Inside haunting theme park left abandoned for 18 years with empty stadium and decaying Ferris wheel

The Sun

16-05-2025

ABANDONED theme parks left to rot for years contain an entire empty stadium and rusting Ferris wheel.
Despite almost two decades having passed, an empty landscape reminiscent of 1800s America still remains.
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Urban explorer Lukka Bradburn, 28, had been investigating ghost towns left behind following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The dad-of-two from Manchester discovered an entire derelict colonial American town area with hotels, churches and restaurants.
Western Village theme park near Nikkō, Tochigi, in Japan, shut its doors in 2007.
It originally opened in 1973 and was inspired by classic American and Italian Western movies,
Ultimately, the park later closed as a result of competition from Tokyo Disneyland.
Lukka found an intact replica of Mount Rushmore, as well as a stadium where crowds once watched jousting and other sports.
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The site also features mannequins depicting life in 'Wild West' America, while the gift shop was boarded-up and heavily damaged.
Lukka found a prop gun on the floor and also an arcade with all the original machines.
He also explored the remains of fellow attraction Kejonuma Leisure Land.
This had once attracted 200,000 visitors in the remote Tohoku region, until shutting in 2001.
Lukka found a decaying ferris wheel, children's train rides and carousels.
It closed following falling demand and the struggling Japanese economy.
I visited eerie abandoned theme park once filled with laughter but now left frozen in time…it's like the apocalypse hit
Lukka had been visiting Japan with some exploring friends when he found the parks after researching on Google Maps.
Revealing both sites were easily accessed, he said: "The Western one had a bit of a fence but you could pretty much just walk in.
"There was no security or anyone watching over it; it was just left to rot."
Lukka added: "As we got to one park it was heavily snowing and we were having to get through all these bushes. It was quite overgrown."
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He and his friends came across another urban explorer - a Japanese man who revealed he used to visit the park as a child.
The man spoke limited English, but told the group how he'd returned to take photos of the park.
Lukka is planning a return to Japan next year to explore more red zones - as well as abandoned island.
Use these tips on your next theme park trip
Next time you visit a theme park, you may want to use our top tips to make the most of your adrenaline-inducing day out.
Go to the back of the theme park first. Rides at the front will have the longest queues as soon as it opens.
Go on water rides in the middle of the day in the summer - this will cool you off when the sun is at its hottest.
Download the park's app to track which rides have the shortest queues.
Visit on your birthday, as some parks give out "birthday badges" that can get you freebies.
If it rains, contact the park. Depending on how much it rained, you may get a free ticket to return.
It comes as an abandoned UK theme park is set to reopen as an adventure attraction.
Adventure Wonderland opened in Bournemouth in 1992, with rides and rollercoasters based on Alice in Wonderland.
The park was forced to close all of its outdoor rides back in 2023 due to "rising costs".
New plans that have been submitted will see the theme park become a smaller adventure attraction.
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