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.

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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 [email protected] 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.

À lire aussi...

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

Pink blossoms whisper,
Quiet streets cradle old tales,
Sky and mountains dream.

桃の花囁く、
静かな道に古い物語を抱え、
空と山は夢見る。

#cherryblossoms #japanesetradition #countrysidecharm #historicaljapan #sakura #offbeatjapan #japan

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Pink blossoms whisper, Quiet streets cradle old tales, Sky and mountains dream.桃の花囁く、 静かな道に古い物語を抱え、 空と山は夢見る。#cherryblossoms #japanesetradition #countrysidecharm #historicaljapan #sakura #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Dust veils whispered past,
Ghostly echoes cradle dreams,
Where silence presides.

静寂の中で、
囁かれた夢は、
埃に包まれる。

#offbeatjapan #japan #urbandecay #abandonedplaces #hauntingbeauty #forgottenworlds #silenthalls #explorejapan

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Dust veils whispered past, Ghostly echoes cradle dreams, Where silence presides.静寂の中で、 囁かれた夢は、 埃に包まれる。#offbeatjapan #japan #urbandecay #abandonedplaces #hauntingbeauty #forgottenworlds #silenthalls #explorejapan
View on Instagram

Yellow noren glow,
In a calm, verdant alley—
Silent history.

---

黄色の暖簾、
静かな緑の小路に—
静寂の歴史。

---

#japanesehistory #traditionaljapan #serenealley #historicdistrict #japanesearchitecture #offbeatjapan #japan

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Yellow noren glow, In a calm, verdant alley— Silent history.---黄色の暖簾、 静かな緑の小路に— 静寂の歴史。---#japanesehistory #traditionaljapan #serenealley #historicdistrict #japanesearchitecture #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Moss whispers secrets,
Autumn leaves paint quiet dreams—
Water sighs with light.

苔が秘密を囁く
秋の葉が静かな夢を描く
光とともに水がため息をつく

#satoyama #woodlandwonder #serenejapan #waterfallmagic #naturepoetry #offbeatjapan #japan

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Moss whispers secrets, Autumn leaves paint quiet dreams— Water sighs with light. 苔が秘密を囁く 秋の葉が静かな夢を描く 光とともに水がため息をつく #satoyama #woodlandwonder #serenejapan #waterfallmagic #naturepoetry #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Looped silhouette stands,
Twilight`s hues of purple blend,
Echoes softly fade.

ループの影
紫の黄昏が
静かに消える

#offbeatjapan #japan #abandonedplaces #rollercoaster #hauntingbeauty #duskcolors #urbanexploration #abandonedthemepark

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Looped silhouette stands, Twilight's hues of purple blend, Echoes softly fade. ループの影 紫の黄昏が 静かに消える #offbeatjapan #japan #abandonedplaces #rollercoaster #hauntingbeauty #duskcolors #urbanexploration #abandonedthemepark
View on Instagram

Warm wood touches sky,
Lanterns whisper tales of old;
Time stands still, we stroll.

時が止まり、
古の話を、
灯籠囁く。

#offbeatjapan #japan #kyoto #kanazawa #traditionaltouch #culturalheritage #historicdistrict

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Warm wood touches sky, Lanterns whisper tales of old; Time stands still, we stroll. 時が止まり、 古の話を、 灯籠囁く。#offbeatjapan #japan #kyoto #kanazawa #traditionaltouch #culturalheritage #historicdistrict
View on Instagram

Sunset ocean hues,
Wedded Rocks in warm embrace,
Harmony of stone.

日没の海、
夫婦岩の抱擁、
石の調和。

#MeotoIwa #HarmonyInNature #SereneSunset #CulturalJapan #TravelInspiration #offbeatjapan #japan

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Sunset ocean hues, Wedded Rocks in warm embrace, Harmony of stone. 日没の海、 夫婦岩の抱擁、 石の調和。#MeotoIwa #HarmonyInNature #SereneSunset #CulturalJapan #TravelInspiration #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Green fields whispering,
Mirrors of sky hold secrets,
Nature`s art unfolds.

緑の田畑
空の鏡が秘密を抱く
自然の芸術広がる

#offbeatjapan #japan #ruraljapan #ricefields #naturelovers #landscapephotography #serenebeauty #japaneseheritage

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Green fields whispering, Mirrors of sky hold secrets, Nature's art unfolds. 緑の田畑 空の鏡が秘密を抱く 自然の芸術広がる#offbeatjapan #japan #ruraljapan #ricefields #naturelovers #landscapephotography #serenebeauty #japaneseheritage
View on Instagram