山口紐西蘭村, Theme park in Mine, Japan.
The Yamaguchi New Zealand Village was a theme park in Mine that spread across 30 hectares with various recreational facilities. The grounds included restaurants, animal enclosures, go-kart tracks, and archery ranges for visitors of all ages.
The park opened in 1990 and reached its peak in 1991 with 428,000 annual visitors. It operated for 15 years before closing permanently in 2005.
The park presented New Zealand-themed attractions to Japanese visitors, offering direct encounters with sheep and farm animals rarely seen in the region. These animal interactions became a memorable part of the visitor experience during its years of operation.
The park was accessible by direct bus service from Shimonoseki Station, making visits convenient for travelers without a car. The grounds offered sufficient space and activities to spend a full day with family or friends.
After closing in 2005, the former park site was transformed into a solar power plant in 2017, marking a complete change of purpose. This shift from entertainment to renewable energy production demonstrates how abandoned amusement facilities can be repurposed in Japan.
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