Top 10 Coolest New Attractions in Japan to you Must Check Out in 2023

The wait is finally over! On October 11 2022, Japan has resumed visa-free travel and individual travel, which means Aussies can go on their dream holiday to Japan.

We all love the Japan cult classics like the Hedgehog Cafe, Ghibli Museum, Robot Cafe and teamLab Borderless, but there are so many more exciting anime-themed parks, museums and aquariums that have opened since Japan has closed its borders. 

There’s just something special about Japan which makes it one of the most popular destinations in the world to visit. With the opening of more awesome things to do in Japan, there’s something to love for everyone.

So what’s new in Japan in 2023? Here’s our top list you’ll NEED to check off your list: 

Discover the first Moomin theme park outside of Finland! If you’re wondering who the Moomins are, they’re a family of white hippopotamus creatures in the Finnish series. In the theme park you’ll get to explore the whimsical world of the Moomins, exploring their 3-storey house, mysterious spaceship ‘Ocean Orchestra’ and climb their tree house ‘Lonely Mountain’ (psst we highly recommend checking out their gift stores to pick up Moomin themed merchandise).

Wahoo - this brand new land is every Nintendo fan’s dream come true. As the world’s first Nintendo-themed land, you can be immersed in the world of Mario and even race your way to victory on Mario Kart IRL!

What we’ve all been dying to visit - Universal Studios Super Nintendo Park in Osaka! Jump straight into Super Nintendo Park and you’ll enter a surreal experience of 2D architecture. As you explore the park, you’ll get to meet your favourite characters like Mario and Toad, discover Koopa’s Castle and hop on a VR roller coaster ride and grab a Nintendo themed meal at Kinopio’s Cafe!

To make your visit to Universal Studios Super Nintendo Park that much more special, purchase a Power-Up band to interact and play across the park. With the band, complete the mini quests across the park to earn stamps.

This year from November, Totoro can actually be your neighbour with the opening of the world’s first Ghibli park! If you love the Ghibli museum, you’ll love the new magical Ghibli Park. Insider information says you’ll get to walk through real-life recreations of Monomoke’s Village, Valley of Witches and more!

It’s game time! If you know Tokyo, you know visiting the many arcades in Japan are a must-do. Since Japan has closed its borders, not long ago, SEGA also announced the closing down of all their iconic arcades. So where do you satisfy the itch to play games now? Tokyo Joypolis is the place for just that.

Tokyo Joypolis turns it up a notch, as an indoor theme park including plenty of arcade games, VR and even an indoor rollercoaster!

Located in Tokyo, Joypolis is a cafe and store, which sells Sonic themed merchandise - an icon for SEGA games.

To see the hands-down best views of Tokyo, you’ll need to visit Shibuya Sky. You’ll take the breathtaking escalator up to the open-air observation deck giving 360* view of Tokyo’s amazing skyline. We recommended visiting right before the sunset to catch the beautiful view.

Shibuya Sky is made up of 3 levels - Sky Gate the access area to the observation deck, Sky Stage the observation deck and Sky Gallery an indoor viewing space for the city with a digital art gallery to complement the beautiful backdrop of Tokyo. 

Never fear that the iconic teamLab Borderless is closing, as teamLab has a new digital art museum - teamLab Planets. 

Compared to teamLab Borderless, Planets really turns it up a notch creating a full 10,000sqm immersive experience. When you enter, you’ll be asked to take off your shoes to walk through water and floor to ceiling digital garden area (we weren’t joking when we said it’s seriously immersive). 

Japan is famous for its animal cafes (we personally love the shiba inu and hedgehog cafes). At the peak of the pandemic, Japan opened its first ever Micro Pig cafe. The pigs are extra small and extra cute, growing up to only 40kgs. So with Japan borders opening, be sure to grab a drink and pet a micro pig! 

Channel your favourite anime character at Nijigen No Mori - a theme park made for some of Japan’s iconic pop culture. There are three Parks you can visit at Nijigen No Mori - Crayon Shin-Chan Adventure Park, Naruto x Boruto Park and Godzilla Park. Each with real life recreations from the shows, such as a recreation of the Hidden Leaf Village, huge Gozilla itself and Shin-Chan figures.

Each park boasts unique activities from outdoor playgrounds, ziplining, to training as a ninja!

Now here’s something a bit different! Small Worlds Tokyo is a miniature world theme park divided into seven different ‘worlds’ showing miniature recreations of Kansai Airport, the Space Centre, Tokyo, Sailor Moon and more! The theme park also boasts virtual reality technology that makes the experience even more immersive. 

Move over Osaka Aquarium, we have a new contender. Known as the ‘Artsy’ Aquarium, Atoa Aquarium located in Kobe, Japan, really does it like no other aquarium. The Aquarium uses light and music to create a magical underwater experience. A guest favourite is the spheric 3 metre tank so be sure to check that out!