THEME PARKS LET JAPANESE TRAVEL WITHOUT LEAVING HOME.

Byline: Eric Talmadge Associated Press 

Chiyoshi Ito sat in amazement, his mouth agape, his eyes wide.

He had already whiffed the exotic smell of kabobs and chai. He had strolled the bazaar with its stalls overflowing with fezzes, hookahs and ornate silver goblets. Now, as the belly dancer shimmied before him, he was beside himself with joy.

``I'm 75 and I've never seen anything like this before,'' he said. ``So this is Turkey!''

Not quite.

The idea may go back to the world fairs of old, but theme parks with a travel motif are the hottest new trend in Japan - pulling in millions of busy, frugal or just plain timid Japanese tourists each year.

There, without ever venturing beyond their island nation's borders, Japanese can marvel at the American Wild West, the Mongolian plains, even the Germany of the Brothers Grimm. The parks are incredibly elaborate - and expensive - mock-ups designed to make the visitor feel decidedly not at home.

``The whole idea is to breathe the soul of Turkey into our park,'' said Osamu Suzuki, spokesman for the Turkish Culture Village on a remote stretch of Japan's northern coast. ``Reality is everything.''

It worked for Jiro Okabe, a middle-age man who visited the park while in town on other business.

``I don't know if I'd ever want to go to Turkey, but I like the park,'' he said. ``I've never been outside Japan, but it made me feel a little like I was.''

Behind the popularity of the parks is the Japanese obsession with foreign travel.

A record 16.5 million Japanese - more than one of every 10 people in the country - will travel abroad this year, according to forecasts by the Japan Travel Bureau. They are also expected to spend more than ever, an average of 319,000 yen each, or about $3,200.

For hundreds of years, Japan's borders were closed to the world and citizens caught returning from trips abroad were killed. But at the turn of the century, Japan embarked on a successful policy of modernization and Westernization that has deeply changed the nation.

``We Japanese are fascinated with foreign countries and things,'' said Akira Tanaka, a spokesman for Niigata Russian Village, which is nestled among the rice paddies of northern Japan. ``It's part of our national character.''

Following closely behind Tokyo Disneyland  in popularity, two of Japan's five most successful theme parks are country-specific. One, in southern Japan, is patterned after a Dutch town, replete with windmills and tulips. The other, in central Japan, models the architecture of Spain. Together, the two draw 8 million visitors a year. Overall, attendance at ``travel parks'' is probably 10 million to 11 million a year.

Karita said the simulated enclaves of ethnicity also provide Japanese with a non-threatening break from their country's largely homogeneous social landscape.

``You would think there would be more opportunities for us to see foreigners, but there really aren't.'' Karita said. ``People like to interact with our foreign employees - that is one of the attractions of coming.''

That certainly was the case at Turkish Culture Village, at least in the belly dancing room.

Visitors pay a 900 yen ($9) entrance fee to shop in a mock-up of Istanbul's bazaar, join in folk and belly dances done by dancers direct from Turkey and dine on Turkish delicacies. Turkish Culture Village is the latest in the genre. Some 40,000 people have come since its opening in July, and more than 120,000 guests are expected in the first 12 months.

On Location

Here are some successful Japanese parks with international themes:

Canadian World: Nearly 120 acres of northern Hokkaido Island built to recall Prince Edward Island from 19th-century days of ``Anne of Green Gables,'' a literary favorite of many Japanese girls. Visitors can ride horses, shoot bows and arrows, hang out in the antique organ pavilion. Opened 1990; 140,000 visitors a year.

Glucks Kingdom: Also on Hokkaido, with theme of old Germany. Guests stroll on streets of 400-year-old German cobblestones in Grimm Village, go on fairground-style rides in Grimm Forest, dine on sauerkraut and beer at replica of Castle Bueckeburg. Opened 1989; 630,000 visitors a year.

Asia Park: In southern Japan, built around 20-minute boat ride past miniatures of Great Wall of China, Himalayan Mountains, India's Taj Mahal, Cambodia's Ankor Wat. Opened 1993; 570,000 visitors a year.

Yamaguchi New Zealand Village: Also in southern Japan, features thrills like ``sheep chasing'' and the ``Kiwi,'' a mini railway for kids. Opened 1990; 250,000 visitors a year.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: Chiyoshi Ito, right (with hat), claps his hands as belly dancer Ozge Yetisen from Turkey shimmies at the Turkish Culture Village.

Katsumi Kasahara/Associated Press

Box: On Location (See Text)