Ahead of the June opening of a theme park based on the popular "Harry Potter" movies, Seibu Railway Co. held a ceremony Tuesday to celebrate the completion of the renovation of Toshimaen Station, which is the nearest station to the theme park in Nerima Ward, Tokyo.
The station was refurbished with a red design inspired by Hogsmeade Station, at which the series' main character arrives to attend an ancient school of magic at the beginning of the first movie. An LED screen was installed on the outer wall of the station building, and a video related to the film will be played every 30 minutes. Sculptures of deer from the movies were placed in front of the station.
At the ceremony, Seibu Holdings Inc. Chairman Takashi Goto said, "We will do our best to make the station a place that local residents can enjoy and that can become a major driving force for development."
After the ceremony, a train wrapped in a design of characters from the series took off from the station's platform after being "commanded" to by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike and other guests.
The theme park, officially named "Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo -- The Making of Harry Potter," is slated to open on June 16. Platforms 1 and 2 at the Seibu Toshima Line's Ikebukuro Station in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, were also renovated, and the same type of clock used in the movies was installed.
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