♪ ♪ shanghai is one of china's largest economic cities. it's also china's biggest tourist site, attracting more than 300 million domestic and international visitors a year.

in may 2015, a new attraction opened in the skyscraper lined district. this is the world's largest disney store, measuring 5,860 square meters. the store hoped ahead of the launch of shanghai disneyland, which officially opened its gates in 2016. on the first day, the store attracted a line spanning over two kilometers. it continues to be packed with customers throughout its business hours of 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. more than 2,000 products are available. nearly all of them are original goods offered exclusively in china.

♪ it also offers expensive limited edition items popular at disney stores around the world.

>> she considers herself a dedicated disney fan, as do her friends. she fell in love with the world of disney 11 years ago when she visited hong kong disney resort, the first disneyland she had been to. ever since, she's been saving money every year to visit disney resorts around the world. she has already obtained tickets to shanghai disneyland. ♪ >> everything in her room is disney related, including her covers, lamps, hand creams, and even tissue paper. she owns over 500 plush dolls.

>> shanghai disney resort will be the sixth magic kingdom in

the world. disneyland is currently a hot topic in shanghai. the theme park is expected to provide more than 50,000 jobs, and have an annual economic effect of $7.6 billion. the countdown has begun for shanghai disneyland to open. entrepreneurs are betting on this big project. farmers are trying to use it as a new turning point in their lives. a month before the grand opening of shanghai disneyland, this episode followed the lives of people holding high expectations for the park.

people are eagerly awaiting the new shanghai disneyland. it was built in a farming region 20 kilometers southeast of central shanghai. the area was once accessible only by car, but a new railway has been built. woo was even to see the enchanted storybook castle. ♪ she sees images of mickey mouse and friends, ensuring the safety of passengers by the platform doors.

disney characters welcome passengers everywhere around the station. a subway from central shanghai to the center of disney resort is being developed with the full cooperation of the chinese government. disneyland is right outside the station. since the subway began running in late april, the number of tourists has been steadily increasing. 1 million people have visited in one month.

>> the happiest place on earth is just beyond the iron bars. the opening of shanghai disneyland was proposed in 2007 when chinese president xi jinping was the top official of shanghai. initially, the park was slated to open in 2015, but construction was delayed. the compound is 390 hectares in total. the main park is just one fourth of that space. adjacent to that is a nature themed park where a giant artificial lake, hotels and shops were built. people also have expectations for the area making use of the lake.

the first stage of construction is disney resort. shanghai city is now developing the surrounding areas as the second and third stages. the total space is expected to nearly double. until disneyland was set to open, this area was a farming region that grew fruits and vegetables. despite being a part of shanghai, the development level is far less than that of the central city. with a globally renowned theme park set to open here, land values have soared to five times higher than before. that's why many local farmers have given up their land to receive compensation.

as development progresses, some families continue to farm. however, they have been told by the local office to leave their land within three years. >> jin has been a rice farmer until teven months ago, but he heard that fruit made more

money, so he buried his rice plants and planted peach trees. he has a three-story home he built with the money he earned working in the city when he was younger. now he lives with his daughter's family. people in neighboring villages are already being evicted.

>> since he'll be getting an unexpectedly large compensation for moving out, he plans to quit work and take it easy. east of disney resort, one village has been left out of the development zone, even though it is next to the district.

the village is full of unused farmland. many local youth quit working in agriculture and moved to central shanghai. this year, many farmers all over town began renovating their homes. the village has 1500 houses, many of which are uninhabited or have empty rooms. some 3,000 rooms are reportedly unused. these rooms are starting to be renovated so they can be available to tourists. he decided to rent out the house his son, who now lives in central shanghai, used to live in.

>> these unused rooms are managed by a new company launched in july 2015. the company renovates homes and rents out the rooms. as the landlord, the farmer gets part of the rent, depending on the number of customers. but even if the rooms are not rented out, homeowners are guarantied rent income. ♪ this is the rendering for the completed rooms. the private rooms on the first and second floors can accommodate two groups.

there are no staff members on site, but renters can get meal it is they request them beforehand. a man born in the area began this unprecedented style of business. he joined the military at age 18. afterward, he was involved in various businesses and now manages two companies.

>> he lives with his wife in a house he built 26 years ago. he used to work as the president

of a village-run company. he built his home when his daughter got married. he spent his entire savings to realize it, but his daughter moved to live in the city. if the room rental works out, he plans to rent out his house, as well, and live closer to his children.

ahead of the grand opening, a trial opening was held from may 7, exclusively for special guests. tv crews flocked to the sites. people involved in the construction and their families were the first guests to shanghai disneyland. problems will be identified and solved ahead of the grand opening, and polish added to the staff member service.

>> this footage was shot by one of the guests. ♪ it's the long-waited disneyland parade in mainland china. with many characters appearing, guests seem excited. buildings that epitomize disney fill the area. the enchanted storybook castle of the center of the park is the most impressive.

on this day, the park was initially set to close at 8:00 p.m. but it was extended until 10:00 due to the large crowd. five kilometers northeast of disney resort is a town that is expected to become the center of tourism. the town dates back to the 10th century during the tsong dynasty. this town is also known as the birthplace of the wives of shang kai shek.

in the eastern area is a structure built in 1905. one man won the bid to use this land, and has been awaiting the opening of disneyland since 2014. he spent some $450,000 on renovating the old building. >> this restaurant owner had been running a hotel in central shanghai. but having heard about the disneyland plan, he liquidated all his assets two years ago and invested everything in this store.

all the cost for maintaining the location have added up to debt. >> his challenge, which he can't afford to fail, is just beginning.

>> as the opening day gets closer, his concerns grow more and more. but his customer base is slowly starting to expand. in just a few days, the big day will be here at last. but the real battle is just getting started.

woo created a club for serious disney fans, and meets with them regularly. usually they talk about what they experienced at disney resorts around the world. but recently, their topic of choice is shanghai disneyland.

>> disneyland continues to fascinate the world. it's supported by a thorough service oriented spirit, and a continual effort to protect the genuine nature of the brand. ♪ but this magic kingdom is about to be given life. how will it affect the people of china? new magic may just give rise to new forms of entertainment. as the world awaits, shanghai disneyland finally opens its doors.

hello there, welcome to nhk "newsline." it is thursday, october 27th, 9:00 a.m. in tokyo. we start this hour with breaking news. japan's prince mikasa has died. the uncle to emperor akahito was 100 years old. the prince died on thursday. prince mikasa who is a younger brother of the late emperor whose given name was hirohito. he was admitted to a tokyo hospital in mid-may after suffering acute pneumonia. sources say he was in and out of the intensive care unit since due to a series of health issues