Located in the Kinugawa Onsen area of Nikko, Tochigi is a cultural theme park known as Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura.
For those who want to experience traditional Japanese culture with a surreal feeling that you have time traveled to the past during the Edo Period (1603-1868) will no doubt want to give Edo Wonderland a try.
The Edo Period is also known as the Tokugawa Period, because that era was when Japan was run by the powerful Tokugawa Shogunate, the last feudal Japanese military government headed by the shogun, who were member of the Tokugawa clan.
And for history buffs, the area of Nikko (which I have covered here) is the home of Tosho-gu Shrine which was dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate which was built back in 1617. His remains are entombed at Tosho-gu.
Because of Edo Period is closely connected to Tokugawa, and Nikko being a special village/theme park was established back in 1986 and covers the Genroku period (1688-1704) when the Edo Shogunate was ran by Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the fourth son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, whose father was Tokugawa Hidetaku (who is the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the fifth Shogunate General) and also the Kyoho era (1716-1736) when Japan was under Tokugawa Yoshimune (the great grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu), the eighth Shogunate general.
The theme park’s design is based on Edo Period’s golden era (Genroku) and is populated by staff in Edo period attire and they reenact the speech and behavior of Edo era citizens from lower, middle and upper class. In fact, many of the actors are part of the “Nikko Edomura Theater Company”.
The theme park has seven theaters which showcase plays, oiran shows, ninja shows, street performances, workshops and so much more.
The area also has a film studio and is often used for jidaigeki historical films and TV drama series.
And the mascot of Edo Wonderland is Nyanmage, a samurai cat.
The theme park is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from March 20-November 30 and 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from December 1-March 19. And Edo Wonderland is open everyday EXCEPT ON WEDNESDAY.
For those wondering where I got my tickets, I purchased it off KLOOK. As a one day (normal price is Y4700 and Y2400 for children), the Klook price is $36.00 and you get instant confirmation which you can print out or bring to the front desk when you arrive to get your main ticket.
I will go more into the park through a series of blog posts which begins with this first post! So, check in tomorrow!
