Spirited end: Hanayashiki's haunted house closes with a party

The haunted house inside Japan's oldest amusement park Hanayashiki is closing its doors forever on January 12. The Obake-yashiki ("ghost mansion") had been in operation for thirty years, but is now, to put it mildly, showing its age. Rather than renovating, Hanayashi has decided to shutter it once and for all. Ironically, the decrepit state of the attraction only serves to enhance the creepy atmosphere (and the Buddhist talismans tacked along the walls don't hurt either.)

For the final weekend, the spooky mansion will host a one-of-a-kind tachinomi "standing bar." This is a great chance to scare yourself silly while savoring a favorite beverage (which, given the location in Asakusa, should naturally be Hoppy.)

The Hanayashiki (literally, "flower mansion") opened in 1853 as a botanical garden. At first it was a quiet refuge for artisans, poets and high-ranking attendants of the Tokugawa Shogunate. But over the last 157 years, the park has changed faces as many times as it has changed hands. In the late 19th century it turned into a zoo. Then it was a venue for circus-style freak shows. In 1939, a new owner rechristened the fading park, somewhat optimistically, as "The Heavenly Land of Eateries and Amusement in Asakusa."

Finally in 1947, Hanayashiki became the amusement park we know and love -- eternally tiny, run-down and unrepentantly Asakusa-esque. By that we mean, there are often vagrants sipping cheap sake on nearby corners outside the gates. This weekend, you can join the fun and sip cheap sake within the gates.

There are only three conditions to the haunted house bar party. One, the rides will be closed. Two, the last entrance is at 7:30 pm. And three, the park assumes no responsibility for ghosts that follow you back home. They are being evicted, after all.

Haunted House Bar at Hanayashiki: Asakusa 2-28-1, Taito-ku, tel. 03 3842 8780, January 9-11, 5:30-8pm, entrance free (one drink minimum at ¥500), www.hanayashiki.net/obakeya.pdf