A recent video shared by the Facegook page Holguín en fotos shows the advanced state of neglect of the children's park El Mambisito, popularly known as the Japanese Park, located in the Mayabe Valley, about 10 kilometers from the city of Holguín.
The audiovisual journey shows a bleak landscape, with missing roofs, stolen benches, empty kiosks, and rides out of service in a recreational complex that for decades was one of the main entertainment destinations for families in Holguín.
The author of the video leaves no room for optimism. He describes the place as "completely abandoned" and believes that recovering it will be "extremely difficult in these times," a statement that encapsulates the sense of helplessness conveyed by the images.
Inaugurated approximately 41 years ago, El Mambisito opened its doors with free admission on its first day and tickets for the attractions costing just 20 cents.
In its prime, it featured small boats, flying bicycles, a funhouse, airplanes adorned with the colors of Cubana de Aviación, an ice cream parlor, and a train that were all part of the recreational imagination of several generations.
Today, however, much of that infrastructure has either disappeared or remains unused. According to the video, the only attraction that still seems to be operational is a manually operated flying chair, an image that for many encapsulates the decline of recreational infrastructure in the country.
Among the comments on the video is the testimony of a former health and safety technician who worked in the Mayabe Valley until 2022. He recounted that by then, the park still occasionally sold ice cream, although it was already barely "a shadow of its former self."
He also recalled that the original plans included the construction of a roller coaster, a project that never came to fruition.
Users' reactions combine personal memories with critiques of the accumulated decline. A resident of Holguín reminisced that he was 13 years old when the park was inaugurated and regretted that four decades later, "only the ruins of all the facilities remain."
"I worked there when it was founded; a sea of families would attend. It's sad to see the neglect that an iconic place of the Holguin community is experiencing," wrote another former employee of the park, summarizing the feelings of those who watched that childhood space grow and wither away.
Others reported that the place was quickly dismantled, and some even compared it to scenes of extreme abandonment like Chernobyl.
Beyond nostalgia, several comments draw parallels between the state of the park and the general situation in the country. "Cuba is in the same condition as the Japanese Park," wrote one user.
Another summarized the sentiment shared by many: "That park is a reflection of everything else."
One voice proposed, however, a concrete solution: "I do know how it can be restored, simply by privatizing it and returning it to its former glory."
The case of Mambisito is not an isolated one. The well-known City of Parks is experiencing a series of collapses in 2026.
The Los Caballitos park has been turned into a dump, while the Sports Ateneo appeared with pools of putrid water and weeds, while streets are covered with garbage and sewage.
El Mambisito had partial recoveries in the past. The provincial station Radio Angulo reported its reopening in July 2023 with repaired attractions, and in July 2024, provincial authorities toured the facilities under the slogan Summer Mode. The recent video shows that none of those interventions were sustainable.
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