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All Japan Funato Kappa Park
AO Edited

Funato Kappa Park

A small park inhabited by handmade water goblins.

Sakura, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Kitschy, a little creepy.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Lake Imba-numa.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A nearby boat turned into a river weed biotope.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

On the southwestern edge of Lake Imba-numa, a small park is home to a gathering of goblins casted in stone.

Funato Kappa Park is home to a number of homemade statues of kappa, a water goblin from Japanese folklore. Depicted as humanoid amphibians with dishes on their heads, the kappa are known throughout Japan and believed to have an affinity for cucumbers, sumo wrestling, and shiriko-dama, a mythical organ found in the human anus.

Each statue at Funato Kappa Park is unique, varying greatly in style and demeanor. A few of them are indeed friendly-looking. Some are clearly female. One appears to have been turned to stone, while another seems to be plaster. 

Kappa are often depicted as friendly beings, but are sometimes used as a cautionary tale for children swimming in bodies of water. In some stories, kappa lure people into rivers and drown them.

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Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Published

February 26, 2025

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Funato Kappa Park
Sakura, 285-0861
Japan
35.745938, 140.179171

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