was an amusement park in

Nerima, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Nerima City. , the ward has an estimated population of 721,858, with 323,296 households and a population density of 15,013 persons per km2, while 15,326 foreign residents are re ...

, Japan, owned by the

Seibu Group is a Japanese holding company that primarily owns Seibu Railway, Prince Hotels, and Seibu Bus and its subsidiaries, which are collectively known as the . In total, fifty-three companies across the world are affiliated with the Seibu Group. The c ...

. It had a variety of rides, including three roller coasters, and a water park with 25 slides and six pools. It closed for good on August 31, 2020.

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.としまえん「カルーセルエルドラド」
- 日本機械学会 Produced by

Hugo Haase Hugo Haase (29 September 1863 – 7 November 1919) was a German socialist politician, jurist and pacifist. With Friedrich Ebert, he co-chaired of the Council of the People's Deputies after the German Revolution of 1918–19. Early life Hugo Haa ...

in Munich, Germany in 1907 and premiered publicly at the Oktoberfest. After that, it was operated at carnivals held in various parts of Europe. Due to the deterioration of social conditions, it was transferred to the amusement park

Steeplechase Park Steeplechase Park was a amusement park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Steeplechase Park was created by entrepreneur George C. Tilyou in 1897 and operated until 1964. It was the first of the three large amusement parks built on Cone ...

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

, New York, in 1911, and was named "El Dorado". Celebrities such as former US President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, and

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

also boarded and were loved by New Yorkers. 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. 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 , art teachers, and electrical engineers. The restoration cost 200 million yen. A

admission ticket was found in the vehicle during work. 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. 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 Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

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. submitted a written opinion to the Governor of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

stating that Carousel El Dorado should be left in the "Nerima Castle Ruins Park" that will be built on the site of Toshimaen. After the park is closed, it will be dismantled and stored in the

warehouse.

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.

Renewal plan

The park closed on 31 August 2020 and will reopen as the ''Warner Bros. Studio Tour: the making of

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

- Tokyo'' around spring 2023. This will be the second Potter-themed attraction in Japan after

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a chain of themed areas at Universal Parks & Resorts based on the ''Harry Potter'' media franchise, adapting elements from the Warner Bros.' film series and original novels by J. K. Rowling. The areas wer ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, and the second Studio Tour dedicated to the Wizarding World with the Warner Bros. Studio Tour located at Leavesden Studios (London). However, not all of the park's 22 hectares will be used for the new theme park. The majority of the Toshimaen site is slated to be purchased by the

Tokyo Metropolitan Government The is the government of the Tokyo Metropolis. One of the 56 prefectures of Japan, the government consists of a popularly elected governor and assembly. The headquarters building is located in the ward of Shinjuku. The metropolitan government ...

after the park is closed and is planned to be a large park that serves as a base for use in the event of a disaster.

Gallery

File:Toshimaen main gate 2019-01-13 (1).jpg, Toshimaen main gate. File:El Dorado 1.jpg, The "Eldorado" carousel. This carousel was formerly located at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. File:Toshimaen Hydro-police.jpg, The "Hydropolis"

water slides A water slide (also referred to as a flume, or water chute) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and therefore size. Some slides re ...

. File:Toshimaen "FLYING PIRATES"and"TROIKA".JPG, The "Flying Pirates" and the "Troika". File:Toshimaen Niwa-no-yu.JPG, An attached hot spring facility called . 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 Toei or Tōei may refer to: * Tōei, Aichi, Japan * Toei Company, Japanese film and television production company ** Toei Animation, their animation subsidiary * , Japanese abbreviation meaning "operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government" **Tran ...

. File:Toshimaen 200826b.jpg, Toshimaen five days before closing. File:Toshimaen 200826c.jpg, Toshimaen five days before closing. File:Toshimaen 200826d.jpg, Toshimaen five days before closing. File:Toei-subway-E36-Toshimaen-station-platform-20191205-152031.jpg, Platform at Toshimaen Station on the

. File:Toshimaen sta.JPG,

Toshimaen Station is a railway station in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway and the Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway. Lines Toshimaen Station is served by the Seibu Toshima Line and the Toei Ōedo Line. Platforms Seib ...

on the Seibu Toshima Line. File:Jp multiplex united cinemas toshimaen.jpg, United Cinema Toshimaen is near Toshimaen.

Access

It is located near

on the Seibu Toshima Line and

References

External links

* {{Authority control Amusement parks in Japan Defunct amusement parks in Japan Nerima Buildings and structures in Tokyo Tourist attractions in Tokyo Seibu Group Amusement parks closed in 2020 2020 disestablishments in Japan