Disneyland and Universal Studios in Japan, are riding the global recessionary roller-coaster with record visitor numbers and pre-tax profits forecasts.

Tokyo Disneyland was joined by a sister theme park, DisneySea, in September and the two parks were visited by 9.29m people in the first six months of the year - nearly 920,000 more than initially forecast. Universal Studios has attracted 5m visitors in its first five months of being open and expects 8m by the end of the year.

Japan, however, is reported to be on the brink of recession. The nation's jobless rate hit a record 5 per cent in July. Overall household spending has fallen for eight consecutive years.

Both Disneyland and Universal Studios have been helped by the strong brand recognition they enjoy in Japan. Mickey Mouse, for example, is the most popular character in Japan, according to a 1999 newspaper survey.

The two parks also benefit from their appeal to women aged 18 or over, many of whom live with their parents and enjoy a high disposable income. DisneySea boasts a Mediterranean carnival, a Broadway musical and a steamship bar, attracting adults who never considered visiting the home of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

After collapsing with Y326bn in debts, the Seagaia complex, with an indoor pool built as a vast indoor beach in Japan's southern region of Miyazaki was sold to the US private equity fund, Ripplewood, in October. It hosts its first golf tournaments this month at the beginning of a restructuring programme.