I finally experienced Shima Spain Village and Parque Espana, a tourist destination that I have never been to even though it is close!
Taking a leisurely ride on the Kintetsu Limited Express and arriving before noon.
Shima Spain Village theme park, where I have seen many advertisements along the Kintetsu line in Osaka. TV commercials are also frequently aired. However, I haven't heard much from people around me that they've been to PARQUE ESPAÑA. I guess I should give it a try on a weekday when there are less people. I'm very familiar with Universal Studios in Osaka so I'm very curious see how this park operates.
Most of my friends are working on weekdays, so I decided to invite my mother to go along.
I booked the Shima Spain Village official hotel on Rakuten Travel and bought Kintetsu line free tickets (with a 1-day admission pass to the park) and we were ready to go. If you take the express train from Kintetsu Tsuruhashi Station for 2.5 hours, you will arrive at Ugata Station, which is close to Spain Village. The Spanish village and hotel can be reached by bus or taxi from Ugata Station.
Official hotel guests can purchase a discounted admission pass at the hotel, but we purchased a Kintetsu train/limited express ticket with a one-day pass for the park, so we didn't need to buy anything. After depositing my luggage at the hotel, I enter through the hotel guest entrance at the back of the park.
Screaming alone.
Hmmm, no one is there. Did I rent out the whole park? No, I don't think I have that kind of financial power. As soon as I enter from the back door, I see the biggest roller coaster.
There is a sign that says "waiting time ___ minutes now". Well, the waiting time is blank! No waiting time. Immediately, I went inside and there was no one. I'm the only guest. At least three cast (crew) members are waiting at the platform. It's the first time I've had a roller coaster all to myself.
Alone in the front row, I let out a roar and flew into the air. This coaster shakes violently from side to side and hits your head against the safety bar, so it hurts a bit! It was half fun and half painful. Hahaha.
The next thing that caught my eye was a small train that goes around this area. OK, this one looks safe for my mother. I can see other guests here and there now. I thought this park was open just for us today but I guess not.
I enjoyed taking pictures in the vast almost empty park and got on any ride without waiting time.
A two-seater waterslide that you might have ridden in your childhood. Even after becoming an adult, the last falling gave me a chill.
Watching a parade show at Plaza de Cibeles
We will eat Spanish food at the official hotel tonight, so we will have a small meal at the fast food for lunch. It was around the time for the outside show in the square, and people were gathering.
The street show held in the large area of Plaza de Cibeles is called "Nuevo Progresso 'Adelante'". In the sense of "new progress", it is an image of a cheerful Spanish festival.
Some non-Japanese performers and characters came out on big parade floats.
There are many Japanese dancers too. I recognized some dancers' faces from other theme parks. (I also work in the entertainment industry.) I had no idea that Spain Village has so many original characters.
In my opinion, it was a very good outside show. Characters, Japanese dancers, and non-Japanese performers have a lot to show off. As you can see from the photos, the costumes are gorgeous and not cheap looking. They are very photogenic.
A couple of flamenco dancers really stood out. It seems that these flamenco dancers and the male performer who was juggling on stilts each have their own shows, so I'll go see them later.
After checking the show schedule, there are 3 shows scheduled in a row which I'm interested in. I will take Park's intention of "Please see all three in this order!'' and exactly do so. I had about an hour until the Spanish performance which is the next show, so I took a walk around the area I hadn't been to yet.
Shima Spain Village Photo Gallery1, 2022
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