Beppu Rakutenchi - The Spa-musement Park

We often hear about kickstarters and other odd campaigns to raise money for unusual items - like a KFC hot tub. So what happens when all the hullbaloo dies down? In the case of spa-musement park that opened in 2017... you keep serving the masses!

Beppu Rakutenchi

Beppu City, already renowned for it's famous hot springs, wanted to add a hot tub theme park to draw new visitors. A mere 8 months after many said the idea to open a "spa-musement park" would never come to fruition, Beppu Rakutenchi saw the park open a hot-tub themed rollercoaster and a bathtub merry-go-round were just some of the 12 rides. Oh, and let's not forget about the foam-filled dance parties! So, did the water rides and parties continue after all the press interest died down? It turns out details of the park's merits and long term plans might have gotten lost in translation.

Rented & Renovated

By late 2017, it was discovered that the spa-musement park had only been opened for three days. The project had rented out an existing amusement park in Beppu. Instead of building new rides, they had only retrofitted and renovated the attractions. Once the event wrapped up and the crowdfunding backers had experienced the rides, everything reverted back to its original version. Now to be fair, even if you missed out on the once-in-a-lifetime oddity that is hot-tub themed rollercoaster or bathtub merry-go-around, the truth is this: the magnificent hot springs in Beppu is really where it's at. If you have a chance to experience the region, there are 8 (yes, 8!) thermal water soaking experiences waiting for you.