Japan is home to many amusement parks, the most famous being Tokyo Disneyland but some parks have been abandoned by their owners. Whether they are too expensive to run or to tear down these once great family entertainment centers are left to be slowly taken over by nature.

One of these neglected theme parks is Nara Dreamland located in the city of Nara. It was built in 1961 and for 45 years its Disney inspired fantasy castle and massive wooden roller coaster was a huge attraction. Sadly in 2006 the owners closed the doors and abandoned the park.

The park’s entrance was designed almost identical to Disneyland including the train depot and the Sleeping Beauty Castle at the hub. The park also had a Matterhorn-type mountain and an Autopia-style ride and a monorail. The park also had several interesting rides before it closed including the Screw Coaster, Bobsleigh, Fantasy Coaster, Kid’s Coaster and a unique roller coaster made of wood, called Aska, based on the Coney Island ride called The Cyclone.

Though it’s out of date by the present technical standards, it has been one of the key attractions of the park; and if the park closed, some people still visit the site out of curiosity and also to take photographs of the intricately designed ride that used to charm and thrill the kids of the 60s.

Photos by TenaciousLibbs, thecrypt & RaGardner4 via Flickr Creative Commons