When I say "used Disneyland as a model" I don't mean they tried to make a SIMILAR park.
I mean that they just ripped it off.
You know when someone Xeroxes a photo, and then you make a Xerox of that Xerox?
That's how this park looks. Although it looks like that was done with a really bad Xerox machine...
...and the guy Xeroxing it was missing a few fingers.
Upon arrival guests of Dreamland are greeted with a familiar looking train station:
The resemblance is astonishing. Urban legends abound that Walt Disney was so upset by this park that he refused to build in Japan for the rest of his life.
The park has a few popular roller coasters inside, but also many rides that are a mirror image of Disneyland rides (assuming that the mirror you are using is one of those mirrors with a painting of some 70s rock band on it that your older brother won at a church carnival.)
Some of the rides that are/were at Dreamland over the years include a "jungle cruise" ride, a "submarine voyage" and a Matterhorn mountain:
The Matterhorn is one of the coolest rides at Disneyland and one of only a handful that has not been replicated in another "Disney" park.
It has been replicated in Dreamland.
They also have a monorail. Looking at the monorail seems to confirm the rumors that Dreamland is a dump. The monorail sports a thin coat of yellow paint and a thicker coat of filth.
Some older brochures seem to indicate that Dreamland was pretty nice looking back in 1961, but seems to have been neglected in more recent years.
Wouldn't it be cool if Donald Duck had created this as a "bizzaro Disneyland" so he could compete with his rival Mickey Mouse?
I wonder if the citizens of Nara ever visit Anaheim and say "Hey! This is a pale imitation of Dreamland." Of course, if they did they would do it in Japanese and I wouldn't understand them.
In fact, I might think they were saying "Hey! Coy and Vance were a pale imitation of Bo and Luke."
How sad to go to bed at night realizing that you are a second rate Tom Wopat.
ReplyDeleteFascinating, but not as fascinating as the fact that the BOJ splash page shows you being choked by not one, but two fat, black pro wrestlers.
ReplyDeleteAye, what a time to talk of places in far away lands.
ReplyDeleteGet your Hot Dogs from me! Get them.
(I'm trying a new gimmick.)
You know, I think Sweetie should JaPLAN a trip there.
ReplyDeleteWhooo! I hit that one outta the park!
I was watching the Coy and Vance season of the Dukes lately and realized they weren't as bad as I remembered. Well, Vance wasn't that bad anyway.
ReplyDelete