Our neighbor to the west, Nagasaki, hosts a Holland-themed amusement park, Huis Ten Bosch, which recreates the Netherlands by displaying life-sized copies of old Dutch buildings. This is a nod to the Dutch trading post Dejima, notable as the sole official location of international trade during the Edo period. As a survivor of Disneyland employment, I’m theme-parked out. Everyone I know who has visited Huis Ten Bosch has said the only thing to do there is shop, further dampening my enthusiasm. But these two articles have tindered a flame of interest.
Scientists in Europe have developed a low-price, flexible solar material called perovskite solar cells, and the only place it’s been deployed in Japan is Huis Ten Bosch. In fact, the park has been designated as one of the six “next-generation energy parks” by METI. It generates 4MW of green power, more than enough to operate the park; the surplus is sold. Here is a link to the park: https://tech.nikkeibp.co.jp/dm/atclen/news_en/15mk/062502187/ and to the technology: https://tech.nikkeibp.co.jp/dm/atclen/news_en/15mk/123002587/?ST=msbe Maybe this will facilitate my phobia of theme park recovery. - William