Story Time: Lost in Abandoned Amusement Park

Published on by LostViivi

Hello everyone! And mum if you are reading this you should probably stop now. Because today after a long time I am going to share with you fun story/memory/warning example from my travels.This is going to be story of me getting in trouble with Japanese police, getting lost in abandoned amusement park and doing everything solo travellers shouldn’t do.

So be prepared once again for too long story from my crazy adventure! (I accidentally wrote so long story that I will publish it in two parts… Sorry, not sorry! And because I have mystically lost almost all my photos from this adventure enjoy the other Japan photos I have picked out for you. Enjoy… )

Finding Abandoned Dreamland

Even after spending two months in Japan I still hadn’t learned to not trust the free tourist maps. Deciding to visit Nara was kind of quick decision (someone told me about the cute deers and I wanted to go and see them right away!) so I didn’t have a lot of time to research things to do in the city. Then one person from my hostel showed me photos of small Kurokamiyamainari shrine with beautiful long torii walkaway. He even showed me the place from my Nara map I had gotten from Kyoto’s tourist office. It wouldn’t be that hard to find before going to see the deers, right?

When I got off from the train and continued exploring Nara towards the shrine I didn’t have clue that my day would soon turn to thrilling adventure. I kept walking around and at first everything went well I knew exactly where I was and the Nara around me was charming like Japanese cities usually. And then I was lost.

On my left side there was huge amusement park and on my right side huge parking lot. Neither of them was on my map. Because I’m good at getting lost this didn’t cause a lot of panic for me. Confidently I walked the road I thought would be right one and ended to the huge parking lot. I think it was that moment when I realized this must be Nara Dreamland the abandoned amusement park everyone is talking about.

Because I had no idea where I was and around me was just wild abandoned looking area I decided to sit down and eat the breakfast onigiris I had bought from the station. There I sat with my map looking totally lost when group of locals at my age appeared from the same road I had used. Because I wanted to find my way out of this frightening abandoned place I decided to approach them.

I have still million photos of Japanese temples and shrines that I have not shared with you. So here is one more of those photos!

I didn’t get a lot of help. Apparently they weren’t as interested about shrines as I was. But we had a small conversation and they told me they were going to the abandoned huge amusement park next to us. They even asked if I wanted to come with them but I declined. I was left standing alone to the parking lot when they walked in from the huge hole in the main gate. They had probably done this several times before.

I really wanted to go with them but decided to just find the shrine and not do anything stupid. So I continued walking around until older man stopped me and asked if I need help. Another thing I had learned but forgotten while in Japan: don’t trust blindly the people helping you. That old man gave me advice and because of it I got even more lost and walked for three extra kilometers until I somehow found myself again from the same abandoned parking lot.

Here is one of the so famous Nara deers. I think it wants to kill me…

So there I was again standing on that parking lot staring the amusement park’s gate. Maybe I should go in? If you had been next to huge abandoned Disneyland looking amusement park and the gate open what would have you done? There was no way I would not go in.  This was my adventure and even if I knew it was stupid I really wanted to go in.

This funny photo is my lunch. If you wonder why there is my name and room number, you have never lived in hostel!

Because I am coward I sat there once again eating and staring longingly towards the hole in the gate. Then I saw once again people coming towards the amusement park. I stood up to say hello (because I didn’t want to seem like suspicious person just staring at them). When they saw me they got totally spooked out. They hide behind one of the buildings close by and I was left there alone like an idiot.

For a moment they kept glaring me behind the building. (Maybe they tought I couldn’t see them?) And then they decided it was safe to come and say hi to me. We talked for a little and like I had guessed this American couple with design clothes and huge camera were headed to the amusement park next to us. 

Once again I was asked to come and do something probably not so safe. (Abandoned places are full of death traps…) If you want to hear the rest of this story I will publish it next Friday. Then you will get to know if I really went in to the abandoned amusement park. (SPOILERS: Of course I did! I’m a little bit crazy like that.)

By the way this is first time I’m publishing my own photo in this blog. So, hello everyone!

Have you ever been visited abandoned places? And what would you have done in situation like this?

Part 2: Abandoned Beauty

Part 3: Problems with Police

I hope you will have an amazing weekend!
With love,

Viivi Severina

33 thoughts on “Story Time: Lost in Abandoned Amusement Park”

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  7. Omg I wanted to go here when I was in Nara but I was worried had heard a lot of mixed reviews about authority figures lurking and fines etc but it still stemmed my curiosity and I would have loved to have gone. Can’t wait to read the next installment thanks for sharing 😊

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    1. In the end there was police and guards but no need to pay fine. And like you can see from this text there was a lot of people going. I also heard many stories of this place in my hostel but most of them were just positive things. Thanks for commenting and I hope you will also enjoy reading the end of my story 🙂

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        1. Thank you and I hope you will enjoy the rest of my story. I don’t think they will make “tourists” pay fines because it would be kind of hard for them (maybe?) but don’t know if the locals will get into trouble.

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  10. I haven’t been to this particular abandoned park, but been to many scary abandoned places in my life elsewhere…and to be honest, Japan is the safest country I have ever seen. People there are much helpful and friendly! So I am guessing, you could have comfortably made it from this situation in less trouble! 🙂 …But of course, being Solo female traveler, you should be really careful traveling like that….!

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    1. Japan really is safe so there wasn’t much to fear but I just don’t like doing forbidden things and I get scared easily no matter if there is or isn’t reason to be scared. But you are right, Japanese people really are friendly and always ready to help you and safe you from trouble. 🙂

      You are lucky if you have visited abandoned places. The feeling in those places is something out of this world. Thanks for commenting!

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          1. Always my pleasure! Its also great catching up with you, Idk if there is way to keep in touch more often, could be great! 🙂

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                  1. I’m mostly active on insta nowadays…hardly check fb during the day….but I usually keep in touch with my travel/CS friends on social chats like Wats app/we chat/ viber/ Line…I use all of them as they are always handy when you travel internationally..like ‘Line’ is active in Japan whereas ‘We chat’ in China 😆..do you use any of them?

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    1. It was so beautiful place! I had heard about it before going to Japan and heard more about it from fellow travellers staying in my hostel. I was lucky to find it. Thanks for commenting 🙂

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  12. I’ve never actually explored an abandoned place but I’ve always dreamed of it! I’m just a bit too law-abiding to actually do it…

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    1. I don’t usually do things like that either but this Japan trip was my huge adventure so I was thinking why not? And then I got into trouble but I also learned from that a lot and god amazing story to share with everyone back home. Thanks for commenting 🙂

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    1. Thanks! I would recommend you to visit in abandoned amusement park but apparently it is illegal so I will just say that this was one of the most beautiful experiences in my life. I hope you can persuade the boys 🙂

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  14. Actually in the 1980s and 1990s there was a lot of construction in Japan just like what we see in China today. Many amusement or theme parks were built. And many are abandoned or derelict today.

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    1. Apparently this park was meant to be like Disneyland but then they builded “real” Disneyland to Tokyo and Osaka. They didn’t have enpugh customers any more and had to close the place.

      It feels so pointless to just leave place like this alone and not use it anymore! But this was beautiful experience. Thanks for commenting 🙂

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