The Ghost of Gulliver's Kingdom

June 6, 2011 1:33 PM

Kamikuishiki was a village in the Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan that gained unwanted international attention in 1995 as a key location for Aum Shinrikyo, the religious cult behind a number of acts of violence, including the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. To change the nature of attention given to the picturesque village, a new attraction was built on the former site of the cult complex: Gulliver's Kingdom, a mixed up theme park with a Scandinavian town, a petting zoo, a French puppet theater to tell the story of Gulliver, and a 45 meter version of Gulliver himself, pinned to the ground. The park was opened in 1997, but Niigata Chuo Bank was facing serious problems two years later, collapsing "under the weight of nonperforming loans." The theme park's owners were the largest borrowers from the bank, and the park closed in 2001. The park was finally purchased in 2002 in the 3rd auction attempt. In 2006, Kamikuishiki disappeared, divided and the parts merged into neighboring municipalities. The next year, Gulliver's Kingdom was demolished, leaving behind photos (new and old), and memories.
posted by filthy light thief (4 comments total)

Some comparsion there to Autoworld.
posted by clavdivs at 1:45 PM on June 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Might there be a...bathhouse for spirits in the vicinity?
posted by everichon at 1:48 PM on June 6, 2011 [5 favorites]

.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:58 PM on June 6, 2011

Awesomely creepy.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 5:03 PM on June 6, 2011