My Trip to Kashii-Kaen: Fukuoka’s Defunct Theme Park
When you’re a JET, you get many opportunities to interact with your students. On Friday, December 3, 2021, I took part on a special school field trip to Kashii-Kaen. The soon-to-be defunct theme park was located in Fukuoka’s East Ward (Higashi-ku).
About Kashii-Kaen
Kashii-Kaen opened its doors in 1956, becoming Fukuoka City’s only theme park. The park featured an abundance of roller coasters and kiddie rides over its 65 years of operation. Many of the rides have since closed, yet the park commemorated them with photos and plaques. In recent years, the park was themed to Sylvanian Families, likely as an attempt to appeal to a new generation of kiddos.
The park, owned by the Nishi Nippon Railway Company (Nishitetsu), experienced years of decline. Due to decreasing attendance, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, Nishitetsu needed to reevaluate their businesses. As a result, the company decided to let go of its profit-losing businesses, which included Kashii-Kaen. On December 30, 2021, Kashii-Kaen closed its gates permanently, likely to be turned into housing or some other development.
Why We Went to Kashii-Kaen
Many of the students at my school visited Kashii-Kaen during their youth. For them, it was a nostalgic trip which triggered memories from their childhoods. It was their last chance to experience the now-dilapidated children’s theme park before it succumbed to COVID’s economic wrath.
Normally, my school does not do class trips during the month of December. However, because of these special circumstances, they went ahead and made today’s trip happen.
What Did I Do At Kashii-Kaen?
Because I value my students’ privacy, I will not disclose any details of what they did during this trip. As for me, that’s what this blog is for!
Shortly after arriving at the theme park, I met with my fellow teachers and quickly branched off to order food. The park had three food trucks waiting, including one called “Journey,” which sold wagyu steak sandwiches. I was starving, so I ordered a sandwich and devoured every tasty, juicy bite. The meat was well-seasoned, the sauce was tangy, and the cabbage added a nice, crisp touch to the sandwich. I ate the sandwich underneath a relatively-dry area of the park while getting to know some of my students.
Next, I ventured across to the other side of the park and queued for the Pegasus roller coaster. I often watched this roller coaster thunder down the tracks as I commuted to my school. Not only was today my chance, it was also my final chance to do so. The coaster, which appeared to be repainted recently, was a short yet tame ride that packed a thrill. I will say that it was not worth the 600 yen I paid to ride the attraction. However, my students were excited to see “Casey-sensei” ride the attraction with them.
After that, the rain picked up again, so I headed back to the South side of the park. I hung around with my fellow teachers and ocasionally spoke to my students in English. After about three hours exploring the park, we headed back to school, where I concluded my work day.
Thoughts on Kashii-Kaen’s Closing
I can’t imagine how saddening it must be for my students to see their childhood memory become just that. Heck, I began to understand how my mother felt when Kiddie-Land closed its gates for good back in the 1970s.
Kashii-Kaen was Fukuoka City’s only theme park. Not only that, it’s the most recent theme park closure in the Prefecture. In 2018, Kitakyushu’s Space World theme park closed its gates, also citing declining attendance and revenue.
I began thinking about how I would’ve felt if Santa Monica’s Pacific Park closed its gates. It would feel disappointing. But in that present moment, I felt grateful for my school organizing this trip. It gave the students closure and marked a symbolic transition for their upcoming adult-hoods.
I’ve only been in Fukuoka for two months, but this closure was rather painful to realize.