New Tokyo Theme Park to Feature Cars

Bored with roller coasters that don’t go fast enough or cartoon characters that are just a tad too cute?

Then how about a theme park where you get to race around in the latest cars that Japan’s biggest auto maker has to offer?

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will launch an automobile theme park as part of a new commercial and entertainment complex at a Tokyo waterfront site next year.

The Tokyo Waterfront ST Block project is scheduled to open in the spring of 1999. The highlight of the complex, which hopes to attract 12 million visitors annually, is Toyota’s car theme park, consisting of three pavilions and two driving courses.

“The aim of the project is to create a facility where visitors can thoroughly enjoy the experience and thrill of driving, by actually seeing, touching, and riding various different vehicles,” Toyota said in a statement.

The pavilions will feature the past, present and future of automobiles, displaying a lineup of more than 100 current Toyota models, a virtual reality section, museums and other exhibits.

The driving courses will allow visitors to take test runs in Toyota models and other cars, but the main attraction will be the opportunity to drive futuristic electric vehicles.

Participants in the project include Mitsui & Co., Itochu Corp. and Taisei Corp.

The general entertainment center will include a 44-lane bowling alley and what organizers say will be the world’s largest Ferris wheel.