Uzumasa Kyoto Village

Uzumasa Kyoto Village, until 2026 Toei Kyoto Studio Park, is a theme park on the open-air sets of the Toei Kyoto Studio in Uzumasa, Kyoto. Its streets are built as Edo-period Kyoto, and films and television dramas are still shot on them. The park reopened after a renewal on 28 March 2026, now aimed more at adults, and a second phase is due to open in spring 2027.

History

Kyoto is called the birthplace of Japanese film: in 1897 Inabata Katsutaro, back from France, gave the first showing in Japan of the Lumiere brothers' cinematograph there. In 1926 the 24-year-old actor Bando Tsumasaburo cleared a bamboo grove in Uzumasa for a studio. Others followed, up to eight studios at the peak, and Uzumasa came to be called the Hollywood of Japan. Their main genre was jidaigeki (時代劇), period drama, mostly set in the Edo period.

When television cut film production, the Toei Kyoto Studio opened its outdoor sets to the public in 1975 as Toei Uzumasa Eigamura, the first theme park in Japan where visitors could watch filming as it happened. The studio has made more than 2,000 films and over 9,000 television episodes.

The town

The streets were built by the studio's own staff. Karasu Street, the main street, is lined with long-established Kyoto shops and restaurants; Oike Street has Edo buildings such as a bathhouse (yuya, 湯屋) facing a bridge; Mugen pond reflects lanterns at night. Otemon Plaza holds the main stage, and the samurai residences (bukeyashiki, 武家屋敷) are open only to adults in the evening. The open sets change with each production and are closed while filming or preparation is under way.

Attractions

Paid attractions include a ninja trick house, the ninja game Ninja Battle Uzumasa Oni Kessen, a three-dimensional maze, a haunted house set at the Ichijo Modoribashi bridge, a climbing course and a mystery game about the Shinsengumi. Shows are staged through the day, and visitors can rent kimono or be dressed as period-drama characters.