Mori no Yuenchi (Forest Amusement Park) (森のゆうえんち)
Mori no Yuenchi (Forest Amusement Park) is a former amusement park located in Yase, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, which was operated by Keifuku Electric Railroad Co., Ltd.
Summary
It was originally opened as Yase Amusement Park in 1964. It was a family-oriented mid-sized amusement park and received annual visitors around 200,000 just after its opening when there were few amusement parks around, however, the competition with other amusement parks became fierce later on and its business continued to stagnate.
In 1983 the park was reopened as Sport Valley Kyoto which was a sport-theme park targeted for young people, however, the business didn't turn around. In 1999 the park was once again redeveloped and reopened as 'Forest Amusement Park' which was located in the forest as the name suggested, but the business still didn't improve.
Furthermore, since the business of Keifuku Electric Railroad Co., Ltd. had worsened due to the train crash on Echizen Line (current Katsuyama Eiheiji Line of Echizen Railway Co., Ltd.), the park was closed on November 30, 2001. A large-scale membership hotel 'XIV Yase-Rikyu' opened on the site on November 28, 2006, and there is no shadow of what it used to be.
Access
Take a train on Eizan Main Line of Eizan Electric Railway Co., Ltd. and get off at Yase-Hieizan-guchi Station. The station was originally called 'Yase Station' and was renamed to 'Yase Yuen Station' in 1965 the year after the opening of Yase Amusement Park, and then renamed again to the current 'Yase-Hieizan-guchi Station' due to the closing of the park.
Other information
Sanma AKASHIYA and Shinsuke SHIMADA came to Yase Amusement Park together to perform a stand-up comedy when both of them had just joined the show business. On that day Sanma came up with the impromptu performance idea of 'Rope Escape Magic in water' and forced Shinsuke to perform the trick, and he nearly drowned in the pool.
During the days of 'Sport Valley Kyoto,' it was sponsoring a radio show called 'Mami's Radical Communication' aired by Kyoto Broadcasting System (KBS).