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(#3) It Was A Total Rip-Off Of Disneyland
Nara Dreamland wasn’t just “inspired” by Disneyland – it was a total rip-off. Huge sections of the park were nearly identical to the original: the park entrance was almost the exact same design, with a classic train depot, Main Street, and a castle that was a low-budget version of the famous Sleeping Beauty Castle. There was even a mountain that looked awfully similar to the Matterhorn – unsurprisingly this mountain also housed a bobsleigh ride, called – very originally – “Bobsleigh.”
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(#9) The Park Was Completely Demolished By The End Of 2017
It was only a matter of time before the property would be developed and that meant the remaining structures of the park would have to go. Demolition began in October of 2016 and finally came to an end in December of 2017, the last remnants of Nara Dreamland having been completely wiped away. As one of the last people to see Dreamland before its total destruction, Veillon felt a dual tinge of privilege and sadness:
"All good dreams must come to an end... But I am sad that nobody can still have an afternoon back in time like me; and that Nara Dreamland will now only stay in my memory."
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(#1) The Park Was Left To Rot
Beyond fences of rusted barbed wire, Nara Dreamland sat abandoned by the world and exposed to the elements for a decade. Instead of dismantling the rides and various buildings, everything had been left exactly as it was on the day the park shut down in 2006. Things quickly fell into disrepair, and Dreamland became a creepy echo of its once vibrant and exciting self.
As adventurer Michael Turtle of Time Travel Turtle said:
"It was an extremely eerie feeling to be in this enormous amusement park all alone. You could faintly hear the traffic from the streets around it but, otherwise, the only sounds were the birds in the trees and my feet occasionally stepping on some gravel. I could tell that the weather and nature were having their way with the whole complex – paint was peeling off, weeds were growing, rust was forming. But that made everything even more interesting with the texture of time."
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(#8) The Property Was Sold In 2015 For Development
The park property was put up for sale by Nara City’s government in 2013, having taken over when the property taxes were no longer being paid on time. It failed to sell at auction but when it was offered again in 2015 it was purchased by a real estate developer, SK Housing, for 730 million yen - roughly $6 million US.
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(#6) When Disneyland Arrived In Japan, It Was The Beginning Of The End For Dreamland
Disney expanded their cultural holdings throughout Japan, following up Tokyo Disney with Tokyo DisneySea in 2001, and Universal Studios Japan opened less than 30 miles from Nara Dreamland that same year. Tokyo Disney had already been impacting attendance at Nara Dreamland, causing it to drop over the years to one million; by 2004 it was just barely 400,000. The park shut its gates on August 31, 2006, never to open them again.
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(#10) The Photos Of Dreamland's Ruins Are Haunting
It's almost too easy to see the photographs of Dreamland after its hey-day and feel like you're looking at a haunted place. The scattered remains of rides and empty buildings look like they're waiting for the spirits of the living to return so they can start back up, the rust creaking as their gears and wheels turn once again after years of abandonment.
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Nara Dreamland was almost entirely modeled on Disneyland and opened in July 1961. But with the popularity of Tokyo Disney and Universal Studios Osaka, this once the most popular theme park in Japan had to be closed in August 2006. The abandoned Nara Dreamland theme park is still very spectacular and creepy, the amusement rides are gradually covered by ivy and various vegetation. It has attracted countless photography enthusiasts every year.
After Nara Phantasialand was abandoned for 10 years, in October 2016, SK Housing Development Company began its demolition work, the demolition process lasted for 14 months. You could learn about 10 details about the abandoned dreamland with the generator.
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