Offbeat Japan An Alternative Guide to Japan
Offbeat Japan An Alternative Guide to Japan
Exploring abandoned Western Village ruins in Tochigi, Japan: urban adventure with three women.
Exploring the abandoned Western Village ruins with three women in Tochigi, Japan.
TochigiUrbex

The Abandoned Western Village in Japan

April 14, 2017
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2 minutes de lecture

Exploration of the abandoned Western Village in Japan with three girls who enjoyed pretending to be part of a western movie.

The Western Village (ウエスタン村) is a relatively quite famous abandoned theme park in Japan. I had the chance to visit it many times, but I would like to share with you the photos taken during my very last visit.

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My friend Satomi has three daughters: Kaoru, Marin and Naomi. They were very keen to cosplay in a haikyo so I took them there, and indeed, we had lot of fun. Here are the result in photos, you can make up your own story. Meanwhile, I will tell you a bit more about the Western Village.

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Once known as the Kinugawa Ranch, this village was built around 1973.

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At the time it was a very simple place where visitors could enjoy cowboy-style activities.

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The owner, a local man called Ominami-san, said that the purpose in life is not to earn money but to make dreams come true and that is basically what he did.

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The ranch became a proper theme park in 1975 and was renamed Western Village.

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This haikyo, near Nikko in Tochigi prefecture, is easily accessible on a one-day trip from Tokyo, so I had plenty of chances to visit.

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The entrance is practically unprotected and has many openings that make access easy for anyone. The owner perhaps stopped caring about trying to keep the new breed of tourists out.

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A stream divides Western Village into two – the actual village, extremely Far West ambiance with barber, bank, prison, saloons… everything is here, just like a movie set (which is where we are, in this article) – and the “Mexican” side.

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Ominami-san extended his theme park each year, to the detriment of his profit margin.

Naomi, abandoned, amusement-park, asia, attraction-park, haikyo, japan, japanese, kanto, people, ruin, theme-park, tochigi, urban exploration, urbex

In 1995, he even added a replica of the famous Mount Rushmore, seemingly on an impulse.

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The park closed in 2007 and is now virtually forgotten.

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But from time to time, tourists driving around the Nikko area are taken aback by this Japanese version of Mount Rushmore that looms up for a second…

Kaoru, abandoned, amusement-park, asia, attraction-park, haikyo, japan, japanese, kanto, people, ruin, theme-park, tochigi, urban exploration, urbex

…and they have to come back to check it isn’t a hallucination!

Kaoru, Marin, abandoned, amusement-park, asia, attraction-park, haikyo, japan, japanese, kanto, people, ruin, theme-park, tochigi, urban exploration, urbex

The Western Village is now being demolished, little by little.

Kaoru, Marin, abandoned, amusement-park, asia, attraction-park, haikyo, japan, japanese, kanto, people, ruin, theme-park, tochigi, urban exploration, urbex

And it is sad, as it was a fabulous haikyo, especially for those girls who really enjoy it 🙂

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They also visited an abandoned school, so if you are interested in seeing that, please kick me in the comments to post about it 🙂

More Photos

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And for more awesome content about Japan, follow Jordy Meow on Instagram ! 🎵

commentaires

  • Hi there!

    Do you know if Western Village has already been demolished? I’m intending to explore this place (staying in Shinjuku. Oh dear) in December 2017.

    Do let me know please?

    If you could, do drop me an email at stefanie.mil@gmail.com and I’d love to have a haikyo meet-up with you too!

    Thanks a lot 🙂

    Cheers,
    Steff

    • Hi Steff! Not sure but I think it’s still there. Sorry, but I don’t do haikyo meet-up generally, I go with the same friends nowadays and it became a rare thing since I am very busy with new projects. But I wish you the best and to enjoy Japan a lot 🙂

      • Thanks so much for letting me know, Jordy! Hmm. I think I’ll take a risk and make a trip to WV 🙂 Haha.

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Who Am I

Jordy Meow
This is me!

I am Jordy Meow, a French photographer based in Tokyo. I explore offbeat places in Japan.

Instagram

Snow coats silenced rides,
Colors muted, dreamland sleeps—
Winter`s whispered hush.

冬の儚夢
色の音、降る雪—
静寂の調べ

#snowysilence #winterwonder #japansnow #forgottenfair #wintermagic #amusementpark #offbeatjapan #japan

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Snow coats silenced rides, Colors muted, dreamland sleeps— Winter's whispered hush.冬の儚夢 色の音、降る雪— 静寂の調べ#snowysilence #winterwonder #japansnow #forgottenfair #wintermagic #amusementpark #offbeatjapan #japan
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Moss blankets the earth,
Whispering tales of Jizo —
Green dreams in the woods.

苔が覆う
地蔵の物語 —
森の緑の夢。

#forestwhispers #mossmagic #japaneseculture #jizo #spiritualjourney #offbeatjapan #japan

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Moss blankets the earth, Whispering tales of Jizo — Green dreams in the woods. 苔が覆う 地蔵の物語 — 森の緑の夢。 #forestwhispers #mossmagic #japaneseculture #jizo #spiritualjourney #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Radiant night blooms,
Hues dance in moonlit embrace—
Nature`s bright whispers.

---

光る花夜
月と踊る色彩—
自然の囁き

---

#offbeatjapan #japan #japanesenight #lightupevent #japanesegarden #sakura #nightphotography #naturephotography

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Radiant night blooms, Hues dance in moonlit embrace— Nature's bright whispers. ---光る花夜 月と踊る色彩— 自然の囁き ---#offbeatjapan #japan #japanesenight #lightupevent #japanesegarden #sakura #nightphotography #naturephotography
View on Instagram

Volcano`s fierce hues,
Muted soil to snowy peak,
Mount Fuji`s grace reigns.

火山の色、
土から雪まで、
富士の美。

#MountFuji #offbeatjapan #japan #volcanicviews #naturephotography #japanescape #spiritualbeauty #landscape_lovers

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Volcano's fierce hues, Muted soil to snowy peak, Mount Fuji's grace reigns. 火山の色、 土から雪まで、 富士の美。#MountFuji #offbeatjapan #japan #volcanicviews #naturephotography #japanescape #spiritualbeauty #landscape_lovers
View on Instagram

Stone roads weave stories,
Under skies of endless blue,
Red gate to the past.

石畳は物語を織りなす
青空の下で
過去への赤い門

#offbeatjapan #japan #edoperiod #torii #shinto #historicaljapan #architecture #traveljapan

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Stone roads weave stories, Under skies of endless blue, Red gate to the past. 石畳は物語を織りなす 青空の下で 過去への赤い門 #offbeatjapan #japan #edoperiod #torii #shinto #historicaljapan #architecture #traveljapan
View on Instagram

Red bridge spans the stream,
Golden glimmers in the night,
Winter whispers glow.

---

赤い橋が流れる小川を渡り、
金色の輝きが夜を照らす、
冬の囁きが輝く。

---

#offbeatjapan #japan #winterwonderland #traditionallife #serenenight #onsenvibes #redbridge

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Red bridge spans the stream, Golden glimmers in the night, Winter whispers glow. ---赤い橋が流れる小川を渡り、 金色の輝きが夜を照らす、 冬の囁きが輝く。---#offbeatjapan #japan #winterwonderland #traditionallife #serenenight #onsenvibes #redbridge
View on Instagram

Blue sea whispers peace,
Bridges weave tales through green hills,
Where dreams gently float.

青い海の平和をささやく、
橋は緑の丘を通って物語を織りなす、
夢が優しく浮かぶ場所。

#OnomichiDreams #SetoInlandSea #CoastalSerenity #NatureMeetsModernity #UrbanNature #offbeatjapan #japan

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Blue sea whispers peace, Bridges weave tales through green hills, Where dreams gently float. 青い海の平和をささやく、 橋は緑の丘を通って物語を織りなす、 夢が優しく浮かぶ場所。 #OnomichiDreams #SetoInlandSea #CoastalSerenity #NatureMeetsModernity #UrbanNature #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Golden sunset sky,
Curved eaves silhouette whispers—
Harmony below.

---

黄金の夕空、
曲がる屋根の影—
調和する下。

---

#offbeatjapan #japan #sunsetvibes #traditionalarchitecture #serenesunset #coastaljapan #tranquility

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Golden sunset sky, Curved eaves silhouette whispers— Harmony below.---黄金の夕空、 曲がる屋根の影— 調和する下。---#offbeatjapan #japan #sunsetvibes #traditionalarchitecture #serenesunset #coastaljapan #tranquility
View on Instagram