Inside bizarre abandoned theme park with creepy gigantic statue modeled after classic story near infamous 'suicide forest'
A BIZAR theme park with a gigantic statue of a classic fairytale character as its main attraction was doomed from the start.
Gulliver's Kingdom theme park Japan was built near a notorious suicide forest and was only open for four years before being left completely abandoned.
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The crazy concept for a fun day out for families, which closed in 2001, was inspired by the iconic novel Gulliver's Travels and the Japanese government who funded the project made sure to pull out all the stops with the attractions – even though weren't the best thing to do.
The centerpiece of the park is a dominant statue of the main character Gulliver, who is tied to the ground with ropes, just like in the book.
However, when the statue came in at a gargantuan height of 150 feet, it was far too creepy to really appreciate, but it did become a fun part of the park's brief identity.
Tourists came to sit in the giant's palm and were given photos on top of him, making them look like part of the Lilliputian clan that Gulliver captured in the original story.
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Martin Lyle, 44, visited the park when he was a photographer and took some photos of the site, but was surprised by the statue.
He said: 'The giant Gulliver was unreal. When I entered the grounds, I didn't see it right away, but as I delved deeper into the park, it suddenly emerged from the landscape.
“It was so memorable to stand in its presence. It was the most amazing and surreal object I have ever seen.
“It felt so strange to be in the palm of a gigantic man, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery.”
Gulliver's Kingdom was built in the footsteps of Mount Fuji and the legendary site serves as a beautiful backdrop to the theme park.
But the decision to locate the park beneath Mount Fuji also meant it was close to two other tragic sites.
The theme park was close to the Aokigahara Forestknown as Japan's infamous suicide forest, believed to be the second largest of its kind in the world.
The Japanese Suicide Forest
AOKIGAHARA is a vast forest just northwest of Mount Fuji – where the foliage is so thick it is known as the 'Sea of Trees'.
But the forests are filled with densely twisting trees, and the mountain's lava absorbs all sound, giving visitors an eerie sense of loneliness.
This is why many believe that hundreds of people have chosen it as the place to spend their last moments before committing suicide.
Aokigahara has the second highest rate of suicide in the world after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
The number of suicides has become so high that Japanese authorities in the area have stopped releasing figures publicly.
Chillingly, Japanese authorities have been forced to put up signs at the start of some hiking trails, urging suicidal visitors to think of their families and contact a suicide prevention charity.
In 2003, about 105 bodies were found in the forest, while police there recorded more than 200 suicide attempts in 2010. Only 54 of them managed to take their own lives.
There is usually a peak in the number of people committing suicide in March, at the end of the Japanese financial year.
Some bring tents into the forest and camp for days, debating their fate.
Japan has one of the highest suicide rates of any country in the world, and the 2008 global recession made the situation much worse.
Historically, Aokigahara is also said to be haunted by Yurei, or spirits from Japanese mythology.
And is also close to Kamikuishki village and the former headquarters of Aum Shinrikyo.
A religious assassin cult that caused the deaths of 13 people in the Sarin nerve of Tokyo gas attack of 1995.
The group was designated a terrorist organization by several countries, including the European Union.
This led to speculation that tourists would prefer to avoid the park due to the eerie feeling exuded by the two nearby sites.
The other major problem with the theme park was the lack of entertainment and attractions.
Besides the huge giant lying on the ground, the park only had two other attractions: a bobsled track and a toboggan run, neither of which were major attractions for Japanese tourists.
The rest of the kingdom was surrounded by pastel-colored mansions around a castle lake, all inspired by the 18th centurye century novel, as there are other smaller images from the books lying around.
Due to the lack of customers pouring through the gates of Gulliver's Kingdom, it was forced to close and left to rot.
Since 2004, the park has been left untouched by investors and only seen by locals who wanted to explore the crazy place one more time.
The Gulliver statue was left covered in graffiti and the park signs faded over time.
Before it was finally demolished in 2007 and became just a distant memory of the few visitors.
Mr Lyle continued: “I understand why the park didn't last very long. I wouldn't want to go to a fun theme park next to those sinister places.
“Any way you look at it, the park had a strange concept. Why would you base a theme park on an 18th century English novel?”
According to reports in Japan, the park was heavily financially backed by the Niigata Chuo Bank, which lent more than $350 million to the theme park.
But the bank went bankrupt after being unable to repay a number of expensive, non-performing loans and had to get rid of all its assets which had become worthless, including Gulliver's Kingdom.
Gulliver's Travels
IN 1726, Jonathan Swift published the iconic novel Gulliver's Travels.
In the first of four books, Gulliver travels to the land of the Lilliputians: miniature people who take Gulliver as a pet and use him as a weapon of war against their rivals.
Ultimately, Gulliver is sent home from the island after disrespecting the royal family by putting out a fire by urinating on it.
In the next book, Gulliver traveled to the kingdom of the Brobdingnag giants who live in a utopian socialist society where everything is shared equally between everyone.
Gulliver tries to convince them to be like other societies by talking to the Brobdingnag King, but the use of cannons, guns and violence only upsets him.
The king cannot understand the human desire for horror and cruelty towards each other and Gulliver fails to defend the practices and goes home.
The third and fourth books contain Gulliver's strangest adventures, first to a land of floating islands filled with society's elites who literally look down on the poor.
Gulliver then visits Balnibarb – a land full of immortal men who age normally but can never die, and the Glubbdubdrib gang, home to a magician who helps Gulliver discuss history with the ghosts of ancient political figures.
Next, Gulliver goes to Japan, where the theme park is located, and is taken to the land of the Houyhnhnms, a kingdom where horses are in charge and humanoid creatures called Yahoos are ruled by them.
The book series ends with Gulliver going home to his wife, after realizing that people are doomed because of their need to rule others and the choice of violence over peace.
The book initially seemed like an interesting story about two worlds colliding, but people soon started to pick up on the satirical elements of the book.
The book thus uses remote and fictional countries – including Japan – and their strange customs to attack British society.
Many felt that through the novel, Swift criticized the ruling class of his time by classifying them as the giant and the working people who overthrew it and took power.
The story was then adapted into a Hollywood film starring Jack Black in 2010.
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You are not alone
A life is lost to suicide EVERY 90 minutes in Britain
It makes no distinction and touches the lives of people in all corners of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It is the leading cause of death among people under 35, deadlier than cancer and car accidents.
And men are three times more likely to kill themselves than women.
Yet it is rarely talked about, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice now.
That's the reason The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that we can all do our part to save lives by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health.
Let's all pledge to ask for help when we need it, and to listen to others… You are not alone.
If you, or someone you know, needs help dealing with mental health issues, the following organizations offer support: