Metsä (; ) is a Nordic-themed entertainment complex in

Hannō is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 79,123 in 35,440 households and a population density of 410 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Hannō is located on the southern b ...

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The complex consists of Metsä Village, entertainment and leisure area which opened in November 2018, and Moominvalley Park, which opened in 2019. The park was initially planned to start operation in 2015 to mark the 100th birthday of

Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from 1930 to 1938 in Helsinki, Stockholm, ...

. On June 30, 2015, it was announced that the opening would be delayed until 2017 at the earliest. On December 6, 2016, the opening date was further delayed to spring 2019. Situated in

, a city northwest of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, the site includes a

Moomin The Moomins (, ) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, picture books, and a comic strip by the Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Finnish publisher Schildts. They are a ...

zone for attractions and a free public zone or park area. Entrance to Metsä Village is free, but Moominvalley Park has an admission fee for the park and some of the attractions. The complex was closed temporarily in April 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Metsä Village

Metsä Village is a large park and leisure area which is intended to evoke the happiness of the Nordic world through bringing visitors close to nature. The complex encircles Lake Miyazawa and is intended to resemble the Finnish countryside. Inside is a Nordic Market Hall selling Nordic themed goods, as well as Nordic restaurants. Visitors can also attend woodcrafting classes in the craft hall or rent

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n-styled boats to row along the lake.

Moominvalley Park

The second

theme park in the world after Moomin World and the first one outside of Finland. Modeled after the universe of the Moomins, the park brings to life the valley where the characters live and play and thus has few traditional attractions and is aimed more at recreating the look and feel of the fictional

Moominvalley Moominvalley (, ) is a fictional place, where the Moomins live in the tales by Finnish author Tove Jansson. Especially in the early books Moominvalley is depicted as a beautiful place with green slopes, rivers, fruit trees, flowers and a pla ...

. In keeping with the Finnish origins of the source material, many park attractions and signs are in Finnish. The park is roughly divided into four areas: Hajimari no Irie, Moominvalley, Kokemus, and Osabishiyama. Park attractions include: * Welcome Gate: The entrance to the park, which includes photo cutouts for guests to pose with. Intended to invoke the visitors entering a story book. * Little My's Play Spots (Pikku Myyn leikkipaikka): An interactive theater-type attraction for families that performs short programs starring

Little My Little My (original , literally: "Little Mu") is a character in the Moomin series of books by Tove Jansson. The character first appeared in the fourth book, The Exploits of Moominpappa (1950). She is a small, determined and fiercely independe ...

where she invites the audience to partake in her mischief. There is also a Little My themed gift shop (Pikkku Myy Kauppa). * Moominhouse (Muumitalo): A recreation of the iconic Moominhouse where Moomintroll and his family live. Tours are available at an additional charge. The interior of the house includes several scenes that are references to events in the stories. * Lighthouse (Majakka): A recreation of the lighthouse from ''

Moominpappa at Sea ''Moominpappa at Sea'' ( Swedish: ''Pappan och havet'', literally "The Father and the Sea") is the eighth book in the Moomin books by Finnish author Tove Jansson. First published in 1965, the novel is set contemporaneously with ''Moominvalley in ...

''. * Bathing Hut (Uimahuone): A recreation of the bathing house from the books. * Emma's Theater (Emma Teatteri): An outdoor theater performing short shows featuring the main characters from the books. Performances are in Japanese. * Oshun Oxtra (Merenhuiske): An indoor morphing theater that depicts the adventures of Moominpappa in his youth along with Snufkin's dad the Joxter, and Sniff's dad the Muddler on the "Oshun Oxtra". * Kokemus: The exhibition hall intended to highlight the life of creator

and the creation of the books. There is also a pancake restaurant, Lettula, in the Welcome Gate. The gift shop, Alku Kauppa, sells Moomin merchandise and includes collectible Moomin items only sold in Japan.

References

{{coord, 35, 52, 21, N, 139, 19, 45.6, E, region:JP_type:landmark, display=title Amusement parks in Japan Moomins Tourist attractions in Saitama Prefecture