Creepy Abandoned Theme Parks In Fukushima And Chernobyl

There's something about abandoned structures I find fascinating. There's a mystery to them that I can't resist. I find myself thinking of all the time that people spent making these things, all the people that were there, these things really seem to capture my imagination.
The fact that these places were meant to be fun places, places of joy and happiness, and are now places that are going to be pretty much uninhabitable for a long, long time, to me makes them all the more sad, yet poignant at the same time. I find a dichotomy that exists in these images that is both profound and poetic.
I found this stuff to be pretty compelling, maybe you will too.
Since Fukushima was the most recent disaster I'll start with it.

After the park opened in 1973, it closed in '74 or '75, some say it was because a few people died, probably it was to improve the park to attract more visitors. It reopened in 1986 and operated untill 1999.

Granted, it wasn't the earthquake, the tsunami, or the ongoing nuclear crisis that shut it down, but nonetheless there it sits.
Here's a link to the site I got this off of, it's got all kinds of other abandoned stuff on it too.www.artificialowl.net...

Staying with the theme of irradiated theme parks the next one is Chernobyl, or more specifically Prypiat, Ukraine.

The Pripyat amusement park in Pripyat, Ukraine is an amusement park in the ghost town of Pripyat. Although the intended opening date is a matter of controversy, the park opened on April 27, 1986, the day when the city was evacuated due to the Chernobyl disaster. It is thought that the park was to be opened on May 1, 1986 in time for the May Day celebrations (decorations for this event are still in place in Pripyat today). It is thought the park was opened early to keep the city people entertained before the announcement to evacuate the city was made. Today, the park, and in particular the ferris wheel are a symbol of the Chernobyl disaster.

Source:en.wikipedia.org...
The day it was supposed to open was the day of the evacuation, how sad is that?
Want to go and see it for yourself ? You can, just don't hang out there too long, or, touch anything !

PRIPYAT, Ukraine – Tourists are now participating in what may be the strangest vacation excursion available in the former Soviet sphere: packaged tours of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, scene of the worst civilian disaster of the nuclear age.

Don't stray. Stay on concrete and asphalt, where exposure risks are lower than on soil. Don't touch anything. (This one proved impossible. Tours involve climbing cluttered staircases and stepping through debris. Handholds are inevitable.)

Source:legacy.signonsandiego.com...
Here's a short video on Pripyat:

Want to see some more creepy abandoned theme parks? Here's a cool link:www.nileguide.com...
Well, thanks for checking this out, I find stuff like this interesting, maybe some of you do too, See ya out there.

Reminds me of that place in the Animatrix where the kids go to play that has weird energies there.
I'm sure someone knows what I'm talking about lol.

These are very thought provoking images.It's like an old toy or something,that brought you a lot of joy when you were younger,and now it's abandoned in the back of the closet beneath a pile of dust.

S&F

Nice post.. I always find those pictures of abandoned towns and cities fascinating. Makes you wonder about all the people who lived there at one time.
That is a really eerie video as well. There's a definite end of the world vibe about it.
That last picture in the video with what I assume is the reactor buildings in the distance is very haunting.

Good post, Chernobyl threads intrigue me, abandoned cities in general.

This is a pretty cool video about the abandoned Six Flags in NOLA after Katrina-



"Welcome to Zombieland Kids"

I remember playing an older Call of Duty game where they had re-created an abandoned Chernobyl game park in one of the chapters, that was strange gameplay.