This abandoned Japanese theme park will raise the hair on the back of your neck

We go to theme parks to take a step out of reality and into a world of fantasy. But this abandoned theme park in Hokkaido, Japan hasn’t seen visitors in over ten years. In fact, it looks as if it’s a remnant of human life in a post-apocalyptic world, now sitting in neglect and waiting quietly to see fun again.

Okay, so that was a little bleak. But seriously, this place is pretty creepy. Originally built in 1989 as a German-inspired theme park, Glück Kingdom was an effort to bring tourism to the island of Hokkaido. The park shut down in 2007 and has since gone untouched.

A small group of brave abandoned location explorers recently revisited Glück Kingdom to document what’s left. They compiled some of their clips in a video for YouTube channel Caters Clips, and uploaded it a few days ago.

From the footage, we can see that the forest around the park has taken back its territory, and most of the rides and games are now one with the earth.

The rides are rusted and paint is flaking off most of the attractions. There’s something so off-putting about seeing sources of joy in disrepair and decay.

The group also finds a storage building haphazardly packed with arcade games. It’s like those behind the park needed to close immediately and had no time to sell or properly break down the decor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjvQsiu4-KE?feature=oembed

Jordy Meow, another visitor to Glück Kingdom, wrote a 2014 blogpost about his exploration of the area. He noted there was a “corpse of a human-size doll” hanging on the short barbed-wire fence blocking the entrance to the park. “No Entry” and “Keep Out” signs were also plastered everywhere.

Obviously, Meow didn’t heed the fence’s message and wiggled his way in.  He writes that on top of the games and rides, Glück Kingdom also boasts a giant medieval-style castle.

The reason for Glück Kingdom’s closure is unknown, which makes its overall feel much more spooky. Although it was probably something financial, our minds immediately go to zombie outbreak.

Perhaps one day Glück Kingdom will open its doors to the public again, but for now it lays in wait, abandoned, decaying, and chill-inducing beyond words.