Theatre shows a short film about
the first Dutch ships to reach Japan, during which the whole seating
area pitches and rolls - sit in the middle if you get seasick. In
Mysterious Escher you enter a topsy-turvy world to watch a sickly-sweet
but well-executed 3D film based on Escher's famous graphics. Last but
not least, Horizon Adventure stages a real-life flood with 800 tons of
water cascading into the theatre.
|
| |
|
