(Tokyo, Japan)

Grant and I love amusement parks and if you’ve ever looked into theme parks to visit in Japan, there are many to choose from including Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea, the new Universal Studios (with Harry Potter World), and the Japanese classic Toshimaen. But one that is near and dear to my heart is Hanayashiki, located in the heart of Asakusa.

Hanayashiki has the honor of being Japan’s oldest amusement park, opened in 1853, and is very small. But this is a place where I visited as a little kid, my mom visited as a little kid, and her parents visited when they were kids. And although this theme park has undergone some renovations over the years, the last renovation seems to be stuck in the 1980’s so you really get the sense that you’ve travelled back in time. It truly is a “retro amusement park”.

It costs 1000 yen (about $10) to get through the front gate, which is not a bad option if you just want to look around as there are many refreshment stands and restaurants to try. Once you get in, there is the option to pay for the attractions per ride. Or you can get an all-ride pass, which is the option we chose. Because of this, my friend John insisted we try all the rides… yes, all the rides!

One funny experience that happened was when we were seated on the roller coaster ready to go, John lifted his arms and yelled, “Bansai!”. The roller coaster worker then proceeded to announce the rules through a loudspeaker (in Japanese): “Please keep your hands and legs in the coaster at all times. Bansai is prohibited!” Then John lifts his hands up and goes, “Bansai!”. The announcer says, “Bansai wa yamete kudasai!” (Don’t do Bansai!). And John lifts his hands up a third time and goes, “Bansai!”. And as the roller coaster is leaving the station, the announcer calls out, “So shinaide kudasai!” (Don’t do that!). I couldn’t stop laughing. Later, I asked John why he kept doing Bansai when he wasn’t supposed to and he said, “I didn’t know that wasn’t allowed. I didn’t understand what he was saying!”

We lucked out when we went because the Sanja Matsuri festival was going on that same day so the park was less crowded; we barely had to wait in any lines. Also, we got great views of the mikoshi (Shinto palanquin) parades from some of the rides.

This ferris wheel was definitely for little kids but the timing was perfect because it was right when a parade was going by, so for us it was totally worth it:

The only attraction that you have to pay extra on even with an all-ride pass is a wooden ninja obstacle course. So we didn’t try that one. Our favorite was the free-fall ride which allowed you to get excellent views of the city (and the festival below) before it drops you a few stories. This one is really fun. I was surprised that they had a haunted house, a scary story experience where you sit in a room with headphones on, and a haunted car ride. The one attraction that truly made us all a little sick was the bikkuri house, which is supposed to make you feel like you are in a tumbling house while sitting on the couch in the living room. Because of all the spinning, we all could have lost our lunch. Grant said he was ok because he just closed his eyes.

Hanayashiki is a half-day experience if you do most of the rides. It’s great for families and amusement park fans alike.

Perfect timing… we passed by one of those wood cut-outs where you place your face in and take a photo. This one was of the Sanja Matsuri mikoshi and right when we were going to take a photo, four actual mikoshi carriers popped into our photo!

Bansai!

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