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 [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

Blue night whispers here,
Red lights dance with signs aglow,
Takoyaki dreams.

青い夜ささやく
赤い光舞う 看板は輝く
たこ焼きの夢

#offbeatjapan #japan #takoyaki #japanstreetnight #urbanserenity #neonnights #suburbansoil #quietstreets

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Blue night whispers here, Red lights dance with signs aglow, Takoyaki dreams. 青い夜ささやく 赤い光舞う 看板は輝く たこ焼きの夢 #offbeatjapan #japan #takoyaki #japanstreetnight #urbanserenity #neonnights #suburbansoil #quietstreets
View on Instagram

Worn stones tell stories,
Ancient gate meets cityscape—
Tradition whispers.

石畳
古門で都市会う
伝統囁く

#offbeatjapan #japan #traditionandmodernity #cityscape #serenity #ancientarchitecture #urbanblend

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Worn stones tell stories, Ancient gate meets cityscape— Tradition whispers. 石畳 古門で都市会う 伝統囁く #offbeatjapan #japan #traditionandmodernity #cityscape #serenity #ancientarchitecture #urbanblend
View on Instagram

Emerald whispers,
Fiery leaves blaze the footpath—
A dance of colors.

---

エメラルド囁き、
燃える葉が足跡を照らす—
色の舞踏。

---

#momijigari #autumnvibes #forestmagic #explorejapan #naturephotography #offbeatjapan #japan

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Emerald whispers, Fiery leaves blaze the footpath— A dance of colors.---エメラルド囁き、 燃える葉が足跡を照らす— 色の舞踏。---#momijigari #autumnvibes #forestmagic #explorejapan #naturephotography #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Sun whispers through leaves,
Golden grass dances gently,
Green dreams sway in peace.

日が葉に囁く、
黄金の草が優しく踊る、
緑の夢が静かに揺れる。

#Arashiyama #Kyoto #BambooGrove #NatureWhispers #SerenePathway #JapanWonders #offbeatjapan #japan

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Sun whispers through leaves, Golden grass dances gently, Green dreams sway in peace. 日が葉に囁く、 黄金の草が優しく踊る、 緑の夢が静かに揺れる。 #Arashiyama #Kyoto #BambooGrove #NatureWhispers #SerenePathway #JapanWonders #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Geometric blues,
Windows whisper tales untold,
Colors break the gray.

幾何学の青、
窓は語らぬ物語をささやく、
色が灰を裂く。

#urbanarchitecture #geometricdesign #coolcolors #modernjapaneseart #architecturelovers #offbeatjapan #japan

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Geometric blues, Windows whisper tales untold, Colors break the gray.幾何学の青、 窓は語らぬ物語をささやく、 色が灰を裂く。#urbanarchitecture #geometricdesign #coolcolors #modernjapaneseart #architecturelovers #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Vermilion whispers,
Floating over blue embrace—
Spirit’s quiet dance.

朱色の囁き、
青の抱擁に浮かぶ—
静かな霊の舞。

#Itsukushima #Miyajima #Hiroshima #torii #floatinggate #offbeatjapan #japan

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Vermilion whispers, Floating over blue embrace— Spirit’s quiet dance. 朱色の囁き、 青の抱擁に浮かぶ— 静かな霊の舞。 #Itsukushima #Miyajima #Hiroshima #torii #floatinggate #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

Golden skies embrace,
Waves whisper secrets to cliffs—
Twilight`s gentle kiss.

---

黄金の空
波が崖にささやく—
黄昏の優しいキス

---

#sunsetmagic #coastaldreams #explorejp #serenebeauty #oceanglow #offbeatjapan #japan

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Golden skies embrace, Waves whisper secrets to cliffs— Twilight's gentle kiss. ---黄金の空 波が崖にささやく— 黄昏の優しいキス ---#sunsetmagic #coastaldreams #explorejp #serenebeauty #oceanglow #offbeatjapan #japan
View on Instagram

White forms dance skyward,
Green mountains cradle the art,
Under cloud-kissed blue.

白い形空へ舞う、
緑の山が芸術を抱き、
雲にキスした青の下で。

#sculptureart #japaneseart #naturemeetsart #modernsculpture #offbeatjapan #japan #travelphotography

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White forms dance skyward, Green mountains cradle the art, Under cloud-kissed blue. 白い形空へ舞う、 緑の山が芸術を抱き、 雲にキスした青の下で。#sculptureart #japaneseart #naturemeetsart #modernsculpture #offbeatjapan #japan #travelphotography
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