Japan’s Cheapest Amusement Park in Maebashi Offers Fun-Filled Nostalgia; Loved by Visitors Since its Opening in 1954

By Kyoko Hino / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

10:30 JST, December 10, 2024

MAEBASHI — Just a stone’s throw away from the Gunma prefectural government building, there is an amusement park which is believed to be the cheapest in Japan.

At Luna Park in Maebashi, visitors can enjoy all of the popular big rides, such as a merry-go-round and a roller coaster, for ¥50 each. Some others can be enjoyed for ¥10.

Luna Park opened in 1954 and marks its 70th anniversary this year. With the slogan “Japan’s most nostalgic amusement park,” it has long been loved by visitors.

The amusement park was built by the Maebashi city government as part of the Maebashi Grand Fair project to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Maebashi’s foundation as a city. At present, a private company consigned by the city government manages the amusement park.

The area occupied by the amusement park is about 8,800 square meters. On weekends, children run around the park, leading their parents or grandparents by the hand. On weekdays, nursery school children crowd the park on school outings and other occasions.

There is a corner called Mokuba-kan, where five electric rocking horses have been since the amusement park opened. The electric rocking horses are the oldest in Japan.

In 2007, the Mokuba-kan corner and a former radio tower in the amusement park were designated as nationally registered tangible cultural properties.

Hikoto (flying tower), a nine-meter tower around which jet-shaped rides carry visitors, has been refurbished twice and the current structure is the third one. The rides have been in the same location since the park opened.

Smaller play equipment had aged, no longer emitting sounds or losing color on their surfaces, but they had been repaired and given fresh appearances by spring last year.

In recent years, the amusement park’s operator has tried to attract a wider range of visitors. These attempts include “Lunapa de Night” events, which take place at night to appeal to adults, and various seasonal events.

For its Halloween event, local students volunteer to play the roles of zombies to entertain children.

Tamito Toyama, 42, director of the amusement park, said, “This is a place loved by local people. We want to preserve it at all costs.”

Every year on Oct. 28, which is Gunma Prefecture Residents’ Day, the already low fees become almost free. Thus, the amusement park is more crowded than usual.

Yuki Sato, 37, who visited the amusement park with her husband and their son from Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, proudly said, “I was also brought here in my childhood. I still have an album with photos taken at Mokuba-kan back then.”

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Luna Park

Address: 3-16-3 Otemachi, Maebashi

Access: Near Maebashi Koen-mae or Yuenchi Sakashita bus stops. The buses depart from JR Maebashi Station and JR Shin-Maebashi Station.

Memo: Closed on Tuesdays. May be closed on rainy days.