The COVID-19 pandemic has brought travel to a standstill, affecting countless businesses in the tourism industry. But just like how Japanese farmers have turned masks into new promotional tactics, a bus company in Japan has come up with an innovative solution to turn crisis into opportunity by arranging their idle tour buses into an intricate maze.
Image credit: The Sankei Shimbun
Hato Bus is a sightseeing bus company in Japan that offers a variety of tour routes in the Kantō region. According to Sankei Shimbun, in order to cope with a lack of tourists and put their idle buses to good use, the company has turned their empty tour buses into a giant intricate maze.
Image credit: The Sankei Shimbun
60 3.8-metre-tall sightseeing buses were utilised to form a giant maze at the company’s depot at Tokyo Station. To get a feel of what it’s like to have the buses loom over your head, check out this video.
Schedule of the tour
Image adapted from: Hato Bus
As part of a special tour package offered by Hato Bus, which includes a round trip to Small Worlds Tokyo, passengers will get the chance to navigate the specially constructed maze. From 19th to 22nd September, a total of 12 buses will go from Tokyo Station to Small Worlds Tokyo and back.
Diorama of Kansai International Airport
Image credit: Small Worlds Tokyo
Small Worlds Tokyo is an indoor miniature theme park situated in Ariake, Tokyo. It is the world’s largest miniature theme park, featuring exhibitions of dioramas of iconic places like the Kansai International Airport.
Miniature of Evangelion Unit-01 from the anime series Evangelion.
Image credit: Small Worlds Tokyo
Scaled-down fictional worlds from hit anime series like Sailor Moon and Evangelion are also exhibited in the theme park. After a leisurely afternoon at Small Worlds Tokyo, passengers will be transported to the depot where the maze is held and they will be given time to figure their way out.
Image adapted from: Hato Bus
At the bus depot, there will also be a “ventilation demonstration” conducted for those who are worried about commuting in an enclosed space in the midst of a pandemic. To put their minds at ease, white smoke will be dispensed and replaced with clean air in about 5 minutes, showcasing the vehicle’s efficient ventilation system.
The whole tour will take a little over 5 hours, after which passengers will be brought back to Tokyo Station. Tickets are sold at a discounted price of ¥4,980 (~USD47.40) thanks to the Go To Travel campaign that is ongoing in Japan. Admission into Small Worlds Tokyo and a lunch set comprising paripari (crispy) chicken with a side of salad and rice are included in the price as well.
Image adapted from: @Mulboyne
Although many netizens applauded the bus company for their creativity, a select number of users found the set up to be more creepy than ingenious. User @tokyochemist even suggested that zombies can be added to up the spook level for Halloween.
Image adapted from: @Namelesz7
Image adapted from: @bloomzy_
Other users like @Namelesz7 even quipped that the set up “looks like the beginning of a very strange horror movie”, and the sentiment was echoed by user @bloomzy_.
Image adapted from: @mi26an
User @mi26an was unamused, commenting that the maze will “end up looking like a bus cemetery if they don’t do it right”. Clearly, the makeshift maze is spookier than Hato Bus hoped for.
Despite what the reactions of these netizens might suggest, the tour package has been well-received in Japan as slots are almost completely sold out. Given its popularity, we wouldn’t be surprised if Hato Bus follows up with a zombified maze during Halloween.
Check out more interesting news about Japan here:
Cover image adapted from: Hato Bus
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