![]() The Ocean Dome water park, located about 1,500 kilometers south of Tokyo, was visited by 1.25 million people (around 3,500 per day) in the peak year of fiscal 1995. Saddled in one of Japan's poorest prefectures, local support was also lacking. Originally heralded as an entertainment wonder, it soon became apparent that even hordes of initial tourists couldn't keep the Dome afloat. To merely break even, the Dome needed to attract nearly 15,000 visitors each day.Īdmission costs didn't help either tickets were more expensive than a day at Tokyo Disneyland, i.e., they cost $50 for an adult. Yet, despite its awe-inspiring beginnings and a grand opening featuring Sting, the project's financial underpinnings were shaky at best. The location couldn't be more ironic - the engineering splendor was a mere 300 meters away from an actual beach. ![]() Set within a sprawling 850-acre resort, the Dome was part of a larger ecosystem that included five hotels, an assortment of sporting facilities, golf courses, botanical parks, and a zoo. Its cavernous interiors were a tropical fantasy, complete with lush foliage, cascading waterfalls, raft rides, jacuzzis, and an array of theatres and restaurants.Ĭome nightfall, water screens, and atmospheric lighting turned the space into a tropical paradise, replete with daily festivals, dancing, and live music. ![]() ![]() That place was a trip!" recalls former World Tour bodyboarder Jay Reale.īut the Dome was more than waves and surf stunts. "The left wedge off the wall was the best wave, for sure. The Global Organization of Bodyboarding (GOB) World Tour even ran an event at the artificial wave piscina during the mid-to-late 1990s. He became a staple during holiday seasons, running a quirky yet fascinating Surf Juggling Challenge in the wave pool. YouTube vlogger EricSurf6, an American resident in Japan for two decades, also joined the action. Plus, I'm getting paid for it!" he stated. "I have the best job, surfing all day in the ocean, then getting barrelled every night in the Ocean Dome. It was a feast for the senses, attracting a cadre of world-class surfers, skaters, and snowboarders like Owen Wright, Julian Wilson, Matt Wilkinson, Mitch Coleborn, Heath Joske, Fábio Gouveia, Jay Davies, Benji Weatherley, Tosh Townend, Kalani Robb, Chad Bartie, Todd Richards, and even Tony Hawk, who came to experience this synthetic, yet thrilling, environment.įormer Australian world tour surfer Matthew Pitts performed nightly as Sabu, the valiant sword-wielding surf prince, in the Dome's wave pool shows for at least eight years. The marvel didn't stop there: the waves required a staggering 1,800 tons of water for each surfable crest. Thanks to the Dome's advanced computer systems and a set of mammoth vacuum pumps, waves became tubular formations, a surfer's paradise created with a push of a button. Its artificial "ocean," six times larger than an Olympic pool, was an engineering marvel, holding 13,500 tonnes of unsalted, chlorinated water warmed to a constant 82.4 ☏ (28 ☌).Ī wave machine capable of producing 200 distinct wave variations, a spectacle that earned it a place in the Guinness World Records as "the biggest simulated pool." Its Polynesia-themed glory featured 12,000 square meters of sandy beach unlike any other, crushed to powder from 600 tonnes of marble imported from China. It was a tribute to both engineering and ambition. It was a repository of record-breaking feats, including the world's largest indoor pool, which was opened and closed according to the weather conditions, the world's largest retractable roof covering the vast complex, and the world's most sophisticated wave-generating equipment. The Ocean Dome was more than just a water park.
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