A visit to Edo Wonderland

The movie ‘A Tale of Samurai Cooking’ is now being screened in cinemas around the world, a fabulous costume drama with love, tragedy – and lots of cooking – which reminds us just how astonishing the Edo period was. The peak of samurai culture is ripe for a theme park, which of course the Japanese love. But get it wrong, and a noble tradition could be turned into a travesty.

Edo Wonderland came highly recommended as worth the diversion on the road north to Nikko; I was sceptical, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of a busy week-long trip.

First: get changed. You could wear your own clothes if you must, but that’s not really entering into the spirit of things. Having only seen someone bring dressed in a kimono in movies before, it’s quite an experience as a novice to discover first-hand all those layers of bound corset, the hair fixtures, even the jika tabi (split toe) socks and high shoes. The result takes a little getting used to, but now we’re in character.

Edo Wonderland is built to look like an old-style Japanese village, meticulously reconstructed using original building styles and techniques; it really does feel like stepping back in time. Yet this is no museum. We were intercepted by playful actors who rarely stepped out of character: inn-keepers, police, even bandits. If you’re a fan of Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’ – and who isn’t? – there’s a chance you’ll never have again to act out the fantasy.

It was a few hours of sheer fun, and full of one surprise after the next. Here I am giving my Japanese sensei some tips on archery:

Set aside your reservations – Edo Wonderland was as unexpected as a ninja bursting onto the scene.