Gulliver’S Kingdom, Japan

[Silver_mani]

 

Someone in the 1990s thought building a Gulliver’s Travels theme park at the foot of Mount Fuji would draw the crowds. Despite plenty of government support, the project failed after only a few years. It might have something to do with the fact it was situated right near Aokigahara, known as “Suicide Forest”. It didn’t help that the neighboring village was the nerve gas production headquarters of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, known for its Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway. Doesn’t make great PR for a struggling family theme park. Maybe it was just the creepy giant statue of Swift’s epic character lying on the ground that turned people off. The ill-advised theme park closed it doors in 2001 and was demolished in 2007, but not before legions of intrepid photographers captured some eerie images of the abandoned kingdom.