Huis Ten Bosch, a European Dutch-inspired theme park in Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan should be called “Miffy Land” or “Miffy’s World” especially in June for her annual birthday celebration.
Who is Miffy? She is an adorable white rabbit created by Dick Bruna, a Dutch writer and illustrator, in 1955. She is called Nintjee which means “little rabbit” in Dutch.
Miffy is a simply drawn character so she is often confused as a Japanese character. But she is not Japanese and came way before Sanrio’s Hello Kitty (in 1974).
We visited Nagasaki in 2020 and didn’t have a chance to visit Huis Ten Bosch. Now 4 years later, we had a blast celebrating Miffy’s 69th birthday at the theme park. To be honest, we didn’t know who she was before we visited. But after our visit, we understood her charm and why everyone loved her!
In this post, we’re sharing what to expect when visiting Huis Ten Bosch theme park for Miffy’s Birthday, the attractions to visit, and helpful tips to plan your trip here.
If you want to travel to the Netherlands, this theme park is a fun replica of what to expect in the country. For those who want to visit the iconic bunny, mark your calendar for next June!
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Things to Know Before Visiting Huis Ten Bosch
- You can easily visit this theme park on a day trip from Nagasaki or Fukuoka (Hakata area). We did the round trip from Hakata and took the train.
- We recommend staying for at least a full day here. It took us about 7-8 hours to go through the majority of the attractions in the theme park.
- We visited on a weekday and the park was very empty. It was nice to wait only a few minutes and up to 20 minutes for exhibits and rides. The weekends will have larger crowds at the theme park.
- There are 5 hotels in the area if you’re interested in staying overnight – Hotel Europe, Hotel Amsterdam, Hotel Den Haag, Forest Villa, and Hotel Rotterdam.
- The theme park has a paper map available but it’s in Japanese. If you want a map, to see show times, and attractions in English, download the app (available in iOS and Android). It’s recommended to visit attractions by area.
- Shows will be in Japanese. One of the shows, Horizon Adventure Water Show, had a headphone to listen to English translation.
- The theme park allows in and out privileges. You’ll need to stamp your hand when exiting the final souvenir shop. The stamp has a UV glow. Present your hand stamp and ticket for re-entry.
- The park doesn’t have any free WiFi, so you’ll need a SIM card, e-SIM, or pocket WiFi to access data on your phone.
- You’re allowed to bring water bottles into the park. But outside food is not allowed.
- Wear comfortable walking shoes as it’s a large theme park.
Huis Ten Bosch is a pretty place to take photos
Cost
A normal 1 day pass is:
- 7,400 yen (adults),
- 6,400 yen (junior high & high school students),
- 4,800 yen (elementary school students),
- 3,700 yen (4 years old and under),
- 5,400 yen (Seniors 65 years and up)
Prices are on the higher end for one-day admission, yet there are many things to do here.
There are also 2 day passes, 1.5 day passes, and discounted tickets after 3:00pm. More information is in the link below.
Huis Ten Bosch is worth the visit for this cute photo spot of Miffy’s head and the windmill
Where to Buy Tickets
You can buy directly on the Huis Ten Bosch website, in person at the ticket office, or on Klook.
We bought the tickets on Klook and received an email confirmation with the QR code. We showed the QR code at the ticket gate. One of the staff members scanned the code and we entered the theme park.
Our Experience at Huis Ten Bosch with Miffy Celebration
The theme park went all out with Miffy’s birthday celebration. We’re not sure if the decorations look the same for the June celebration every year. But if you’re a fan of hers, you’ll love it here!
Some of the highlights include the following:
- After entering the theme park, we saw an adorable Huis Ten Bosch sign with Miffy statues. It was super cute and a great way to start the day! There was a platform to place your phone, set a 10-second timer, and take photos. Or, you could ask someone in line to take a photo of you.
This was the first photo that we took with Miffy and Melanie and it was a great start of the day!
- The Windmill area had a bed of gorgeous spring flowers and an outline of a golden-colored bunny’s head. There was also a swing next to the waterway with a Miffy statue. The windmill itself is a popular place to take a photo.
My attempted windmill pose
I can’t get enough of these Miffy statues
- Miffy’s Birthday Parade was so much fun. We saw it two times during our visit. We didn’t know the parade times and coincidentally heard music playing while we were in the area, so we rushed towards the crowds. Miffy and her best friend, Melanie (a brown rabbit) were on top of the float dancing and waving to the crowds.
Here is the birthday celebration parade
- Miffy and Melanie had a live show in front of a clock. They did different poses so the audience could take photos.
The live action show with Miffy and Melanie (not shown) was so adorable!
- There was an Umbrella Street with colorful umbrellas on a cobblestone road. Of course, Miffy and Melanie statues were the perfect companions for the photos.
This was one of the fun photo spots with Miffy and Melanie
- The Miffy souvenir shop was the place to spend all your money. From t-shirts to stuffed animals to ceramic bowls and cups, everyone went crazy with buying merchandise. It’s for a good reason as everything in the store was so adorable. We collect hand towels and bought two Miffy towels.
Other Recommended Attractions at Huis Ten Bosch
Besides the Miffy, we enjoyed walking around and seeing the European architecture, canals, and windmills. We haven’t been to the Netherlands, but the environment looks like what we’ve seen in photos.
Here are our top picks if you have only a few hours or half a day to spend here:
- Canal Cruiser – This 6-kilometer boat ride through the water starts near the Windmill area and ends at Tower City. We passed by homes with yachts and kayaks in front of the house. We’re not sure if they’re vacation homes or if the theme park workers live there as the driver spoke Japanese.
Take the Canal Cruiser for lovely views of the theme park
- Flower Fantasia – Have you been to a teamLab interactive exhibit? If so, this Flower Fantasia has a similar experience. We loved smelling the floral fragrance and interactive floral walls.
Flower Fantasia was one of my favorite attractions at Huis Ten Bosch
- Carillon Fantasia – We didn’t know what a carillon instrument was. It’s a large instrument with a keyboard and bells. According to the theme park worker, there are only 3 large carillon instruments in Japan, and one is at the theme park!
- We heard 3 songs played on the carillon and the bells vibrated the entire place. Pomp and Circumstances March was one of the songs played.
- Afterward, there was an interactive section where we could hit a bell and the hanging light bulbs from the ceilings lit up based on the vibration. We could also spin a wheel with bells and the light bulbs attached to the wheel lit up.
We heard beautiful music from this carillon
- There are other 3D interactive attractions such as Space Fantasia and Aquarium Fantasia. But we liked the Flower and Carillon ones the best.
- Mission Deep Sea XSense Ride – Located in the Maritime Museum, this is an opportunity to go on an underwater mission. It’s a 5D ride where everyone sits on chairs and they move along with the story.
- When everyone waits in line for the ride, there is a summary of the mission. It’s in Japanese, but there are English subtitles. However, the English subtitles disappear when the actual ride starts.
- Glass Museum – Located behind the clock, it’s an unassuming place for a museum. There are two levels of glassworks and vases from around the world on display. The coolest part was seeing the gorgeous chandelier in the lobby area. It’s supposedly the world’s largest chandelier.
We loved looking at this gorgeous chandelier
- Domtoren – This is the tallest building with an observatory at the top. Everyone takes an elevator to 80 meters above the ground and sees an unobstructed aerial view of the theme park.
How to Get to Huis Ten Bosch
We usually take the train to travel around Japan. So, it’s easy to get to this theme park by train.
If you have a JR Wide Area Pass, JR All Kyushu Pass, or JR Northern Kyushu Pass and are coming from Fukuoka, it’s highly recommended that you reserve a seat in advance.
We used a JR North Kyushu 5 Day Pass to take the train to this theme park. Read our experience with the pass here.
Once you have your JR Pass, you can use the ticket machines to reserve your seat in advance. The JR Pass allows a certain number of reserved seats for free.
We recommend using one of these websites, JR Kyushu website or West JR Company website, so you can see the train schedule on your departure date. Input your starting and ending station, time of departure, and date.
From Nagasaki Station, take the Nagasaki Line to Huis Ten Bosch Station. Train will take 1.5 hours. Then walk 5 minutes to the main entrance.
From Fukuoka’s Hakata Station, take the JR Midori-Huis Ten Bosch Line to Huis Ten Bosch Station. The bright orange Huis Ten Bosch train is nicely decorated inside. Ride will take 1 hour 52 minutes. Then walk 5 minutes to the entrance. We were based in Fukuoka so we took this route.
This is the orange train to arrive at Huis Ten Bosch Station
Note: Midori and Huis Ten Bosch Line are connected trains. There are only 2-3 train cars that go directly to Huis Ten Bosch.
So, if you have a non-reserved seating in Midori train, you’ll need to get off of Haiki Station, and then hop onto the local train to Huis Ten Bosch.
You are not allowed to hop onto the Huis Ten Bosch Train since these are reserved seats.
From Huis Ten Bosch Station to Hakata Station
To return to Hakata Station, you can use the ticket machine to reserve a seat or talk to a staff member at the ticket counter.
We recommend booking your ticket once you arrive at Huis Ten Bosch Station. We’re not sure when the staff members leave but the office was closed after 6:00pm.
Depending on your departure time, you can either take a direct train from Huis Ten Bosch to Hakata.
Or, you’ll need to take a local train from Huis Ten Bosch Station to Haiki Station, and then hop on to a Midori Train Line from Haiki to Hakata Station.
We took the 6:12pm train from Huis Ten Bosch to Haiki, and then walked across the train platform for the 6:19pm train from Haiki to Hakata Station.
Where to Eat
Access the paper map or the app to find the nearest place to eat. There are many small shops selling snacks and souvenirs. Or, you can sit down and enjoy a meal such as at Pepper Lunch.
If the food options do not sound appetizing, there are a couple of restaurants outside of the entrance area.
We saw a steamed bun place (bao) called Iwasakihonpo (岩崎本舗 ハウステンボス店) and a Ringer Hut (リンガーハット 長崎ハウステンボス店). There is also a Family Mart.
We ate at Ringer Hut, the beloved chain restaurant serving delicious Nagasaki-style champon noodles and sara udon. We ordered the sara udon with extra vegetables and the special seafood champon. They were delicious!
Final Thoughts
Huis Ten Bosch is a fun European theme park with many attractions to visit. We loved the windmills, the building architecture, and the beautiful plants in the area. The European vibe reminded us of Ba Na Hills theme park in Danang, Vietnam.
We also loved the Miffy theme for her birthday celebration. It was such a special event to experience and wouldn’t hesitate to return.
We hope you get the chance to experience Huis Ten Bosch for yourself. It’s worth a visit if you’re on Kyushu Island.
Please buy tickets at Huis Ten Bosch website, in person at the ticket office, or on Klook (our favorite way to buy tickets in Japan).
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