Heading to Tokyo soon?
If you ever find yourself overwhelmed by the tall buildings, intertwined train lines and busy crosswalks Tokyo is known for, a suggestion I have for you is go visit Edo Wonderland.
It’s not exactly close to Tokyo and is worth approximately 3 hours of travel time from the city center. You will need to take the train, even change lines from time to time depending on your point of origin, to get to the Kinugawa Onsen Station where you can catch tour buses that drive directly to Edo Wonderland.
“I can deal with the commute but what exactly is Edo Wonderland,” you ask?
It’s a theme park simply put, but don’t expect rides and attractions because Edo Wonderland is NOT that kind of theme park. It’s more of the educational/historic/cultural type and and the concept is to make visitors feel like a local living in the Edo period. Think giant village where everything – from architecture to the staff and even food – is set to the Edo era.
You can roleplay according to the Edo occupation of your choice and dress up for the part to make it even more realistic. Ladies may rent traditional kimonos, while the gents can opt for either Samurai, Oiran or Ninja clothes. There are also theater performances to watch (in Japanese, though) as well as scheduled parades.
You’ll also surely find Edo Wonderland a great venue for picturetaking. It’s not every day you can capture Machiyas, wooden bridges and other forms of Edo architecture in photos, right? The lush greenery that surrounds the park also make for a nice backdrop. If you come at the right time of the year, the park and the mountainside behind it will even be covered in pink from all the cherry blossoms that are in full bloom.
All in all, what I liked most about the place is that it is the complete opposite of the busy and superrrrr fast-paced Tokyo. I’d only been in Tokyo for 3 days when I decided to visit Edo Wonderland and I was already overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the big city. Maybe it’s just me, maybe it just comes with age that I now prefer quiet and laid-back destinations, but Edo Wonderland sure was a breath of fresh air for me. You may or may not feel the same as I did about Tokyo, but don’t we all long for a quiet retreat, slow down and take a break from life every now and then?
BEAUVELISTA 