‘Harry Potter’ Theme Park Issues Urgent Warning, Guests May Face Prison

A Harry Potter destination has issued an urgent warning to guests after accidentally breaking the law.

While the Harry Potter HBO reboot continues to stir controversy—and the franchise’s creator can’t seem to go a day without fueling even more—theme parks around the world inspired by the Wizarding World remain deeply popular with fans.

First opened at Universal Orlando Resort in 2010, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter invites fans into Hogwarts Castle and the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, complete with attractions that immerse guests into the world inhabited by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and co.

Since then, Orlando has extended the area into Universal Studios Florida and will soon add a third land to Epic Universe when it debuts in 2025.

Additional Universal parks have also added their own Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands, including Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Beijing.

Meanwhile, beyond Universal, Warner Bros. World in Abu Dhabi is also said to incorporate Harry Potter attractions in the coming years. Warner Bros. Studio Tour London—The Making of Harry Potter (located on the site where the movies were actually filmed) opened in 2012, and Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo—The Making of Harry Potter debuted in 2023.

Unlike the Universal Harry Potter destinations, the latter two attractions focus on the moviemaking magic that went into the franchise. However, one studio tour got a bit too realistic lately, forcing an urgent warning to guests.

Warning Issued Over ‘Harry Potter’ Merchandise

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo—The Making of Harry Potter has issued a recall notice to all guests who visited the studio tour between May 2023 and late April this year.

The tour’s gift shop had reportedly sold over 350 replicas of Godric Gryffindor’s sword – AKA the sword used by Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) to kill the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and later used to destroy other Horcruxes – during this timeframe that were too sharp to count as toys. Instead, they were sharp enough to constitute real weapons, meaning they accidentally broke Japan’s weapons law.

As the 34-inch swords were mounted to a wooden plaque, they theoretically couldn’t be used for actual destructive purposes. However, possessing the sword is still technically illegal without a special license under Japan’s 1958 firearms and sword control law.

This law makes it illegal for anyone to carry a knife over 6 centimeters long, with anybody caught doing so facing a punishment of up to two years in prison.

“If you have purchased this product, please contact us by any of the following methods,” Warner Bros. wrote on the tour’s website. “We will inform you of the necessary action including logistics and refund.”

What is the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo?

Located in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo was built on the former site of the 100-year-old Toshimaen Park and is technically the world’s biggest indoor Harry Potter theme park.

Guests can explore iconic sites such as the Hogwarts Express, Diagon Alley, The Great Hall, the Ministry of Magic, and the Forbidden Forest, as well as get up close and personal with real props and costumes from both the original eight films and the since-axed Fantastic Beasts series.

Visitors can also enjoy afternoon tea, typical British food items such as fish and chips and roast beef, and beverages inspired by the novels and films (by which we mean Butterbeer galore).