Comments on Orange County Memories: Japanese Village and Deer Park

I visited Enchanted Village (from Tucson, Az.) in ...

2010-11-27T23:50:24.737-08:00

I visited Enchanted Village (from Tucson, Az.) in the summer of '77. I still have a postcard of the Wilderness Theater. I hadn't realized it closed that fall and was only open for about 1 1/2 years.

When our family moved back to Orange County after ...

2010-09-22T22:15:17.322-07:00

When our family moved back to Orange County after my husband got transferred from his job in San Diego to Buena Park, the boys and I visited the Japanese Deer Park. The park was a lovely place. I thought it would be a good idea to buy yearly passes, just as we had done at Sea World when we lived in San Diego. Before we left the park at the end of our first visit, we bought the passes and had our pictures taken for them. Within the week, we read in the newspaper that the park was closing immediately. We had purchased very expensive ID cards, but the saddest part was the loss of being able to return to such a beautiful world.
Connie Stafford Van Horn
Fullerton Union High School
Class of '53

I remember Japanese Deer Park. Feeding the Koi and...

2010-08-26T12:29:36.259-07:00

I remember Japanese Deer Park. Feeding the Koi and the Deer, watching an audience member (did he really work there?) wrestle a bear, the sea theater show mentioned above and the overall beauty of the park.

I remember Japanese Deer Park. Feeding the Koi and...

2010-08-11T13:15:29.076-07:00

I remember Japanese Deer Park. Feeding the Koi and the Deer, watching an audience member (did he really work there?) wrestle a bear, alot of other memories mentioned above and the overall beauty of the park. Truly a Park like no other in it's time. I know it is long gone but I fondly remember it.

Knotts Berry Farm....I remember when it was just a...

2010-08-07T16:41:48.319-07:00

Knotts Berry Farm....I remember when it was just a Chicken Restaurant and a phony graveyard with a voice behind some bars in the makeshift "jail." Admission was.....drum roll....FREE! Then because too many hippies started hanging out there overnight, they beefed up security and began charging fifty cents for admission. My how it's changed.

My grandmother and I are making a list of all the ...

2010-06-01T20:32:12.696-07:00

My grandmother and I are making a list of all the places we have ever been. I remembered the Deer Park, but couldn't remember its name, but I remembered it was Asian themed. Thank heaven for Google. I don't remember much about it, as I was quite little, but I do remember we found out I was allergic to deer. And I also remember the fuji folk.

I was just watching an episode of Mission Impossib...

2010-03-27T20:40:21.229-07:00

I was just watching an episode of Mission Impossible that was filmed there 1970 episode entitled butterfly.

Supposedly where it existed is now George Bellis Park

::Mel tirado:: Anyone have pictures of when they w...

2010-01-08T10:58:32.287-08:00

::Mel tirado::
Anyone have pictures of when they were there?

::MEL TIRADO:: I remember sitting in the stands wa...

2010-01-08T10:57:23.880-08:00

::MEL TIRADO::
I remember sitting in the stands watching the Whale show; I recall the large characters in traditional white face with kimono on. I recently lived, apparently, right around the corner from where it was and now know older friends who worked at "Japanese Village" when they were young teens...their experiences there were one of the best in their lives.

Japanese Village still lives on in Cypress! My de...

2009-05-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Japanese Village still lives on in Cypress!

My dentist office has a large Choi pond. I was told this week that many of the Choi still living in the pond came from Japanese Village when they closed.

My first job in high school was was at JV in the l...

2009-04-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

My first job in high school was was at JV in the late 60's and it was the best job I ever had. It really did not seem like work and I have friends from those days I still have today. It was a very unique and peaceful place.

I enjoyed reading through all of the reminisces of...

2008-09-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed reading through all of the reminisces of this magical little village now lost to time. I was reminded of the park while shopping at a local Japanese market (in Cypress) where the familiar aura of serenity made me think back to those days and to that wonderous place.

I grew up in La Palma and had the occasion to visit JV two or three times in the early 70's. I, too, have fond memories of the cultural plunge which offered me the chance to get a small glimpse into a far away world, in a time when a few miles seemed to be another world. My brother and I (and a few friends) used to ride double on our bikes the three or four miles through unfamiliar neighborhoods in order to buy exotic trinkets like the little brass incense burners and cone incense that sold in the little stalls just outside of the the paid admission area of the park. In the days when a five bucks seemed like a pile of money, you could get some real cheap, mostly free, wholesome entertainment just looking through and taking home the brochures located prior to the entrance at Knott's Berry Farm and other attractions. A cheap day was feeding the ducks or paying a quarter to race around Jungle Island at Knott's or a a bike trek to the Deer Park. Half of day we'd spend riding to and from the park, and for a few hours we'd lap up the fascinations that meet our eyes before deciding upon which treasures we'd be handing over our pockets full of change for.

What a magical time it was, and what a wonderous, uncluttered place was our beautiful Orange County. If they could have held out until the invention of California rolls...maybe our little dream world would still be here and that industrial blight more than a few bike-rides away. Thanks for he memories!

I enjoyed reading through all of the reminisces of...

2008-09-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

I remember going there in the early 70's I had my ...

2008-08-28T03:13:00.000-07:00

I remember going there in the early 70's I had my first taste of sushi as an 8yo and just about blew chunks.. oddly enough I love sushi now. the trip down the 91 freeway seemed to take ages back then ,"from gardena"
but now I really wish the alligator farm and the deer park where still there.

Does anyone actually know the birth & death da...

2008-04-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

Does anyone actually know the birth & death dates of the park?

I started going to JV as a small boy when it had j...

2008-04-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

I started going to JV as a small boy when it had just opened. I remember wandering off during a park expantion and petting the dolphins since you could walk right up to the tank before the stadium was built! I developed a true love of all things Japanese because of that park. I loved the gardens & have several photos of them, would love to post them here. I tend to get these memories mixed up with Sea World San Diego since they also had Japanese Gardens & a pearl diving lagoon in it's first days. I love to go back there as a lot of those gardens are still there though the divers are long gone. I also went to JV in 4th grade for a field trip as we were studying Japan. I never went there after it turned into Enchantged Village & I'm glad I didn't see that pathetic attempt to resurect the park, it was truly a One of a kind, and we'll probably never see anything like it again.

Our family took several trips to Japanese Village ...

2008-03-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Our family took several trips to Japanese Village in the 70s (during the Fuji Folk era). There was deer petting, koi ponds, karate demos, oyster diving, traditional music. We usually did a one-two punch of Wax Museum + the Village. I think I underestimated the impact of that place on my lifelong love for Japanese culture.

Looking back, the Fuji Folk were pretty much demeaning Asian caricatures. But then again, that was the era of Sambo's Restaurants.

When I got married, we lived in an apartment building that was connected to a Japanese garden and pavilion with koi - it always reminded me of JV (except no deer!)

I remember the Japanese Village and Deer Park as o...

2008-03-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

I remember the Japanese Village and Deer Park as one of yesteryear OC's most faboulous attractions. My Grandma used to take me there back in the late 1960's-early 70's. We went to have tea and see the many shows they had. My favorite was the karate show where the karate masters would try to break wood in half. I do remember the show where one of the karate masters injured his fingers. The kids in the audience roared with laughter!!! That was one of the things I loved about this place...nothing was rehersed, new unexpected events happened every time I went. I loved the doves and the koi fish. My grandma had to drag me out of the dove gardens...I was so enchanted by the fact that the doves would fly to you and just sit on your lap while you stroked their feathers when they ate from your hand. Grammy always put a newspaper over her head and was afraid one of the doves would poop on her new hair do. So, as you can imagine she wanted to get us out of there as soon as possible. We both liked feeding the koi fish. I now have a lifelong love and affection for Koi fish because of this place and plan on having a koi garden in my backyard some day . I will dedicate it in memory of the JV and the memories 35 years can not erode. And also to my Grandma whom wanted me to learn about world cultures...whom is sadly in her declining years...age 91. May this OC live on in all our hearts and never die.
Maybe some day they will realize that golf courses, condos and business parks will never equal the value of a child's education and respect for the world around them or the laughter. JV and Marineland made that real to generations of kids.
Shame on developers!!!
Now all kids have are concrete and gangs. Instead of generations of future scientists and cultural experts we have kids in prisons or cemeteries. We need a revival of rebuilding some of these places. Boomer OC Girl

I can remember having a family outing at a near-by...

2008-03-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

I can remember having a family outing at a near-by park that was by the Deer Park(the name had changed to Enchanted Village) My cousin had scouted out possible entrances into the park without paying(sorry I was still a child when I went on this adventure) We sneaked through one of the theatres into the park. I can remember watching a show that I think featured some swamp creature. I remember they had a television commercial about this show. I can remember playing Japanese pochinko machines. My brother filled out a comment form. In the form he stated
that we had sneaked into the park without paying.

A colleague at work just reminded me of Japanese D...

2008-01-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

A colleague at work just reminded me of Japanese Deer Park and all the memories flooded back! It was something that I had completely forgotten about until he mentioned it. This website is wonderful and I loved reading everyone's memories of this lovely place. I'm sure I have photos of my brother and I feeding deer there. Since we are half Japanese, I remember taking particular pride in elegant, serene and exotic culture of the park. I was so very sad to hear about what happened to the deer, however. Thanks for all these wonderful childhood memories!

The Japanese Village and Deer Park was owned and b...

2007-11-28T14:13:00.000-08:00

The Japanese Village and Deer Park was owned and built by a chemist named Allen Parkinson. He is the same person that owned and built the Movieland Wax Museum. He sold both businesses in a package deal to The Great Southwest Corporation (the parent company to Six Flags) around 1975.
The Great Southwest Corporation wanted the Movieland Wax Museum and as soon as they could, closed the Japanese Village and sold its assets.
The Park did not close because of the deer. Yes, the deer had developed an animal version of TB. It was not contageous to humans, but could spread to other animals. It was purely an economic decision because it was no longer profitable.

I was sitting here reminiscing about places I had ...

2007-10-10T02:50:00.000-07:00

I was sitting here reminiscing about places I had visited as a child and thought I'd see if I could find any information online. I began with Pacific Ocean Park and then Japanese Village came to mind. After reading all of the blog entries I ran to find an older photo album of mine, to see what memories had been documented from my visit. Being the amateur photographer, my collection consisted of sixteen photos, fourteen of which were taken at the bear attraction.
I have vivid memories of the pearl divers, the parasols, feeding the deer, the koi, and the food. I remember a somewhat serene area too. The only souvenir I had was a beautiful bracelet, which must be in some other little girl's jewelry box.
I would love to see photos, other than trained bears, to see if additional memories could be sparked.

Wow, I remember going to Japanese Deer Park! I alw...

2007-09-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, I remember going to Japanese Deer Park! I always thought it was so far...I grew up in Newport and what I remember the most were all the Seals in the big pool right in the middle! I think this is how Seals became my favorite animal now Dolphins are my favorite! Yep, they also had a Dolphin show and I also remember a really Deep pool with some kind of whale but I'm not sure what type.

anybody ever feed the pandas? now THAT was cool. ....

2007-09-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

anybody ever feed the pandas? now THAT was cool. ... . .

I loved the place! I remember feeding the Koi, De...

2007-09-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

I loved the place! I remember feeding the Koi, Deer & watching Karate shows. I saw Jan & Dean singing in concert there after the accident that one of them was affected by. I believe one of the reasons the Park didn't get the attendance to keep it going was the Japanese theme. At the time the U.S. thought the whole world revolved around it. Foreign culture wasn't as popular as it is now. No one would ever think of eating Sushi, Falafel, Yogurt, Espresso..etc..