Saitama

Crayon Shin-chan Theme Park

Forget Fuji-Q, the Crayon Shin-chan Amusement Game Center in Kasukabe will blow your pants off.

Alex Silverman Jun 03, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>Modern art or Shin-chan's ass? They say art is up to interpretation... Either way, after arriving in Kasukabe, the Shin-chan arcade game center is only a short walk from the station. </p>

<p>The sign reads: "Crayon Shin-chan Cinema Studio." Get ready for your pants to be blown off.  </p>

<p>Welcome to Shin-chan world. (Well someone's pants will be blown off...)</p>

<p>A large screen playing Crayon Shin-chan episodes and promoting the most recent movie greets visitors at the entrance. A very appropriate design frames the screen. </p>

<p>Statues of the Nohara family, with the wall of Shin-chan in the background. </p>

<p>The wall of Shin-chan, an ode to the 23 Crayon Shin-chan films with a display case of "props" underneath. </p>

<p>Original Crayon Shin-chan goods. </p>

<p>A Shin-chan design decorates the change machine, continuing the motif throughout the arcade and showcasing yet another bare-bottom Shin-chan. </p>

<p>One of several Shin-chan themed arcade games. </p>

Well, maybe don’t forget Fuji-Q entirely….but if you’re in the area, the Crayon Shin-chan Amusement Game Center in Kasukabe’s Lala Garden makes for a good alternative. More of an arcade than a theme park, this homage to Crayon Shin-chan’s hometown celebrates the infamous troublemaker and his eponymous series. Statues of the characters and a giant screen showing clips of the series greet visitors at the entrance, while exclusive Crayon Shin-chan goods, gashapon machines, and Shin-chan arcade games make up the rest of the park. As fans can expect, Shin-chan bears all, so if you are feeling squeamish, perhaps Fuji-Q is the safer option. The park also features more traditional non-Shin-chan arcade games as well. Be sure to come with lots of coins.

On the top floor of Lala Garden, and open from 10:00am-8:00pm daily, the park is about a 5 minute walk from the station’s west exit. Entrance is free.

Alex Silverman @alex.silverman

In love with travel and storytelling, I want my life to follow these twin paths and their endless twists and turns. A Saitama-based writer, teacher, and photographer, I am addicted to kaiten sushi (personal best: 25 plates in 12 hours) and a budding kendama enthusiast. Thoroughly outmatched by th...