5. Dreamland in Nara
Where: Nara, Japan
Year: 1961
Expense: $5.95 million
The visit to Disneyland in America by Kunizo Matsuo served as the inspiration for Nara Dreamland. Rich businessman Matsuo was impressed. In order to propose bringing Disney to Japan, he visited with Walt Disney. The first discussions went smoothly, but Disney and Matsuo couldn’t agree, and the project was shelved.
Japan’s Nara Dreamland, in Nara ©2010 by Jamie Meow/commons.wikimedia.org
Rather, Nara Dreamland came into being. Disneyland in California served as a major inspiration. Among other well-known Disneyesque structures, it featured Matterhorn Mountain, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street USA, and Train Depot. Due to poor attendance, Nara Dreamland closed in 2006 after 45 years of operation. It was abandoned to crumble into ruin following its closure.
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