Japan’s oldest amusement park opened in 1853 as a flower garden and still squeezes a Ferris wheel, a haunted house and the country’s oldest working roller coaster into a plot the size of a city block behind Senso-ji. The 1953 coaster rattles past the walls of adjacent houses at bicycle speed. Everything is small, slightly worn and painted in a palette of Showa-era pastels, which is precisely the charm.
It is not a theme park and nobody should come for thrills. Come for the view of the temple’s pagoda from the top of the Bee Tower, the retro arcade games near the entrance and the sense of a fairground that Tokyo somehow never got round to demolishing.
Tips
- Entry and rides are paid separately, so buy the free pass only if you plan to ride more than four times
- The 1953 roller coaster is slow and short, and the thrill is how close it passes the neighbouring apartments
- The park closes early, so visit at opening before the temple crowds build and head to Senso-ji afterwards