Japan

Travel Photography   |   Japan   |   Miyako-jima

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Ueno German Cultural Village

Driving along the beautiful southern coast of Miyako-jima, we spotted one of those brown roadsign designated to lead travellers to points of interest. So far this isn’t unusal, but what was written on the sign made us think our brains had been exposed to the sun too long: Ueno German Cultural Village. Curious what that sign might lead to, we turned into Gerhard Schröder Straße.

We didn’t expect much… but had our brains blown away by what we stumbled upon. A theme park styled like a 3d consolation prize for those who accidently bought a ticket to MMY instead of FRA. Buildings, castles and bridges have built from 1987 to 1993 and the official opening ceremony was held in 1996. German chancellor Gerhard Schröder visited the park in 2000, which explains the name of the street mentioned earlier. Visiting the somewhat patinaed park in 2017 was a rather weird experience.

 

 

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Sebastian Motsch    |    instagram @drivebysnapshots