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Western Village

Once known as the Kinugawa Ranch (ウエスタン村), it was built around 1973. At that time, it was a very simple place where people could enjoy cowboy-like kind of activities. His owner, a local named Ominami-san, mentioned in an article that “the purpose in life is not to earn money but to make dreams come true” and that is basically what he did. The ranch became a real theme-park in 1975 and was properly named: Western Village. In 1995, he even added a copy of the famous Mount Rushmore to the Western Village, seemingly on an impulse. The park closed in 2007. More information: The Western Village on Offbeat Japan.