The GHZ Forum

Japanese schools may have experienced a high amount of truancy last Thursday, as Sonic Town, Sega Japan’s latest attempt at merging the realms of video games and theme parks, finally opened.

The town has a number of features to delight Sonic fans. The entrance houses a huge Sonic-shaped button, which when pressed causes Sonic to exclaim, “Welcome to Sonic Town!”. Visitors can talk back to their idol by using the many telephones that are placed around the town.


^ Sonic Team have supervised the design

On weekends Sonic and his pals take a break from battling Dr Eggman to star in a live stage show. Monitors are placed all over the town and provide visual entertainment for when the stage show isn’t running, with scenes from the Sonic games and Sonic X.

All visitors receive an exclusive Sonic Friend notebook. More Sonic merchandise can be earned by playing the UFO catcher games. The less adventurous can simply purchase Sonic items from the shopping areas.


^ The Sonic Town, in Koshien ban-cho, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo-ken

Full details can be found at the Sonic Town information page.

[Disclaimer: Information obtained through machine translation and so may be partly inaccurate]

Holy crap cool.

Isn't that somewhat like Joypolis?

I spend four years in their damn country and they open up this shit six months after I leave.

Yeah, damn Japan! They probably don't even have any Sonic fortune cookies!

Or is that China? I don't know Asians.

So does it have anything other than the merchandise shop that would appeal to a Sonic fan over the age of 10?

Or is that China?

It's actually Texas. Seriously.

Texas? I thought they had the Alamo, Death Row on speed dial, and freakishly-spicy chili.

Or is that Wyoming? I don't know states.

It's not speed dial, it's an express lane, but same difference.

Looks... stupefyingly dull.

I've got to buy it.

I thought things so beautiful as this were relegated only to my wildest dreams... ;__;

I'm going to Japan. See you guys in a few years.

chriscaffee wrote:I spend four years in their damn country and they open up this shit six months after I leave.

GG! wrote:So does it have anything other than the merchandise shop that would appeal to a Sonic fan over the age of 10?

I'm going to take a guess and say probably T-Shirts and other apparel.

Odd that they didn't bother announcing any plans to open Sonic Town in the U.S. or the U.K. since the Sonic franchise is more popular there than in Japan. Well, it is at least in the U.K.

Japan has all the coolest stuff, whether the Japanese public wants it or not.

There probably wouldn't be any room in California for it. Although I don't know CA too well, it seems like everything else is there already.

There is plenty of room in Kansas.

They also used to have a couple of Sonic clothing stores that were selling some pretty snazzy-looking merchandise. Even one in France, if I recall correctly. They all closed a couple years ago, though. Even before that, like in the mid 90's, there was a Sonic store called Sega Sonic Island.

Eh, were there any around here [Louisiana] that you know of?

There is only one place I currently know of that is selling Sonic T-shirts in the U.S. and that is...Hot Topic.

But those look lame.

The Pokemon Themepark looks like it could kick the ass of Sonic Town. Considering it actually, ya know - has rides.

I don't know if they're large enough for adults, though.

There's a Pokémon theme park? I just came.

Eh, were there any around here [Louisiana] that you know of?

Yeah dude, it's the best one, too. I can't believe you didn't know about it?

WHERE?! Y'see, I really liked Sonic as a kid, yet I wasn't <i>nearly</i> as big of a fan back then as I am now.

I think he's being sarcastic Spazz.

There's a Pokémon theme park? I just came.

Yeah, it's looking to be delightfully decadent. What with a PokeBall ferris wheel, a merry-go-round where you ride on Pikachu, and a water-slide with boats shaped like Mudkip. It's like the wet dream of every pathetic Bulbasaur addict ever.

Zeta wrote:I think he's being sarcastic Spazz.

I was thinking that. I was going to add "If you're being serious, where?" I mean, I don't see how the store would be able to stay in business in an area that's pretty much dead to anime and video games (until recently).

Popcorn wrote:Looks... stupefyingly dull.

One might call it LAAAAMMMMMMMEEEEEE!!!!!