WHILE theme parks across the UK are opening back up for the summer, a popular attraction in Japan remains shut after two decades.
The once popular Wild West land closed its gates for the last time in 2007, remaining frozen in time ever since.
Located in Nikko, around two hours drive from Tokyo, Western Village was once home to a bustling arcade and entertainment park, designed to resemble the American Frontier.
However, the once-buzzing family establishment is now only visited by urban explorers.
The park first opened its doors in 1973 as a small attraction called Kinugawa Family Ranch, offering guests a range of outdoor activities including fishing and horse riding.
Just two years later, the site was rebranded as Western Village, attracting tourists from all over the world with its impressive recreating of a 19th Century frontier town.
The attraction included an old-timey bank, barber shop, sheriff’s office and general store, as well as arcades and animatronic displays.
Live stunt shows also took place at the park, with actors reenacting gunfights between cowboys and outlaws.
There was also a train that took visitors around the park which was often subject to a staged robbery by the park’s resident outlaws.
In 1995, the park added a £20million replica of Mount Rushmore, which measured one-third of the real thing and was even carved into the landscape.
Despite the park’s initial success, it eventually began to lose out to larger, better located competitors such as Universal Studios Japan and Tokyo Disneyland.
In 2007, Western Village shut its doors for the last time, with many sections remaining untouched in the years since.
From arcade machines and eerie animatronics covered in dust to bottles still sitting on tables, the entire park has a creepy abandoned feel to it.
The park has remained a source of fascination for those visiting the area, particularly urban explorers.
According to the website Offbeat Japan, the replica Rushmore is still attracting visitors in 2026.
The outlet reported that tourists “have to come back to check it isn’t a hallucination”, adding that what remains of the park is “now being demolished little by little”.