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.

The Abandoned Western Village in Japan

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…

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

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

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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 🙂

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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.

Who Am I

Jordy Meow
This is me!

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

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Fierce Shisa guards high, Colors dance 'neath azure skies, Ryukyu spirit shines. 高く見守るシーサー、 色が青天に踊る、 琉球の魂。 #offbeatjapan #japan #okinawa #shisa #ryukyu #culturalheritage #vibrantcolors
Water's whisper falls, Moss and leaves embrace the stones— Autumn's quiet grace. 水音囁く、 苔葉が石抱く— 秋の静けさ。#SereneWaterfalls #NatureWhisper #MossyGathering #EtherealGlow #WabiSabi #OffbeatJapan #Japan
Circles in blue skies, Whispers of a future dream, Alien hues fade.  青い空の円、 未来の夢の囁き、 異星の色消える。 #offbeatjapan #japan #abandonedarchitecture #futuristicdesign #urbanexploration #architecturelovers #decaybeauty
Turquoise whispers Echo through the caverns' heart— Sunlit secrets bloom. 青いささやき 洞窟の心に響く— 陽の秘密咲く。 #cavebath #onsen #japantravel #offbeatjapan #hiddenjapan #serenebeauty #turquoisewaters #naturelovers
Shadowed hues murmur Through fog-kissed windows aglow— Whispers of the past.  影色の声 霧の窓が灯す— 過去の囁き。  #offbeatjapan #japan #hiddenbeauty #urbanexploration #forgottenplaces #moodyinteriors #wanderlust
Palm trees whispering, Blue skies embrace the lone dome, Nature's quiet guard. --- ヤシの木がささやく、 青い空が孤独なドームを抱きしめる、 自然の静かな守護者。 --- #offbeatjapan #japan #okinawa #urbanexploration #abandonedplaces #naturalbeauty #architecturelovers #wanderjapan
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Emerald whispers, Guardians in moss embrace, Silent peace abides. エメラルドの囁き、 苔に抱かれた守護者、 静けさが満ちる。#offbeatjapan #japan #jizo #nature #spirituality #emeraldgreen #serenity #buddhism