Following my adventure in Japan and the incredible discovery of Nara Dreamland, I had the chance to explore another abandoned theme park: The “Western village”. This attraction park was in fact a far west village where you could freely walk around and feel like a cowboy for a few hours. Reminding you of something? Indeed! The excellent show that you might have already seen: “Westworld”!

Built in 1975, the Western Village was the first amusement park in Japan dedicated to the Far-West. During your visit, you could find and have fun in the replicas of a saloon, a bank, a post-office, a sheriff office, a barber, a shooting gallery and even a fake mount Rushmore and Rio Grande ! But what is the most surprising is that you can still find many animatronics hidden the park. They kind of look like old movie stars (is that Clint Eastwood in the sheriff office?). Many other buildings (restaurants, shops…) related to the USA were standing everywhere in the park to complete the experience.

But living the American dream couldn’t last forever there. As many theme parks in Japan, western Village” closed in 2007 due to the competition of other parks and its remote location. Now, few explorers still go there and try to imagine what it was like to travel back in time in the wild west for an afternoon.

Now it’s your turn to travel in Westworld, and who knows, maybe you will find the maze?

More info: amazon.com