Posted 2006-07-21. Tags: amusement park, biwa, japan, koka.

We'd seen photos from a theme park named Koka Family Land, which included a great rusting ferris wheel. It had to be done! We fired up google earth and yahoo maps but both provided such shitty resolution we began our search elsewhere. We marched up to the international tourist information desk and asked where to find Koka Family Land. So simple! The kind lady fired up goooooooogle and told us it closed down in the 70s, but wrote down the url for us anyways. Gaijin charm baby :)

The url led us on a merry chase which netted a goodah resolution area map and reasonable directions. Where o where would we find it? Behind a damn golf course yet again. Other than almost causing a head on collision with an angry Japanese man while driving down a seemingly one way street we arrived unscathed at the weed covered driveway to Family Rand.



As mentioned the park shutdown in the 70's and the ~30 years have not been kind to her. The wood is rotten, the metal rusted through, but it all adds to the charm. The forest, weeds and vines have begun to take back the land, overgrowing the rides, pathways and attractions. The ferris wheel is the main attraction but is barely a rusty metal skeleton of what it once was. Some of the cars have been vandalised which is pretty strange given the remote location of the park and the aging visitors of the golf course. Oh wells...



We managed to drive out without killing anyone, and made our way North to check out Lake Biwa themepark. On the way we found the Koga Ninja House. The house dates back to ninja-times (is that a recognised time period?) and looks little more than a farm house. The 600yen fee gets you tea and a tour of the house that is much, much more than it appears. Hidden ladders provide access to the weapon store and lookout post in the attic. Secret trapdoors provide access to hidey holes in the floors. There are even revolving doors, quick release window bars and a cabinet displaying ninja weapons - caltrops, shuriken, water walking shoes, climbing spikes/claws etc. A small collection of herbal medicines and supplies was for sale, in addition to the crazy delicious super cheesy ninja trinkets. Real shuriken and caltrops for cheap! w00t!



Anyways back to Lake Biwa.  All that remains of the park is the massive ferris wheel and the bumper-boats resting in their fetid pond. A nearby shopping center (and golf driving range *sigh*) lit the ferris wheel perfectly against the sky while the full moon provided a little fill to the dark side. It was impossible to take a poor photo of the wheel, the lighting was just so smooth :)

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