Biwako Wan Wan Kingdom (びわ湖わんわん王国)
Biwako Wan wan Kingdom was Japan's largest canine theme park, and was located on the shores of Lake Biwa, in Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture. It opened on October 31, 1998.
Summary
The concept of the theme park was to provide vistors the opportunity to see and interact with "360 dogs from approximately 80 breeds". The park featured dog circuses, races and parades, and even the opportunitey to play with and walk (for an additional fee) dogs. However, only people were permitted to enter the theme park; visitors who brought their own dogs had to leave them at the entrance.
A variety of goods for your pet dog were available for purchase at the shopping corner called "Treasures of the Kingdom". There was also a 13m wooden statue of a dog called "Biwa Ko", the face of which had an observation deck.
The park was visited by 700,000 people per year after it opened, but it closed on January 31, 2005.
Location: 2620-5 Imahama-cho, Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture
Entrance fee (data for period immediately preceding closing of the park): Adults (junior high school age and over), 1,800 yen
Senior citizens (over 65 years old), 1,600 yen
Children (from 4 years of age through elementary school), 900 yen
Remained site
On September 20, 2008, the largest shopping mall in Shiga Prefecture, 'Pieri Moriyama', was opened on the former site of Biwako Wan Wan Kingdom.
The mall is host to approximately 200 shops, including eateries, clothing shops, sundry goods stores and the like, and taking advantage of the site's location on the shore of Lake Biwa, the Biwa Kisen steamboat also stops here, giving visitors the chance to take a cruise on Lake Biwa.