Toshimaen (としまえん) was an amusement park in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, owned by the Seibu Group. It had a variety of rides, including three roller coasters, and a water park with 25 slides and six pools. It closed permanently on August 31, 2020[1] and was redeveloped into Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter which opened on June 16, 2023.
Attractions
Carousel "El Dorado"
The carousel "El Dorado" is Japan's oldest play machine and is a merry-go-round with a long history in the world.[2]
Produced by Hugo Haase in Munich, Germany in 1907 and premiered publicly at the Oktoberfest. After that, it was operated at carnivals held in various parts of Europe.[3] Due to the deterioration of social conditions, it was transferred to the amusement park Steeplechase Park in Coney Island, New York, in 1911, and was named "El Dorado". Celebrities such as former US President Theodore Roosevelt, Marilyn Monroe, and Al Capone also boarded and were loved by New Yorkers.[4][5]
The amusement park that operated this vehicle was closed in 1964 due to financial difficulties, so it was planned to be disposed of, but Toshimaen bought it for about 100 million yen in 1969 just before it was disposed of. It was loaded into 6 containers in 1970 and sent to Japan.[4] Since the parts were disjointed and the paint had peeled off, the operation started on April 3, 1971 after two years of restoration work under the guidance of experts at the time, such as Japanese carpenters specialized in wooden structures known as miyadaiku, art teachers, and electrical engineers.[6] The restoration cost 200 million yen. A Steeplechase Park admission ticket was found in the vehicle during work.[5]
In 1983, through the Embassy of the United States in Japan and the Consulate-General of Japan in New York, a purchase request came from Coney Island, but Toshimaen replied, "Now, Japanese children are enjoying it," and refused.[5][7]
Models such as horses are installed on the rotating floor. However, it does not move up and down. The rotating floor is divided into three stages. The outermost floor is the slowest, the middle floor is normal, and the innermost floor rotates the fastest.
The sculpture and decoration are in the Art Nouveau style, and are now a valuable cultural property, and were certified as "Mechanical Engineering Heritage" by the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers on August 7, 2010.[3][2]
The Nerima Ward Assembly (練馬区議会) submitted a written opinion to the Governor of Tokyo stating that Carousel El Dorado should be left in the "Nerima Castle Ruins Park" that will be built on the site of Toshimaen.[8] After the park is closed, it will be dismantled and stored in the Seibu Group warehouse.[9]
River pool
Toshimaen was the first in the world to have a river pool in 1965. The water park had other facilities as well, such as a children's pool where toddlers could swim in as well, a wave pool, and the Hydropolis with water slides.[10]
Renewal
The park closed on 31 August 2020 and reopened as Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter on June 16, 2023. It is the second Harry Potter-themed attraction in Japan after The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka, and the second Studio Tour dedicated to the Wizarding World (after the Warner Bros. Studio Tour located at Leavesden Studios, London). Not all of the former park's 22 hectares were used for the new theme park; the majority of the former Toshimaen site was purchased by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government after its closure, and is planned to be developed as a large park that serves as a base for use in event of a disaster.[11]
An attached hot spring facility called "Niwa-no-yu (庭の湯). It will continue to operate even after the park is closed. A hot spring was discovered during an underground measurement conducted to build a subway called the Toei Oedo Line.
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