Writer and traveler Michael Grist visited the “Russian village” of Niigata in Japan a few years ago. This theme park is a six-hour drive from Tokyo was opened in 1993, but turned out to be completely unprofitable after 10 years it was completely abandoned. No one just went there.
Michael Grist visited this place twice: in 2008 and in 2012, and the park was already heavily destroyed at that time. In 2016, almost nothing remained of it and the main buildings were demolished.
The Niigata Theme Park opened in 1993 in order to develop relations between Japan and Russia.
Russian Russian nesting dolls and inscriptions in Russian and Japanese are displayed in one of the buildings of the park.
One of the domed roofs of the main church.
A stone cherub—or rather, what’s left of it.
The map of the Russian Village of Niigata Park: many attractions, including restaurants, a theater, souvenir shops and even a golf course.
A corridor in a local hotel that was damaged by fire.
The lobby of the hotel has walls black from fire and a floor strewn with garbage.
At the entrance to the park.
The most valuable building of the park is a replica of the Church of the Nativity in Suzdal, Russia, which dates back to the beginning of the XIII century and is included in the World Heritage List.
The blue-gold domes have become very dilapidated after so many years of neglect.
One of the park’s most bizarre exhibitions was an exhibit containing fake stuffed woolly mammoths.
Photo of the park under construction.
An advertising poster depicting a possible option for the future of the park or, perhaps, some new “Russian project”. The photographer found him in an office building.
These grandiose plans were not destined to come true. Despite the efforts and investments put into the project, it turned out to be unsuccessful. And this place is far from the only abandoned amusement park in Japan. For example, this one is so similar to the “World of the Wild West” that it becomes uncomfortable.
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