Former sake brewery in Japan gets a new life as…whatever the heck this is

Looking for a weird place to visit in Japan? This spot ticks all the boxes.

The other day, our Japanese-language reporter Masanuki Sunakoma was driving through Ogose Town in Saitama Prefecture, when a curious site popped up to greet him along the side of the road.

It looked like a house, or a factory, or maybe an amusement park. On second thought, it looked like all three. As the curious scene become increasingly smaller in the rear-view mirror, Masanuki couldn’t stop wondering about it, so he did what any good reporter would do. He turned the car right around and went back to investigate.

Pulling into the driveway area, Masanuki’s car navigation system told him that he’d arrived at the site of the former Ogose Sake Brewery. Sure enough, when he stepped out of the car, he saw a faded green sign that read “Raiyou Ogose Sake Brewery”.

However, no sooner had he looked at the sign than he noticed what was around it. There, in the rusty tower, was a figure of Mazinger Z, and below it, a small statue of the prominent 19th-century Japanese agricultural leader, Kinjiro Ninomiya.

He’d never seen such a wide variety of characters together before, and looking at the back of the signboard revealed it was just the start of the wild gathering.

▼ Marin-chan from the Umi Monogatari pachinko slot machines stood above Kinnikuman.

As he wandered around the site, Masanuki called the town hall to ask them what he was seeing and why the heck it was there. The person he spoke to told him that the owner of the site was simply exhibiting nostalgic characters and signboards as a hobby. “I don’t know the details,” they said, but they did reveal that it was something of a famous site in the local area and the same owner has created a similar space in another part of town.

▼ Judging by the relics here, the owner sure has a wide-ranging love for all things.

The site is quite large and there was no one around when Masanuki visited, so he felt a little uncomfortable noseying around in the back areas, especially when he came a cross something that looked to be a person, but on closer inspection it revealed itself to be…

▼ …an Aussie Santa Claus?

▼ Or maybe it’s Wim Hof, dressed for the snow.

Something that set Masanuki’s heart aflutter was this collection of sweet animals, which had once brought joy to children as electric rides in Showa-era amusement parks.

There was no movement to these animals now, and another that seemed to be frozen in time was this Peter Rabbit lookalike, which stared into Masanuki’s soul.

Enamel signboards added a real sense of nostalgia for the Showa Period, with this section feeling like an open-air museum.

But then, Masanuki’s eye sensed something was out of place near the top of this old chimney…

▼ …Spider-Man?!?

After spotting the super hero in the sky, Masanuki turned his gaze towards the ground once more, only to find this collection of unnerving figures.

There may have been no humans around when Masanuki visited, but he could sure feel eyes on him everywhere he went. As a chill coursed its way down his spine, Masanuki hurriedly made his way back to his car, escaping this bizarre dreamworld before it swallowed him up and kept him there forever.

It’s definitely one of the weirdest spots Masanuki has ever visited, and that’s saying something, given that he’s previously visited odd places like this one, where fishy torii gates look out onto the sea.

Site information
Former Ogose Sake Brewery / 旧 越生酒造
Address: Saitama-ken, Iruma-gun, Ogose-cho, Ogose 851
埼玉県入間郡越生町越生851

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