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Toshimaen

Coordinates: 35°44′42″N 139°38′43″E / 35.74500°N 139.64528°E / 35.74500; 139.64528
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For the railway station, see Toshimaen Station.
Toshimaen
Park entrance
LocationNerima, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35°44′42″N 139°38′43″E / 35.74500°N 139.64528°E / 35.74500; 139.64528
StatusDefunct
Opened15 September 1926 (1926-09-15)
Closed31 August 2020 (2020-08-31)
OwnerSeibu Group
Area22 hectares

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

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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, it 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

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Toshimaen was the first in the world to have a river pool (350-meter, doughnut-shaped 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

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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]

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  • Toshimaen main gate
    Toshimaen main gate
  • The "Eldorado" carousel. This carousel was formerly located at Steeplechase Park on Coney Island, New York City
    The "Eldorado" carousel. This carousel was formerly located at Steeplechase Park on Coney Island, New York City
  • "Hydropolis" water slides
    "Hydropolis" water slides
  • The "Flying Pirates" and the "Troika"
    The "Flying Pirates" and the "Troika"
  • 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 Ōedo Line.
    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 Ōedo Line.
  • Toshimaen five days before closing
    Toshimaen five days before closing
  • Toshimaen five days before closing
    Toshimaen five days before closing
  • Toshimaen five days before closing
    Toshimaen five days before closing
  • Platform at Toshimaen Station on the Toei Ōedo Line
    Platform at Toshimaen Station on the Toei Ōedo Line
  • Toshimaen Station on the Seibu Toshima Line
    Toshimaen Station on the Seibu Toshima Line
  • United Cinema Toshimaen is near Toshimaen
    United Cinema Toshimaen is near Toshimaen

Access

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It was located near Toshimaen Station on the Seibu Toshima Line and Toei Ōedo Line.

References

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  1. ^ "水と緑の遊園地 としまえん｜プール、冬は屋外アイススケート、釣り堀も楽しめる遊園地。豊島園駅下車すぐ。". Toshimaen.co.jp. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  2. ^ a b としまえん「カルーセル エルドラド」 - 日本機械学会
  3. ^ a b 佐々木隆 (30 July 2020). "としまえんはいつまで？最後の夏休みに乗りたいおすすめベスト5&遊園地王の思い出". るるぶKids. JTBパブリッシング. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b 榎並秀嗣 (31 July 2020). "世界最古級の回転木馬はどこへ？". 47NEWS. Kyodo News. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "としまえん運営部長「世界の宝」回転木馬の稼働願う". 日刊スポーツ. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  6. ^ おだしんいちろう. カルーセル・エルドラド. 株式会社豊島園. p. 巻末「カルーセル・エルドラド生誕110年を迎えるにあたり」（株式会社豊島園、2017年9月15日）で言及.
  7. ^ "カルーセルエルドラドの歴史について" (PDF). 共同通信PRWire. p. 2. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  8. ^ "都市計画練馬城址公園の事業化に関する意見書". 練馬区議会. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  9. ^ "としまえん、94年の歴史に幕 世界最古級の回転木馬「エルドラド」復活の日を待つ". Sponichi Annex. 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Toshimaen - Tokyo Travel Guide | Planetyze". Planetyze. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  11. ^ "【速報】としまえんが8/31に閉園＆ハリーポッターのテーマパークへリニューアル計画！オープンはいつ？". Castel.jp. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
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