THE OLDEST AMUSEMENT THEME PARK IN JAPAN | 日本最古老的游乐园

Aside from the Sensoji Temple which is a highly recommended attraction in Asakusa, another place worthwhile visiting is the Hanayashiki amusement park. This amusement park is also claimed to be one of the oldest in Japan operating since 1853. It is located on the Hanayashiki Street. Hanayashiki in English means flowery mansion. Within the initial 20 years of opening between 1853 to 1873, it actually served as a botanical garden rather than an amusement park hence the name.

On the first day of our trip, we really wanted to visit the Sensoji Temple first thing in the morning but since it was so crowded we decided to come back in the evening. Besides that, we overheard tourists from a certain country scolding their tour guide loudly early in the morning. Being a tour guide is so tough because only a short amount of time is allocated for each location so tourists will very likely protest in retaliation. It is understandable that everyone wanted to take beautiful photographs of the Sensoji Temple without the interference of others. Thank goodness we planned a free and easy trip to Tokyo on our own.

Before arriving at the Hanayashiki Street, we decided to take a walk around the outer periphery of the Sensoji Temple. The outer periphery was less crowded thus piqued our curiosity. There is a very attractive back-alley path forbidden to the public as it belonged to the caretakers of the Sensoji Temple. It must be interesting to be born into such a family. The good part is not having to go through the headache of choosing a career path but the con is not having the freedom to choose one’s true interest. There is a flipside to every coin.

Coming across rickshaw workers in traditional attires around Asakusa surprised us a little. They are all in very good shape. Pulling traditional carts filled with at least two customers every time for up to several hours a day is a very good workout for those that fancied physical labor. All the rickshaw workers look buffed. Their hard work visibly evident on every chiseled muscle.

Anyway, after serving for twenty years as a botanical garden, the Hanayashiki amusement park finally took shape after exhibiting various wild animals and other oddities. During the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, some animals perished in the fire while the remaining ones were sold to the Sendai Zoo. The park was closed in 1935. Briefly from 1939 to 1940 the park was turned into the Rakuten Theater. After World War II, popular attractions such as the Yomiuri Rocket Coaster began operating in 1953 and the Bee Tower was built in 1960. In 2016, the Bee Tower was demolished to make way for an entertainment theater used for hosting various performances, concerts and martial arts.

Thank you for reading! 💗

IN CHINESE | 中文

除了浅草寺这个浅草必游景点之外，另一个值得一去的地方是花屋敷游乐园。据说这座游乐园是日本最古老的游乐园之一，自1853年起就开始运营。它位于花屋敷通上。“花屋敷”在日语中意为“花之宅邸”。在1853年至1873年开业的最初20年里，它实际上是一个植物园，而非游乐园，因此得名。

旅行的第一天，我们原本想一大早就去浅草寺，但由于人太多，我们决定晚上再去。此外，我们还听到一些来自某个国家的游客在清晨大声斥责他们的导游。导游的工作很辛苦，因为每个景点的游览时间都很短，所以游客很可能会因此而抗议。可以理解的是，每个人都想不受干扰地拍摄浅草寺的美丽照片。幸好我们自己计划了一次轻松自在的东京之旅。

在到达花屋敷通之前，我们决定先在浅草寺外围走走。外围人少清静，这引起了我们的好奇。那里有一条非常迷人的小巷，不对公众开放，因为它属于浅草寺的看守人。出生在这样的家庭一定很有意思。好处是不用为选择职业道路而烦恼，缺点是无法自由选择自己真正感兴趣的领域。凡事都有两面性。

在浅草附近遇到身着传统服饰的人力车夫，让我们有些惊讶。他们身材都非常好。每天拉着至少载着两名乘客的传统人力车，持续几个小时，对于喜欢体力劳动的人来说，这无疑是一项很好的锻炼。所有的人力车夫看起来都很健壮，他们辛勤的劳动在每一块肌肉上都清晰可见。

无论如何，花屋敷游乐园在作为植物园运营二十年后，终于在展出各种野生动物和其他奇珍异兽后成型。1923年关东大地震期间，一些动物在火灾中丧生，其余动物则被卖给了仙台动物园。该游乐园于1935年关闭。1939年至1940年间，这里曾短暂地被改建为乐天剧场。二战后，诸如读卖火箭过山车等热门游乐设施于1953年开始运营，蜜蜂塔则于1960年建成。2016年，蜜蜂塔被拆除，取而代之的是一座用于举办各种表演、音乐会和武术比赛的娱乐剧院。

感谢阅读！💗

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