Hanayashiki (浅草花やしき) is an amusement park in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, that has operated since 1853. It is operated by Hanayashiki Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. It is claimed to be the oldest amusement park in Japan. One of the unofficial mascots of the park is the Panda Car (パンダカー).
History
Origins
Asakusa Hanayashiki opened in 1853, at the end of the Edo period (1603–1867), and is considered the oldest amusement park in Japan, though the park at that time did not meet the modern definition of an amusement park. In the first two decades after the park opened, it was a botanical garden created by garden designer Morita Rokusaburo, featuring peonies and chrysanthemums. The place was called Hanayashiki (花屋敷), which means Flowery Mansion.
Around 1872 (the beginning of the Meiji period), amusement facilities were established inside the park exhibiting animals and various oddities. From the Taishō era to the early Shōwa era, it was known as one of the leading zoos in Japan, and frequently made news headlinessuch as the birth of tiger quintuplets and the birth of Japan's first baby lion. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake occurred in the same year. Many of the animals were euthanized before the fires inevitably reached their cages.[1]