Don’t you sometimes imagine yourself living in different era than your own, projecting yourself into a world that you deem perfect for you to experience? Have you never pondered into the potential of virtual reality for example, and how you could finally experience a world designed to be as immersive as possible and transport you where no car or even your feet could take you? Some of us still think that actually living the experience is way more interesting than merely experiencing a digitised version of the real world, facing the random and the improvised, real emotions, real interaction and the ability to walk in and out of the world through a mere ticketing gate. Sometimes, this can be even more interesting than anything the 3D digital era might be able to put together simply due to an element of natural human behaviour.
Now this may seem like a bit of a far-fetched introduction and it might as well be but what 3 of my friends and I experienced during a charming weekend has left us smiling, surprised and pleasantly shocked by the amount of detail that was put into the immersive Edo era experience Nikko calls Edo Wonderland.
Almost all of us are fans of Disney and at one point or another visited Disneyland to really get a feel of this world of fantasy and magic. However, what happens at Edo Wonderland is of a different calibre. Yes Disney may have the bigger budget, it may have the bigger theme park, it may have more mascots and the massive spaces but what it lacks in comparison to this is the realism of a trip through time into the most iconic eras in the world and the East. I would say it is slightly easier to create a fantasy world than to mimic a real one. Harder to build a museum than it is to build an amusement park. That is a bit of an exaggeration of course but still; there is so much history to account for here, so much detail to take into consideration and so much expectation to live up to.
It is not a park built for children yet it hosts them as well as it hosts any age group. There is plenty to entertain your little ones as well as delight the most humourless adults. It is not a place where parents sit with their chin in their palms watching their kids run around yelling and dragging them into their messy little games with their sticky little cotton candy hands.
I expected to walk into something only half done, grazing the surface of what an Edo Wonderland would be in my mind but oh did it prove me wrong! Everything from the buildings, the roads, the bridges, the nature surrounding the spot, the river, to the games, the people, the mood, the noise, everything rose above expectation.
Surrounded by mountains, with the fog creeping in and the rain drizzling every now and then, the weather set the perfect mood for a typical “Memoirs of a Geisha” type of setting. Every little thing fit in like the perfect puzzle piece. Whatever you were looking for, you’d find it sooner or later. Wanted robbers and policemen chasing them, katana-wielding kimono-adorned men, owners welcoming you into their shops and inns, introducing you to their arts and crafts, museum exhibits, wood workshops, eateries to serve you what traditions you wish to experience (along with some more modern catering of course), a police station, a prison, actual shrines, a firefighter’s station complete with its bell tower. Everything from a Geisha parade in its full attractive allure, down to the intricately clothed, good-humoured commoners and workers, all the way to pop-up Matsuris and festive parades, it is not only entertaining but also holds the mystical essence of a period in time that defined and still defines many aspects of modern day Japan.
Here’s a look, a merely photographic perspective on what Edo Wonderland looks like. The experience however is not anywhere near what the pictures can show.
The Streets of Edo Wonderland
Enter the gates of this miniature town and you will be greeted by the humble and cheerful folk, while you look around starting to explore, peeking into shops, behind curtains and casually trying to observe a well-played act. Here, the old clashes with the new so hard it creates its own enchanting charm. You and hundreds of others are dressed up in your modern clothes, sporting cameras, travel bags, cellphones and walking shoes, while yours hosts welcome you in their yukatas, eccentric traditional hair styles and clunky geta.
Some of what you may encounter is an act or a setup, but including real elements loyal to the environment adds a little pepper to the mix, making it all seem a little more real and immersing you further into it. And if that’s not enough to make you believe in it all, you can rent era-appropriate clothes and accessories. As for the kids, to really experience the magic, they can participate in many pop-up acts, shows and activities including Matsuris, parades, Shuriken throwing practice and many more.
In the following pictures you will get a glimpse of how nice it is to be parachuted down into a world that existed 414 years ago. The contrast is simple and beautiful.
Edo Wonderland’s Noren 暖簾
Upon setting foot in Japan, you will notice a type of curtain hanging outside the main entrance of shops, izakayas and sometimes of private homes. It is a relatively widely preserved traditional element called “Noren”.
Noren 暖簾 are traditional Japanese fabric dividers, hung at entrances, between rooms, in doorways, or in windows. They usually have one or more vertical slits dividing the fabric, allowing for easier passage or viewing. Noren come in a variety of different materials, sizes, colors, and patterns. You can even buy one for yourself from shops in Tokyo’s Kappabashi.
Noren have for a long time been used by shops and restaurants as a means of protection from the sun, wind, and dust, and as a display for their shop name or types of services. They are also hung at the front entrance to a shop to signify that they are open for business, and they are always taken down at the end of the business day (so that’s something to look out for when you’re searching for a place to eat for example).
Following this brief introduction to this piece of Japanese heritage, I present you with a gallery of some of the many beautiful Noren hung all across the streets of Edo Wonderland to help you appreciate this form of minimalist Japanese art.
Tsukubanopanda 