Kyoto Film Park Features Edo-Period Gambling, Torture House

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:24 JST, March 29, 2026

KYOTO — A film theme park in Kyoto reopened Saturday after being closed for renovations since February and has expanded its lineup of events. The park celebrated 50 years of service last year.

Uzumasa Kyoto Village opened in 1975 as a theme park where visitors could observe the live filming of period dramas.

The park has expanded its lineup of night-only events that are restricted to those 18 and older in an effort to attract nighttime visitors, including tourists from overseas.

In “Japanese Casino,” visitors experience Edo-period “cho-han,” or even-odd dice gambling, and “The House of Torture,” which recreates interrogation scenes from that era.

With the theme of Edo-period Kyoto, the park is undergoing a five-year renovation project set to conclude in 2028. New events and programs are scheduled to be introduced in three phases, with this being the first phase.

At a preview on March 19, a tsubofuri dealer dressed in kimono with one shoulder exposed put two dice in a cup and shook it. She shouted “Come on, bet! Bet!” Participants placed bets on whether the result would be cho (even) or han (odd). They bet using wooden tokens instead of money.

“Please come to the village, which shows one scene by day and another by night,” said Yuya Kamata, president of the operating company.