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Owing its name to one of the three official residences of the Dutch monarchy, Huis ten Bosch, which means House in the Woods, is a fabulous theme park where lighting plays the lion’s share. Located in Sasebo City, Nagasaki prefecture, Huis ten Bosch is inspired by the medieval Dutch architecture and culture, whereas many building and monuments of Dutch cities have been faithfully reproduced in the amusement park to recreate a perfect North European atmosphere.

The reference to the Netherlands gets back to the Edo Period, timely located between 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This period was characterized by a brilliant economic and cultural growth, but at the same time also by a strict social order and a strong isolationist foreign policy. At that time, Nagasaki and its prefecture, being the closest port city to the mainland, was designated by the Edo Shogunate as a place for exchange and trade. In 1636, the Dutch were restricted to Dejima, a small artificial island in Nagasaki's harbor, while all other foreign merchants were banished from Japan. The Netherlands were therefore the only country that was officially allowed by the shogunate to do business with Japan, becoming an important commercial and cultural touchstone for the entire area. For this reason, many scenic spots in this region are architecturally related to medieval Dutch buildings and constructions, reproducing in an almost perfect way their peculiar features on towers, channels, streets, houses and so on.