Nara Dreamland – An Abandoned Theme Park In Japan. In the late 1950s, Kunizo Matsuo, a Japanese businessman & president of the Matsuo Entertainment Company (MEC), visited the United States. There was Screw Coaster designed by Arrow Development. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. I can’t share information about the sites, both out of respect for the local community but also and especially because it would put these places at risk. The castle in Nara Dreamland was based on Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in Disneyland. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Nara Dreamland, an abandoned theme park in Japan. Japan. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. But a few people have snuck on … By Travelwire News Oct 15, 2018. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Some of you may have heard that the Disney corporation is responsible for at least one real, "live" Ghost Town. The Screw Coaster. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Nara Dreamland, Japan’s answer to Disneyland, has sat in ruin for a decade … It’s not nearly as big as the park in Anaheim but the Japanese tried to replicate the same feel. Nara Dreamland (Japanese: 奈良ドリームランド, Hepburn: Nara Dorīmurando) or just simply Dreamland, was a theme park near Nara, Japan, heavily inspired by Disneyland in California. Kanizo Matsuo, president of the Matsuo Entertainment Company, visited the newly opened Disneyland on a trip to Los Angeles. In the same year, an urban explorer named Shane Perez visited the abandoned island and found there abandoned buildings, preserved snakes in jars, old employee photos and attacking vulture babies. 20 eerie images of Japan's abandoned 'Dreamland' theme park. The plan was to bring Disneyland to Japan – not to Tokyo, but to the old capital Nara (710 – 794), the cradle of Japanese culture. The park had many faults that added up to … WATCH: Japan’s eerie abandoned theme park. Despite starting out as a carbon copy of Disneyland, other attractions were added over the years to take it in another direction. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [9], Coordinates: 34°42′00″N 135°49′27″E / 34.70000°N 135.82417°E / 34.70000; 135.82417, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Nara Dreamland – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)", "Nara Dreamland sold to Osaka real estate company", "Bad news, guys. They’ve got abandoned theme parks, we’ve got…Huh. Nara Dreamland, a Japanese version of California's Disneyland, was left abandoned before being demolished in 2016. This time, an Osaka-based real estate company named SK Housing won the bid, paying 730 million Yen (or $6 million in USD).[3][4]. It also had a Matterhorn-type mountain (with a Matterhorn Bobsleds-type ride, called Bobsleigh) with a Skyway running through it, as well as an Autopia-type ride and a monorail. It closed in 1999. Nara Dreamland in Nara, Japan was built in 1961 and was based on the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Nara Dreamland in September 2005, less than a year before its … Disneyland finally came to Japan on April 15th 1983 when the Oriental Land Company opened Tokyo Disneyland. By Staff Writer. The park was initially popular as it was the closest thing to Disneyland in Japan. (3352x2356) • /r/AbandonedPorn", "Nara Dreamland: Japan's last abandoned theme park | Michael John Grist | Michael John Grist", "Abandoned Disneyland Knock-Off - Nara Dreamland Theme Park Exploration", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nara_Dreamland&oldid=967905176, Buildings and structures in Nara Prefecture, Demolished buildings and structures in Japan, Articles lacking in-text citations from June 2016, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Bobsleigh, a steel roller coaster modeled after the, This page was last edited on 16 July 2020, at 01:22. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Nara Dreamland is the epitome of many haikyo dreams; an abandoned theme park with all its roller-coasters and rides still standing. On July 1, 1961, Nara Dreamland was opened to the public. The theme park was sold to SK Housing in 2016 and it was finally demolished in 2017 to make way for housing. Image: Chris Luckhardt. I get commissions for purchases made through some links on this site. Tokyo Disneysea also opened that year, turning Tokyo Disneyland into a two park resort. Nara Dreamland was popular for a time and welcomed 1.6 million guests at its peak. ... photographer Romain Veillon paid Nara Dreamland a visit to capture haunting photos of an abandoned … It was not to be however, and in 2006 the park closed, following years of falling attendance numbers. The park also had its own mascots, Ran-chan and Dori-chan, two children dressed as bearskin guards. It was in continuous operation for 45 years, from 1961, closing permanently in 2006 as a result of falling attendance. [8], Additionally, many have reported hearing strange noises near the park's boats. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Nara Dreamland struggled on until August 31st 2006 before closing. Today, in the park you will not meet anyone except a few guards. His plan was to build a similar park in Nara, Japan’s old capital, and licence the designs and characters from Disney. On our trip to Japan, we encountered one of the creepiest places in the country: Nara Dreamland, the abandoned amusement park that was based on Disneyland. A wooden roller coaster called Aska was built, based on The Cyclone at Coney Island. Nara Dreamland, Japan. Discover Nara Dreamland in Nara, Japan: The abandoned Japanese amusement park once loomed as a dystopian Disneyland. [5][6] It was later confirmed online by regular visitors that the demolition process was officially underway as of October 10, 2016 and that it was due to take 14 months. It featured its own version of Main Street USA, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Autopia, … Built in 1961 in Japan’s Nara Prefecture, Nara Dreamland was an amusement park conceived in the hopes that it would match the success that Disneyland had enjoyed in California. Nara Dreamland joins a long list of abandoned theme parks in Asia including Wonderland in China and Okpo Land in South Korea. [2], Nara City's government gained ownership of the park after the park's owner fell behind in property taxes. Watch looks like an abandoned Disneyland in Japan and find it sad story. On August 31, 2006, Nara Dreamland closed permanently. It was built in 1961, closed in 2006, and was finally demolished on 2016.\r\rHope you enjoy it!\r\rYes Theory are four friends from four different countries who constantly seek discomfort in order to grow. It featured its own version of Main Street USA, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Autopia, Matterhorn and Jungle Cruise however it closed permanently in 2006 and was left abandoned. These Badass Urban Explorers Climbed the Rotting Roller Coaster in Japan’s Abandoned Disneyland Ripoff. 20 eerie images of Japan's abandoned 'Dreamland' theme park. It translates to “ruins”, and urban explorers from all over the world have turned it into a lifestyle. When a friend talked to him about an abandoned theme park in Japan called Nara Dreamland, it was all it took for photographer Victor Habchy to book a flight from France to Japan. It is usually difficult and very procedural-intensive for an occidental concept to be imported in Japan. From above, the layout of the park was almost identical. Standing at the top of the rotting roller coaster, Chris Luckhardt leans perilously out over the edge, almost 100 feet above the ground. The final result is quite good for the haikyoists however: here we have now an abandoned-looking Disneyland, ideal for a very romantic day and night walk. Michael Turtle, 34, journeyed to the Nara Dreamland Theme Park, … After those two parks opened, Dreamland's attendance numbers worsened, plummeting to 400,000 visitors a year. By 2006, the theme park closed, it was all but a ghost town. Abandoned Disneyland Knock-off (Google Maps). My previous list of the best of Japan’s abandoned places dates back two years now, as I tend to write about accessible places. [3] In 2015 the city put the property up for auction again. It was in an extreme state of disrepair by the end. [4] On October 14, 2016, an urban explorer visited Nara Dreamland and reported seeing demolition vehicles tearing down the Main Street area. Opened to the public in 1961 and was completed on December 21 2017! 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