Sega World Tomioka
From Sega Retro
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| Sega World Tomioka |
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| Location: 福島県双葉郡富岡町大字本岡字新夜ノ森531-3, Japan |
| Opened: 1995 |
| Closed: 2011-03-11 |
Sega World Tomioka (セガワールド 富岡) was a former Japanese Sega World venue. Opened in 1995 and built by Higashi Nihon Daiwa,[1] the game center was one of several opened by Sega in Fukushima, surviving past numerous restructures in the company and receiving a remodelling in the mid 2000s.
In March 2011, the building was among many abandoned in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. It has since gained notoriety through the dark tourism phenomenon, and has been featured in news coverage, exploration videos, and 2018 Netflix series Dark Tourist.
Sega World Tomoika was reported to be in the process of being demolished during November 2020. Its former site is now a vacant lot.
History
Beginning in the late 1980s and growing considerably during the 1990s, Sega's amusement operations division had undertaken numerous openings of new, family-friendly game centers in Japan, most frequently under the suburban chain of Sega World venues.[2] Opened sometime in 1995 and built by Higashi Nihon Daiwa,[1] Sega World Tomoika was one of hundreds of similar arcades across the country. It subsequently survived Sega's late 1990s/early 2000s restructuring, in which over 200 of the company's then-800+ venues in Japan were closed.[3] Sometime before mid-2006, the game center's exterior was repainted.
Due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Sega World Tomoika was forcibly closed on March 11, 2011. Although originally shut for repairs from the hit of the earthquake, the arcade never reopened after the accident.[4] The building was initially placed within the Red Zone after the resultant radiation; it remained standing with all its machines intact, eventually gaining notoriety among dark tourism explorers. Its grounds were featured in several video shoots by popular YouTube personalities,[5] mainstream news coverage by the Daily Mail,[6] and the second episode of 2018 Netflix series Dark Tourism.[7]
In November 2020, it was revealed that Sega World Tomoika was finally in the process of being demolished,[8] following years of structural decline and the gradual lifting of restrictions by the Japanese government on the surrounding areas. As of August 2021, the former site of the venue is now a vacant lot.[9]
Branding
| Name | Branding | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Sega World Tomioka (セガワールド 富岡) | Sega World | 1995 |
| Closed | 2011-03-11 | |
Gallery
Bird's eye view of the venue.
The view on August 22, 2011 after the disaster.
The view on the 23rd May, 2016.
The dismantling in November 2020.
Alternate view of dismantling.
External links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://surfsidesports-nssc.com/about/ (Wayback Machine: 2020-10-22 14:21)
- ↑ https://blog.goo.ne.jp/lemon6868/e/c05a21f4c655a617cf9ce433e0651744 (Wayback Machine: 2021-05-07 02:05)
- ↑ File:AnnualReport1999 English.pdf, page 14
- ↑ http://location.sega.jp/loc_web/sw_tomioka.html (Wayback Machine: 2011-07-12 14:37)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82ymuhVBStQ
- ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6751071/Inside-Fukushimas-red-zone-Abandoned-SEGA-arcade-covered-radioactive-dust.html (Wayback Machine: 2019-03-03 06:22)
- ↑ https://www.netflix.com/title/80189791 (Wayback Machine: 2020-02-23 18:50)
- ↑ @y_niki on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2020-11-26 13:04)
- ↑ https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B021'35.6%22N+141%C2%B000'37.1%22E/@37.3599346,141.0099858,3a,75y,91.99h,90t