Tsinghua Park

Snoopy Garden

Cute little park in Jeju. Big treat for Charlie Brown/Snoopy fans, but a fun stroll for anyone else.

Lizards

Turkey Dinner @ Sovereign Hill

Returned here for the winter, and I’ll always be fascinated at how the atmosphere immediately steps back 200 years upon passing the entrance. The turkey dinner for “Christmas in July” is a nice touch.

Ghibli Park Is Overrated

Having visited the Ghibli Museum in the past, I was excited to see Ghibli’s attempt at a bigger, Disneyland-like venue. Unfortunately, I was quite underwhelmed by what I saw.

Continue reading “Ghibli Park Is Overrated”

Luna Park, Sydney

Super Nintendo World

Entering through the green pipe tunnel, it felt like the color saturation had been turned up once you properly enter the park. It’s not just for looks too, you can interact physically with the park and gather coins from doing things like punching lucky blocks to playing the various minigames. Mario fan or not, I recommend setting aside 3-4 hours here to explore the area. It’s definitely going to take up most of your day at USJ, so probably get a 2-day pass if you also want to go to all the other parts of the park (e.g. the Harry Potter world).

Universal Studios Japan

I don’t normally care for big theme parks like Disneyland or Universal Studios. When anime is involved, however…

Also: yes, I did spend time at Super Nintendo World. Photos coming soon!

Immersive Nostalgia at Seibuen Yuenchi

Found this hidden gem of an amusement park thanks to Akidearest and Peter Barakan. They definitely don’t market this place to foreign tourists, and hardly any of the staff speak English. That being said, the staff is very friendly, and this place is very interesting regardless. From the recreated mid 20th-century main street, to the retro carnival set-up, to the retro-style park money that is actually essential in the park (only one of the gift shops and the vending machines take cash), to the trains that travel to, from and within the park, one of which you can fully drive!

This place certainly gives you a real blast from the past. Only downside is that the late winter visit, plus the lack of foreign tourists meant that there were so few visitors to the park it actually felt eerily silent in certain areas. 50s nostalgia doesn’t appeal to everyone, and the tickets aren’t very cheap, but for those itching to see a nostalgic, rosy view of the past, this park may be just what you need.

Sanrio Puroland