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Iris Mach:
"Going Dutch. Duplication, Authenticity and Reprogrammed Experience";
in: "The Experience Economy", 6; M. Berger, L. Wong (Hrg.); herausgegeben von: Rhode Island School of Design; Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 2015, ISBN: 978-3-03821-984-2, S. 64 - 69.

Huis ten Bosch is an idyllic coastal town, which might pass as the perfect historic Dutch city - except for its location in Omura bay, on the Japanese seaside. The fact that it was conceived as a theme park might seem to solve the antagonism, but reducing it to this function actually tells only a small part of its complex story.
It superseded a former "Hollander Village", which was established in 1983 in Sasebo as a memorial and museum to the history and influence of Dutch merchants in Japan, dating back to the 17th century. The revised concept envisaged an "authentic" Dutch town, combining Western knowledge with Japanese spirit. It should not only imitate, but reenact the technical and ecological challenges of town construction, offering the visitors the chance to truly experience the reciprocal influence of the countries.
Situated on a former industrial landfill, the project faced severe ecological challenges, which ended up becoming a basic guideline for the whole concept. The building site, with 152 ha almost the size of Monaco, was to become a role model for ecological town planning, including not only waste and energy management, but designing a whole new eco system of plants, animals and even soundscape.
The theme park, opened in 1992, in fact only makes up for the huge building costs of about 2.1 trillion Yen (about 20,5 billion Dollar). Once amortized, it should be suspended and the area converted into a real town: Huis ten Bosch-cho, the city of the millennium - turning entertainment into a real-time, lifelong experience.

Themepark, Huis ten Bosch, Japan, Theming, Soundscape