Fake Disneyland in Japan

We were not behind the camera in this photo shoot, unfortunately  I've never been to Japan but this would be my second stop right after Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea.

"Nara Dreamland" is a cheap Disneyland ripoff that opened in 1961. It was closed in 2006— imagine that. Not only is it creepy for its current ghost town-like condition but it's terribly scary just how blatantly they ripped off Disneyland's design. They shamelessly recreated dozens of pieces of Disneyland but did so in such a mediocre way.  At the same time, as you'll see in the videos posted below, it was once a beautiful, happenin' place. Its opening day ceremonies lead you to think that Dreamland did for Japan what Disneyland did for the U.S.... Well it really didn't.

Photographer Kyle Merriman, based in Taiwan, spent 4 hours recently with friends in Dreamland despite rumors that the abandoned park was heavily guarded.

"We spent 4 hours exploring this incredible place, and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. There were still areas of the park that were next to impossible to get to no matter how hard we tried. The main entrance, filled with shops, restaurants, makeshift police and fire stations, ticket booths and even a public hall was showing clear signs that the plant life wanted back what was once theirs," Kyle says. 

The color scheme is right up there with Old Town Kissimmee. Who doesn't love a whole lot of cotton candy pink and sea foam green??

Kyle ain't the only one touring the abandoned property, dodging guards, and ignoring warning signs. Urban explorer Florian, a German expatriate living and working in the Osaka area, has made his way into the park both during the day and at night.

Florian says, "all the 'If you see somebody entering Nara Dreamland: Call the police!' signs were replaced by new 'If you get caught we’ll fine you 100,000 Yen signs... Exploring an abandoned amusement park on a warm night in late summer is nothing but an amazing adventure – and I guess it is even more so if you can suppress the uneasy feeling of not being wanted there.  I can’t say that I really enjoyed shooting Nara Dreamland at night, but I nevertheless cherish it as an exciting and educational experience."

"'Wait a minute!', you might say at this point. 'If you felt uneasy all the time, why did you even wait for the sun to come up?' Well, the answer is simple: Since the sun rises at about 5.30am in Japan even in late September we though we could kill two birds with one stone and do a second round through the park, shooting it under way easier lighting conditions – and that’s what we did," said Florian. Read more on Florian's blog.

What did the Walt Disney Company think of this place?? What did Walt think of this place? He had to have know about it. Did he care? Was it considered a compliment? An insult?

Pre-abandonment

Theme Park Review tells of their Dreamland visit and how they showed up to what looked like a closed park with no visitors out front, though the place was open for business. They mention that at first glance the park looked nice but "take a closer look and most of the place looks like a dilapidated abandoned park. Most of the stores are boarded up, trucks are parked on the streets.  It's just bizarre."

Rewind to the early 60s:

Related posts:

Abandoned Disney: River Country Then and Now [Part 1]
Abandoned Disney: MK Fantasyland Tower
Abandoned Disney: Country Bear- Max 

THEN AND NOW: Liberty Square [Part 1]

Liberty Square, Magic Kingdom

(Click on photos to enlarge) This part of the series was a delight to photograph! Liberty Square has changed so little over the years and most of the changes are nice additions. A few changes are not so great-- The maroon canopy in front of the Haunted Mansion is a drag, blocking the view of the Mansion as you wait in line. The removal of the old antique shop is super sad, though Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe certainly has it's charm. The addition of the Liberty Bell replica (photo set 3) is fancy, even though "Pennsylvania" is spelled wrong-- or just different than it's spelled today-- as it is in the original bell. The Mike Fink Keel Boats we once loved to ride no longer dock at Liberty Square (photo set 2) or anywhere else. But at least we can still see the dock house. (Thank you, Haunted Mansion FastPass for no longer filling this great space). At last the "wedding ring" in Haunted Mansion pavement is gone. Oh wait, it never was meant to be a ring!!! It was part of the gate sawed off that loosely resembled a small ring... but this is a discussion for another day.

Liberty Square may just be the most underrated land at Walt Disney World but golly, it's the most beautiful, relaxing, patriotic, nostalgic place to sit on a rocking chair, listen to animatronic presidents, or reenact colonial public punishment by voluntarily inserting yourself into wooden stocks.

Related posts:

Then and Now: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]
Then and Now: Epcot Future World [Part 1] 
Abandoned Disney: River Country Then and Now [Part 1]
I Miss Paul Frees

THEN AND NOW: MK Tomorrowland [Part 1]

In the first post in our new "Then and Now" series we bring you early Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland shots from decades ago compared to ones from now.

(Click on photos to enlarge)

 

  

Looking through vintage photos of the parks is fun enough but comparing the photos to the actual park is and thrill... sometimes a depressing one. (Can a thrill be depressing?)  I do have to say though that I was happily surprised this trip to Magic Kingdom at what still remains as I compare everything to early photos.  Plants and trees are much larger of course and a lot of things have different color schemes (too much purple for my taste), and a lot has been added--- mostly clutter.

Clutter. I need to write a post about clutter. Not construction clutter or food wrappers on the floor but cluttery design. Do we have to keep haphazardly pasting objects over well designed, aesthetically-pleasing, world-class architecture?? Are we to believe that "more is more"? Is the addition of all these merch carts and food carts really more important than the once breathtakingly beautiful sites they now block? OK--- another post for another day....

The "Then" photos throughout the series are from vintage souvenir pictorial books, slides, postcards, and other printed material.  The "Now" photos are taken by blog staffers.

When taking photos we try to stand as close as possible to the exact spot the original photographers stood.

 

Related posts:

Then and Now: Liberty Square [Part1]
Then and Now: Epcot Future World [Part 1] 

"Then" photos- copyright The Walt Disney Company- used for reference and comparison purposes only.