Jump to content
  TPR Home | Parks | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram 

Photo TR - Xcoaster in Japan - Culture/Studio Ghibli Museum


Recommended Posts

Update #1 - Seibuen Yuenchi - 11/21/11 - Star Kingdom Lights

Update #2 - Fuji-Q - 11/20/11 - Takabisha

Update #3 - Studio Ghibli Day 11/24/11

 

So I've made three trips to Japan in the past couple years for work, the last two within a just a few months of each other, and each time I'd try to hit up parks when I had free time on the weekends, or at the end of the trip. The first trip I visited most of the Tokyo area parks, the second trip I did some near Nagoya and Osaka, plus DisneySea again, and on this last trip I did a little more Tokyo and Nagoya. I've yet to submit any Photo TRs for these trips (or any trips, actually - this is my first TR here), so I'll probably be doing all three in this topic, starting with the most recent trip, and moving backwards.

 

Anyways, on the first day of this most recent trip I actually revisited Fuji-Q, but given that today is Christmas, I thought it'd be more fitting to start this topic with my second day instead, at Seibuen Yuenchi's Star Kingdom Christmas light event.

 

So on 21 Nov 2011 after work I decided to make a quick trip to Seibuen Yuenchi, since it had one of the last of the larger Tokyo-area credits that I was missing, and it was open late this particular evening (until 9:00 pm). As it turns out, they were open late for their Star Kingdom Christmas light event, which meant they'd also have only a limited number of attractions open (9, I think - only a few less than normal). The price for admission and rides was only 1500 yen (I think), which was a nice surprise when I arrived, especially after my train was delayed for nearly an hour on the way there (I had expected I'd be paying for admission and then per ride).

 

Upon arriving I first went to Loop Screw to get my coaster credit. I was expecting a simple Arrow loopscrew type layout, but much of the layout was actually more in line with the typical jet coaster, with a number of drops through the trees, a little airtime, and even a threading-the-loop moment. The trains were a bit cramped, but it was overall much smoother than I expected, and all-around a pretty fun ride. This is also the coaster famous for its queue line chairs - instead of a normal line they have row after row of chairs that you sit on while you wait - I'd expect one row is loaded per train. The park was pretty empty, so I never got the full "sitting in line" experience, but I had both rides in the front seat instead. After that I wandered around the park, found that the kiddie credit, Hello Kitty Angel Coaster, was closed, did the mirror maze, re-rode Loop Screw, and rode the ferris wheel just before the park closed and I had to take the train back.

 

On an interesting note, this park is operated by and serviced by the Seibu train company (see, Seibuen Yuenchi, where Yuenchi means "amusement park"), making it akin to America's trolley parks of old (one remaining example is Idlewild). I rode a Seibu line on the way to the park, so I guess I got the full experience (It may have been a JR train that I got stuck on though).

 

Anyways, next up I'll do some backtracking and take care of the Fuji-Q update.

1DSCN8831.thumb.JPG.ba2b774da9a8bf3bce0d2fb9d2b7c911.JPG

The light "fountains" turn on in sequence so that it looks like they're traveling down the hill into the pool.

2aDSCN8851.thumb.JPG.f554e246a6fc35636f8c1f8dd36fcfbe.JPG

Looking down from the hill at the nicest lit section of the park.

2DSCN8819_v2.thumb.jpg.40d40b1b9f375b655affaf7419e4a086.jpg

3DSCN8808.thumb.JPG.04959bc26a670c085dd8d3bb4407f0b3.JPG

Looking back from the carousel toward the hill

4DSCN8816.thumb.JPG.e68b992f026e012b029ba86553093e3f.JPG

Shiny!

5DSCN8815.thumb.JPG.a60c4d8fdd9affe06e64f889ce265937.JPG

The carousel building is neat looking. The lighted "water" comes down and surrounds it. I imagine they use standard tap water the rest of the year.

7DSCN8751.thumb.JPG.996bfd9ddefc9dfc639e98b38446dceb.JPG

The carousel setup was pretty cool. It reminded me of something whimsical that you'd see at Efteling.

6DSCN8806.thumb.JPG.050d7b9dc08e14373f418ecb23b60b8f.JPG

8DSCN8770.thumb.JPG.ca6700017d52fac7dfaf08a8d57ec108.JPG

9DSCN8776.thumb.JPG.b7703d6723a3245451dcb25aca06b534.JPG

They had bonfires set up for folks to gather around. A nice touch, especially since it was fairly chilly out.

9DSCN8780.thumb.JPG.ab594a0bb6f7d86f5f492573f3ba51ca.JPG

I rode the ferris wheel later.

10DSCN8791.thumb.JPG.c214d043f0748dad3f29790ac39b4d76.JPG

Hello Kitty Angel Coaster was closed; one less credit for me, sad. Not sure if it was closed for the season (not unusual in Japan, it seems), or just for the evening. I'm guessing the latter, and I feel getting to see the park lit up was a certainly a fair trade for a kiddie credit.

11DSCN8798.thumb.JPG.33b4ee53513c009f5a1cf3426bf1ff52.JPG

The observation tower was open, but I didn't get to it.

12DSCN8735.thumb.JPG.096fb19a9234a295ede79ecf574070e1.JPG

I think the swinging ship was open too.

13DSCN8737.thumb.JPG.c2a25c258a9e93ab3dde2c21d8ee4dc6.JPG

Some of the trees had buttons where people could change the lights.

13bDSCN8723.thumb.JPG.78d588435c30202306d8abfd6e813f10.JPG

Looking down the hill. I don't think I ever got around to walking up through this part.

14DSCN8725.thumb.JPG.6c8b921f185e588c3653da293821030a.JPG

15DSCN8710.thumb.JPG.c66648172eb029d4faf54601a6798d8c.JPG

Looking toward Loop Screw's station

16aDSCN8869.thumb.JPG.e158a572672a56bd290ebf8382370471.JPG

Loop Screw's famous seated queue line. Not a bad idea, really, especially since it's covered.

17DSCN8697.thumb.JPG.5b8905f6da7ddcfddd9db5f6493af2b9.JPG

I had the coaster all to myself. Actually, on my second ride I had a couple other people show up to ride with me.

16DSCN8699.thumb.JPG.59cac6d035c87e843426c2d46291e8b5.JPG

The coaster train and station. Looks like I must have ridden on the right side this time, I did the other side later.

18DSCN8703.thumb.JPG.a2d35175a21b1f2e40da47109cea9890.JPG

Threading the loop on Loop Screw (apologies for the quality)

DSCN8825_v2.thumb.jpg.ed301339b36c01c6e754eb5c526bf7b8.jpg

One of the hillsides covered in lights

DSCN8855.thumb.JPG.c5ea48bb4feb26ef9b73089bcb924cac.JPG

Japan's ubiquitous ride-able animals

DSCN8859.thumb.JPG.abc16a7983c3772f63672fbc9a51f281.JPG

The park's covered arcade area

DSCN8860.thumb.JPG.d02e3655e0e8a20e74b2bd3a84773235.JPG

Looking down the green lighted path

DSCN8864.thumb.JPG.868560ac499511098cf20eb9bea7e024.JPG

The park also had a small mirror maze, themed to an enchanted forest.

DSCN8866.thumb.JPG.98215cf6811d31252d0e9732f2c7fd9f.JPG

DSCN8867.thumb.JPG.dbf3b7dc2d061575a046d14a1019b44b.JPG

At the end of the short maze you come across a dragon egg.

DSCN8902.thumb.JPG.d4236ac391d2d7864a907d3b15b622b0.JPG

Looking at the surrounding city from the ferris wheel.

DSCN8928.thumb.JPG.c68b4fd9dcca56f2f5da937068a257b2.JPG

Looking down on the park from the ferris wheel, you get a good feel for the park layout. It's pretty small.

DSCN8935.thumb.JPG.c4bceaea221ff8cd717d7d5bf73fb56b.JPG

Looking down at the park using different settings on my camera. Later in the trip I fiddled my camera some more and finally figured out how to take somewhat decent low-light pictures, but for all the theme parks it's the usual blurry goodness.

Edited by Xcoaster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 45
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Wow.

 

A totally different-looking park

with all those thousands of lights on.

 

I like the idea of allowing visitors to change

the colours or patterns of a display,

with a button. Very nice 'touch,' heh heh.

 

Thanks for sharing your photos.

The park really looks amazing!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

So on Sunday, 21 Nov 2011, my first full day of this third Japan trip, (Seibuen Yuenchii was actually day two, I posted it early for the Christmas tie-in), I headed back to Fuji-Q to try Takabisha. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of again trying to visit on a weekend, so lines were much worse than during my last visit on 4 Sep 2010. Since I didn't have much time for photos this time, I'm actually going to combine my 2010 photos with my most recent ones, since neither have yet to be posted here, and it gives a better view of the park. The main differences are that this time Takabisha existed, the weather was clear and cool versus cloudy and hot, and this time we had some fall colors.

 

So here's a quick rundown on this last trip. I got up early thanks to 1st day jet-lag, and was able to catch the 7:30 bus from Yokohama to Fuji-Q. It was scheduled to get in a little after 10:00, but it actually made it there nearly half an hour early (traffic made the return trip a lot longer). On my previous trip I took the train and didn’t get to the park until around 1:00 (partly because I had a later start), so I’d highly recommend taking the bus instead. On arriving I picked up my return bus ticket at the shop where it drops you off, looked around in the big main entrance store for a bit (it was all new to me - the train entrance was over by Eejanaika), and discovered the line to buy tickets was about 20 minutes long. I finally made it into the park around 10:20, and headed straight for the fastpass booth. It was only about half an hour after opening at this point and many time slots were already sold out, but I got one for Takabisha from 3:00-4:00 (I should’ve gotten more tickets for other rides, as I came back later and almost everything was sold out). Anyways, my main reason for coming here was to ride Takabisha, and I didn’t want to risk waiting until 3:00 (especially since the weather forecast had a small chance of rain), so I decided to get in line and make sure I got at least one ride.

 

The wait for Takabisha ended up being about 1:50, as was posted. There’s an outdoor queue that takes about an hour, then the queue goes around and through the station building. Once you’re at the station they have you put your stuff in a free locker, then queue up for your row. For my first ride I got in the second row, third seat from the left (2:3). They were fairly quick with loading, even with the extra buckles on the restraints and having to hold up dispatch while they make their safety announcement.

 

The ride starts off indoors with a left turn and a quick drop, followed by a high-banked turn to the right, which transitions gracefully into the barrel roll (it’s a bit like combining Mystery Mine’s start with Hydra’s). You then touch some brakes, have another sharp drop, and hit the fairly forceful launch. After that it was mostly just a jumble of different inversions, but I guess the first one was some kind of hang-time filled giant loop/corkscrew, which actually felt a bit like a Premier top-hat. Then there’s what I think is called the banana roll, which felt like an abbreviated cobra roll. Afterwards you hit the giant corkscrew (more hang-time), followed by a lovely non-inverting corkscrew airtime hill, and another pop going into the brakes prior to the vertical lift. The “world’s steepest drop” was slowed quite a lot by the brakes on the angled section prior to going over the edge. As such, the beyond vertical section was much smoother and more comfortable than most extra-steep drops, but it also wasn’t particularly forceful, especially when compared to similar drops elsewhere (later I felt a bit more of a “pop” when I came back and rode in the front). After the drop there’s a giant dive loop, a tophat, and an immelman, followed by the final brake-run. Again, it was a disorienting combination of inversions, and each had fantastic hang-time.

 

Overall the ride reminded me a lot of Maverick’s basic concept, but with Fahrenheit’s elements instead of all the twisty bits (and with a light seasoning of other elements taken from Mystery Mine, dive machines, Hydra, and Bizarro). It had great flow, tons of hang-time during the giant inversions, and a superb combination of disorienting elements. However, for being the signature element of the ride, I felt the drop wasn’t one of its best features. It’s plenty fun, but the brakes just kind of let you slide over the edge, which kills most of the forces you’d otherwise expect on any other dive machine or Euro Fighter. I actually felt the first half of the ride prior to the lift was the best, as I greatly enjoyed the indoor barrel roll, launch, three inversion combo, and twisty airtime hill. Still, the last three inversions were also pretty cool, since they felt like a giant Norwegian loop with a tophat stuck in the middle. The ride was very smooth in both rows, no head banging (maybe a little more jolting in front), which is great since Eurofighters can sometimes be rough right from the start (Huracan, Untamed), or have their bumpy sections (Mystery Mine). Overall I’d rank it as one of one of my favorite multiloopers, and easily among the top 5 coasters in Japan (though honestly Japan has probably less than 10 world class coasters in the country, with most spread between Parque Espana, Fuji-Q, and USJ).

 

After Takabisha I had some takoyaki and chicken-on-a-stick as a quick lunch, then queued up for Eejanaika. Its wait was posted as 1:30, but ended up being less than an hour, making it the shortest wait of the day. Eejanaika is still a favorite steel of mine, and it even seemed a little smoother than on my last visit, but it could’ve just been where I was sitting. I rode in the back row, inside seat, on the right side (the side facing the ride entrance, so 5:3, I think). The roughness is about on par with X2, maybe a bit worse since it does more, and with the older trains. I didn’t notice much different from X2 during the first drop, maybe the rotation at the bottom. After that, during the raven turn the seats flip completely around, but I personally prefer X2’s simpler raven turn for its flying sensation (one of my favorite coaster moments). The full-full was very impressive, and the turn-around is smoother and much more interesting than X2’s. The rest of the ride seems basically comparable with X2. Overall they’re very similar rides with the exception of the full-full, except that Eejanaika generally seems to take the 4D concept even further, fitting extra rotations in whenever possible, whereas X2 seems to rely more on the wingrider aspects, highlighting the soaring sensations. Also, I though Eejanaika’s flow and transitions were a bit better. I’ve got no clear preference between the two (maybe slightly toward Eejanaika), making both among my favorites.

 

After Eejanaika I still had an hour until my fastpass was good for another ride on Takabisha, so I wanted to try Fujiyama again. I didn’t get a real strong impression of it last time, except for the terrible transitions at the end, so I was looking forward to trying it again. Last time it had only about a 30 minute queue, so I wasn’t too worried about the 1:30 posted wait time. Unfortunately, I hadn’t noticed that it was only running one train today, so the wait ended up being closer to 2:15. The line itself wasn’t terribly long, but between the single train and horrendous operations, it took a while. As with elsewhere in Japan, they usually didn’t start filling the station until the train arrived, or was unloaded. Once they start lining up passengers, there’s no choice of seating, as you’re expected to fill the train from front to back (I ended up somewhere in the middle – I tried for the back but got reprimanded, slowing the line down further – sorry…). I guess this rule makes sense for certain crowds, since they place a high priority on keeping groups together, and this is the easiest method for that goal. They use Japan’s ubiquitous free lockers in the station, which I actually like when they’re implemented correctly (as on Eejanaika). Here they’re on the other side of the station, so you have to go across the train, empty your pockets (they’re very serious here about bringing nothing with you – another slow down), get your locker key, and return to the train. And as you'll find elsewhere here, they make a point of holding the loaded train in the station while they make safety announcements. I timed each train cycle at about 7 minutes. In Japan’s defense, most of their operations do make some sense from a safety perspective, it just puts them at the opposite end of the spectrum from Germany when it comes to efficiency (I’d say the US is in-between somewhere – also trying to make everything lawyer-proof, but still maintaining a decent efficiency). And while Fuji-Q seems to really exemplify these issues, most of Japan’s parks do tend to follow the same pattern, they just don’t seem to get the same crowds where it becomes such an issue.

 

As for the ride, it’s a bit like Togo was trying to make an early Intamin hyper/giga using Arrow track. It starts off with a few fun drops and a slow turnaround, but it quickly goes into a layout of high banked turnarounds, quick direction changes, and some decent drops. The ending is filled with what seem to be their early attempt at the non-inverting corkscrew, but the bad transitions make this the deadliest part of the ride, even if it is kind of amusing. Overall it’s a long ride and pretty fun, so it’s up there with Magnum and Steel Force for one of my favorite “retro hypers” (I’m putting the newer Morgans, like Steel Dragon 2000 and Phantom’s Revenge, into the better designed and more prestigious “modern hyper” category).

 

After that unexpected long wait it was about 4:20, so I missed the 3-4pm return window on my Takabisha fastpass, but I decided to check anyways. I showed my ticket to the attendant outside the station, and he motioned me toward the station. Once I got to loading area the attendant there took my ticket, and I was ready to ride. I’m not sure if they were being flexible with the return time or if they just didn’t check. Either way, I considered myself lucky. This time around I found another odd Fuji-Q loading procedure. I was originally queued up to ride in the front row on the left outside seat (1:1), but once we were seated they had me switch seats with the couple next to me, so that I was sitting in the third seat from the left (1:3). I think the reasoning here is that the on-ride photo actually gives you two photos, one of the entire car, and one zoomed in on groups of two. If we’d gone with the original seating arrangement, the zoomed in picture would’ve been of me and the person next to me, instead of taking a picture of the two of them. Now I’m not sure why they made us switch seats instead of them just moving over a seat, but I assume that was their reasoning.

 

At this point I has less than a couple hours before the park closed and my bus left, and I didn’t want to risk waiting in line for Dodonpa, since last time it seemed to have the slowest line. Plus, while the launch and sensation of speed are very impressive, I wasn’t terribly eager for another punch to the gut on the tophat. So since more coasters seemed to be out, my next priority was hitting some of the walkthroughs, which were all new to me. Mostly I was interested in the Evangelion: World walkthrough inside the former Zola 7 building, since it was based on an anime series I used to watch. It mostly featured recreations of locations from the series, and sculptures of the characters, but the big draw was the life size giant robots from the series. Granted, one was only a head, and the other was just that plus the torso, but they were pretty cool. The larger of the two (EVA-01) played a little show occasionally, with some narration from the series, and some light and fog effects to make it seem like it was going berserk.

 

After the Evangelion thing I figured I'd check on some of the other rides and walkthroughs. First I went to Thomas Town, since they appear to have a darkride, but everything there was closed. After that, the Haunted Hospital walkthough was closed, as was the Coffin Ride, and the GeGeGe no Kitaro walkthrough. This was all about an hour before park closing, so fair warning, don't plan on doing much at the end of the day. Before finally heading back to the bus stop I picked up a Takabisha shirt, an Eejanaika cell-phone charm (shaped like one of the coaster cars, complete with spinning seats), and a Fujiyama cell-phone charm (shaped like one of the H.R. Giger coaster car). While waiting at the bus stop I talked with a couple, and learned that the expression for asking if a ride was scary in Japanese translates roughly into English as “did you die?” Otherwise smartphones (or an iPod touch in my case) made communication between us relatively pain-free, even though we all had very little knowledge of the others language.

 

In the future, I'd recommend the following plan to maximum your potential at what can often be a very difficult park to plan for. Try to plan your visit for a rain-free, non-holiday weekday. Check their website for planned ride closures. Either take an early bus there, or stay in a nearby hotel the night before so that you're at the park early. If possible, I’d recommend taking the train or a later bus back so that you can get some last minute rides in before park closing (I probably could’ve gotten another coaster in if I wasn’t worried about missing my bus – that’s how I managed Eejanaika on my first visit). And if you can buy tickets online, it may save you some vital time in line. This is all mostly general common sense park knowledge, but here any little bit helps.

 

Lastly, once you're in the park, head straight for the fastpass booth located between the wild mouse and the carousel. Tickets cost 1000 yen per ride (about $12), each ticket is good for a specified 1 hour window (they might be flexible if miss your window, but don't risk it), and they sell out quick. I recommend going there first thing before they start selling out, and getting one ticket for each major coaster. It's not cheap, but each one will probably save you 1-3 hours of wait time, which might be necessary just to get the credits, not to mention enjoying the rest of your day (and really, what's that extra expense on top of everything else just to get to the park?). With that done, you're almost guaranteed to ride the major coasters with minimal wait (barring weather and Fuji-Q eccentricities), so you can either try out some of the smaller stuff (my plan for next time), or use the tickets for rerides later. Either way, having at least a couple fastpasses will make your day go from hectic and possibly disappointing, to only mildly frustrating, or possibly even pleasant. Anyways, picture time:

ADSCN8497.thumb.JPG.39facf0ebf9a9a09479536249ea33e0f.JPG

So here’s where I started the day, at the Yokohama bus stop for the bus to Fuji-Q. I highly recommended the bus, it’s much easier than taking the train. The only tricky part was making the reservation over the phone (I had a couple numbers to try, on one the operator didn’t speak any English, so we had an awkwardly polite pause before I hung up, and on the other we both spoke enough of the other’s language to get by). I’d recommend seeing if someone at your hotel could make the reservation for you.

ADSCN8502.thumb.JPG.1203deaebb2e28f9aa171219af31d0ce.JPG

Pepsi Pink. I like to try the stranger sodas while I’m in Japan, and this one is a strawberries and cream flavored Pepsi. It wasn’t bad, but it did still have that Pepsi flavor.

ADSCN8505.thumb.JPG.a34b0e56bbb4d5c7d3bf5225440d973b.JPG

So while waiting for the bus I had a quick convenience store breakfast of Pepsi Pink, pink pickled plum onigiri, and an assorted seaweed onigiri.

ADSCN8515.thumb.JPG.9dbce63d4ad2fae61bee4e1151160303.JPG

The bus had some nice views during the drive to the park. Got to see lots of fall colors on the way, I just couldn’t get many pictures from the window.

ADSCN8528.thumb.JPG.b8b6408ca3ed435f397210b16ee070a3.JPG

We had a fairly clear view of Mt. Fuji during the drive. Much better than when I was last at Fuji-Q, I could just barely make it out through the clouds.

ADSCN8541.thumb.JPG.05f95643ae94c3f9ba6167b64c09b45c.JPG

So now we’re at Fuji-Q, and early too! The bus arrived 20-30 minutes earlier than scheduled, so I had time to get my return ticket and check out the store, which was new to me since when I took the train last time I arrived at the other side of the park.

ADSCN8542.thumb.JPG.9997783be6ea70f45020e13921feb423.JPG

Fujiyama is hanging out over here.

ADSCN8543.thumb.JPG.a0359bc27288ab924064d109ae7b98ec.JPG

Takabisha looks to be open, yay!

ADSCN8544.thumb.JPG.577fae1b493bb51f92adb2958d08689e.JPG

Going down the world’s steepest drop. Because of the holding brake it’s not terribly intense, but it’s fun, and the rest of the ride is pretty awesome.

ADSCN8549.thumb.JPG.ed9d61b064010d4956768e70e472b8bd.JPG

The ticket booths and actual entrance to the park are after the big gift shop building (which was packed when I was leaving).

ADSCN8551.thumb.JPG.3a3e8e310bff4a9162ecd5c5d1d09d70.JPG

So after I got my fastpass for 3-4pm, I queued up in the line for Takabisha. It had a posted wait time of 1:50, which turned out to be pretty accurate. This outside area was about half that.

ADSCN8554.thumb.JPG.d29106c97fc602a0e4d8e42f573aa581.JPG

I had a nice view of Mt. Fuji and Dodonpa from the line. I didn’t actually get to ride Dodonpa this time due to long lines and poor planning on my part. But I rode it last time, and while the launch is great, it's probably my least favorite of the big four here, so I can wait until I come back again.

ADSCN8555.thumb.JPG.594885e11e76321416c5b1ba49e207d3.JPG

Sorry Dan...

 

Anyways, in line for Takabisha they have monitors that play the safety warnings, advertise ride merchandise, and play the usual Fuji-Q videos.

ADSCN8557.thumb.JPG.0625220294231be1f23fed54fb381f0f.JPG

So the mascot for Takabisha seems to be stereotypical American guy. Here he’s demonstrating the shape of the drop using his arm.

 

They have a big image of him at the entrance looking confused. I received a sticker of it after I bought some stuff at the gift shop. I’m not sure what his significance is to the ride - I’d guess something about Americans being viewed as domineering, or maybe it's just the usual inexplicable wackiness of Japan.

ADSCN8558.thumb.JPG.a230abbef0b317fa2b1cddff7593176c.JPG

I guess the ride was a bit too much for stereotypical American guy.

ADSCN8561.thumb.JPG.5f605e6cce07752695175a0360d73bb2.JPG

Another Fuji-Q trademark – the Guiness World Record certificate for the ride. This one is for having the world’s steepest drop. Eejanaika and Fujiyama have theirs posted as well, and I think Dodonpa does too (of course, Eejanaika’s record is disputable, and Dodonpa’s and Fujiyama’s are now expired).

ADSCN8585.thumb.JPG.9168b445ee75ed224c5b369ddfdb21c8.JPG

ADSCN8588v2.thumb.jpg.1e8c1691b1aa83f6dd451e70572339b8.jpg

The next three photos are basically the same. I apologize, I didn’t take a lot of Takabisha photos, so I have to stretch what I’ve got.

ADSCN8590.thumb.JPG.2937a32ea382c786d83f145439cf91d0.JPG

ADSCN8591.JPG.a8bdb5c1ce501de310f9b4d32612a9a1.JPG

C2010DSCN573709.thumb.JPG.f00a12f12b15a69476f0abe7448d7bd8.JPG

On my first visit to the park I tried yakisoba for my first time (as pictured in this 2010 photo). They were sold out this time, so instead I had…

CDSCN8564.thumb.JPG.07389405312efc19242d68db358bc983.JPG

Takoyaki!!! Octopus balls! It’s like a donut hole, but filled with octopus bits and goo, and covered with mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, and dried fish flakes! They’re usually pretty good. If you ever stop at the Universal City Walk in Osaka, they have a takoyaki museum upstairs with a bunch of varieties to try (that’s where I had it my first time). And just a couple days ago I found a place down the street from my house that serves it, yay!

CF2010DSCN5682.thumb.JPG.9fa52440dcbc28e3dc86411ae4fab9eb.JPG

What’s with all the panic? (2010 photo)

CZDSCN572906E2010DSCN5729062010DSCN572906.thumb.JPG.7355b7d55890c784bf9c605e5b12bf7f.JPG

I like this photo, it makes Fuji-Q seem like a happy place. (2010 photo)

CZDSCN572906E2010DSCN5729062010DSCN575113.thumb.JPG.b64c77212f5a6ff701d9929e449d7595.JPG

So Dodonpa has four trains that I’ve seen – Cheetah, Snake (the green one), Zebra, and Strawberry. One of these doesn’t belong. (2010 photo)

CZDSCN572906E2010DSCN5729062010DSCN575315.thumb.JPG.bbe091bd81732c5298130d7b156ea832.JPG

I was standing where Takabisha is now when I took this photo. (2010 photo)

CZDSCN572906E2010DSCN5729062010DSCN576719.thumb.JPG.ed92cf0d6c12c411fd0d066e741dedf7.JPG

Zebra train!!! I think I rode in Cheetah. (2010 photo)

CZDSCN572906E2010DSCN5729062010DSCN577020.thumb.JPG.df5b6956807eb43463a2bb834317c385.JPG

The line for Dodonpa is soooooo slow. I learned from the Kotoba app on my iPod that Dodonpa is a “rumba-like Japanese musical genre popular in the 1960s”. The logo for the ride is a very stylized writing of the name. (2010 photo)

D12010DSCN56852010DSCN56851.thumb.JPG.65d6e543d2faa3525f2ec43eb99c5892.JPG

Here’s their wild mouse. Like most Japanese mice, it has a weird layout. This one also has a long, slow line. Luckily I rode it on my first visit, so I was able to skip it this time. (2010 photo)

D12010DSCN56852010DSCN56902.thumb.JPG.942b87c5a30feefdc9504ba8d043aa9b.JPG

(2010 photo)

D12010DSCN56852010DSCN56933.thumb.JPG.a91e4705bc93ead13fd9a843620c521d.JPG

(2010 photo)

D12010DSCN56852010DSCN57014.thumb.JPG.c4ba40e0cc776823a72f817d1ed49ef7.JPG

You won’t see that on most American mice. (2010 photo)

D12010DSCN56852010DSCN5710016.thumb.JPG.fa7dae0382d80c56c0834c37017988f2.JPG

(2010 photo)

E2010DSCN5667.thumb.JPG.eb9ac844b1bb6647cfe915cbd202f02c.JPG

Ok, so now we’re onto a bunch of Eejanaika photos. It’s much more photogenic than X2 since you get to walk though most of the layout. (2010 photo)

E2010DSCN5673.thumb.JPG.dd4f09c9a77e2a5dfcde8bc6800a10a4.JPG

I didn't notice much different with Eejanaika's and X2's first drop this time; maybe it rotated differently at the bottom. (2010 photo)

E2010DSCN5674.thumb.JPG.074c93af58eebde3472cb409fd7b6c24.JPG

Eejanaika's raven turn is much flippier than X2's. I prefer X2's for the soaring sensation as you crest the top and drop down. (2010 photo)

E2010DSCN5675.thumb.JPG.b8dee3cdf74031be8c4113c76872c78d.JPG

(2010 photo)

E2010DSCN5676.thumb.JPG.81fb6f39775a7c025cc737a996dd148d.JPG

I can't recall if the second raven turn was any different - maybe more flipping at some point, not sure. (2010 photo)

E2010DSCN5677.thumb.JPG.b12033ee2c87c8f96a708a1d7255b40d.JPG

(2010 photo)

E2010DSCN571502.thumb.JPG.18bf5dda50d9cb2453c077cbab6345b9.JPG

(2010 photo)

EDSCN8566.thumb.JPG.f024de35f8c473b3443b0a1c52bb572d.JPG

The turnaround on Eejanaika is much improved from on X2.

EDSCN8567.thumb.JPG.51167b5d69314daa4e5ed2b49eb6a020.JPG

While I much prefer X2's big raven turn, the full-full on Eejanaika is pretty awesome. It's a toss-up for which ride is better - I like both.

EDSCN8569.thumb.JPG.2e5d1c8e10441fb97087f5f1125b0654.JPG

EDSCN8570.thumb.JPG.5f982a3cd017e7be6d8f27bc0f6b762b.JPG

EDSCN8573.thumb.JPG.9db13ab6dbc133fb44ee491b9516148a.JPG

EDSCN8575.thumb.JPG.bd913c2e047ca67f9db4856bbb71c0f7.JPG

Probably the best part of the ride.

EDSCN8576.thumb.JPG.659a51cb6a901d48e54e78485690f4be.JPG

F1DSCN8572.thumb.JPG.2d9d9107c0a9461a9d5ca8b2a435b10b.JPG

The cats want to eat your face.

F2010DSCN580232.thumb.JPG.9e4ad02f3b584e823b1a2452f37656d1.JPG

Here’s the Chinese takeout / LOLcat themed rapids ride. I haven’t ridden it yet, but I’d like to just for the fantastic theme choice. I’m pretty sure I saw Happy Cat in the queue video for the ride. (2010 photo)

FZ2010DSCN578325.thumb.JPG.f2036856d97194c8e5f05062adc4a608.JPG

Punch to the gut!!! (2010 photo)

FZ22010DSCN580534.thumb.JPG.97041913c432ba01f86418554bca1a96.JPG

Hamster coaster is actually pretty fun. It’s better than Iron Dragon. (2010 photo)

FZ32010DSCN580936.thumb.JPG.ce33100ef6077dac1488dc50a52efd18.JPG

I didn’t ride hamster coaster this last time, since the line tends to move pretty slow and it looked to be closed later in the day. (2010 photo)

FZ42010DSCN578526.thumb.JPG.8279822a53b4f8d73ca38abf424f9fa9.JPG

Fuji-Q’s Thomas Land is a nice kid area. I hear they have a dark-ride, but I didn’t know about it my first visit, and this last time it was closed by the time I made it over there. They have quite a lot of other stuff too (including the kiddie credit), much nicer than any of the similar Six Flags areas. (2010 photo)

FZ52010DSCN579028.thumb.JPG.564f403dc6f609d997fdfe3cc0401a80.JPG

More parks should have hedge mazes. (2010 photo)

FZ62010DSCN579129.thumb.JPG.6f2b1eeb9e9bd5af1709eac87144e137.JPG

Thomas kiddie flume. (2010 photo)

FZ72010DSCN577622.thumb.JPG.8d23bf64cbccb3c105ff31b5ee20fb18.JPG

This park has a lot of commercial tie-ins (mostly based on Japanese properties). First there was Thomas, now there’s this GeGeGe no Kitaro walkthrough, which I guess is based on a manga series. I didn’t check it out my first time, and it was closed when I got to it this time. Lesson learned, do your non-coaster rides early. (2010 photo)

FZ82010DSCN577221.thumb.JPG.4cae7b3231cc2e145ddd1b38232471c5.JPG

This looks to be a Looney Tunes area. On my first visit to the park they were playing some pretty explicit rap in this area, definitely inappropriate for kid’s area, but since all the lyrics were in English it probably didn’t matter. So as far as other commercial tie ins go, they also have a Gundam walkthrough and a walkthrough for something called Basara (?). The only non-coaster thing I’ve done here is the Evangelion walkthough, so I can’t speak to those either. Maybe next time I’ll be able to do some of the non-coaster things. (2010 photo)

FZ82010DSCN577823.thumb.JPG.44da0e9e213d83cf42ac3b9fe22c6a06.JPG

(2010 photo)

G2010DSCN574210.thumb.JPG.3b7679225dee09ae80aa7837251285fc.JPG

Fujiyama is pretty fun, easily my favorite Togo. It’s like an Arrow hyper that decided to get creative and add a bunch of fast turns. It has some bad transitions, but overall I like it.

 

Oh, and the Christmas tree seems to be up all the time, since this photo was from my August 2010 visit. And look, no line!

J1DSCN85992010DSCN5686.thumb.JPG.0abd2275aa315a33aa3585e120744671.JPG

They recently added an exhibit for Evangelion, another giant robot series which was set fairly close to here in Hakone. I didn’t get to go last time, but I wanted to check it out since I used to watch the series, so this time I did it after the coasters. It’s housed inside the old Zola-7 building. (2010 photo)

JDSCN8599DSCN8599.thumb.JPG.948ab54058b2d956726be3756c8b86da.JPG

So inside the Evangelion exhibit they have some set recreations from the series. This is where all the shadowy folks would hang out and plot the destruction of mankind.

JDSCN8599DSCN8600.thumb.JPG.c2faeb6e6a3c0f66e9542fad0f507d1f.JPG

Double-crucifix rainbow explosion! And some girl from the new movies.

JDSCN8599DSCN8603.thumb.JPG.1e77da862c21c34b2cf5e5fabfab5c5f.JPG

This is the full-size EVA-02 head in beast mode. I don’t think it puts on a show like the EVA-01 torso.

JDSCN8599DSCN8607.thumb.JPG.22869f5ca23312fee15c93745ba3df00.JPG

JDSCN8599DSCN8613.thumb.JPG.bfb134db79d4d3c606b59557b412ab51.JPG

Sulking in the elevator.

JDSCN8599DSCN8631.thumb.JPG.1931839df289f23aaadbce9a49906557.JPG

So here’s the star attraction, the full-size EVA-01 torso. It puts on a little show every few minutes where it goes berserk and such.

 

Oh, and they have a raft floating around in the pool of blood, nice touch.

JDSCN8599DSCN8632.thumb.JPG.50698f495fcbe60a4462f107a25210ea.JPG

It gets mad, roars, and there's some smoke. RAWRRRR!!!

JDSCN8599DSCN8636.thumb.JPG.46f644c099bdba23d7bc4e301627880e.JPG

I guess it can't do much to you without arms or legs.

JDSCN8599DSCN8647.thumb.JPG.6de75ec32be5bb8ec07c90c179ef3def.JPG

JDSCN8653.thumb.JPG.068060446a80db472b21d3ce64f15838.JPG

That’s me!

JZDSCN8599DSCN8655.thumb.JPG.ad8d2e3e22ce2a82bf102cc64912236e.JPG

Over here you can get your picture taken in the giant robot pilot’s chair.

ZDSCN8666.thumb.JPG.9d72d5178fe8e99c8ac409f287a765d4.JPG

Instead of paddle boats, during the winter they had an ice skating rink set up. Nifty.

ZDSCN8670.thumb.JPG.b35af9d13997cb2066e5a3ae51886ee7.JPG

With a name like Food Stadium, they’d better be filming Iron Chef here.

ZDSCN8677.thumb.JPG.27b478f7dc44aae143f4ceabf6aeed11.JPG

Here’s one last Takabisha photo before we go. That blurry thing is the train going through the corkscrew during the first part of the ride.

ZDSCN8678.thumb.JPG.d4d7451e5b13d75f24b6a591d0eeb6f2.JPG

Bye Fuji-Q!!! I’m sure I’ll be back again someday in my continuing quest to have a nice, stress-free day here.

 

And in all fairness, while Fuji-Q exemplifies terrible Japanese park operations, they do have three of my favorite coasters in the country, in addition to a number of other interesting attractions (most of which I still need to experience).

 

Anyways, thanks for reading! The remaining PTRs won't be quite so in-depth, so I'll hopefully get some more posted soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well aware of the negative reputation Fuji-Q has on here, but it's right at the top of my international wishlist along with one, maybe two others.

 

Six Flags America and La Ronde generally aren't regarded too highly here, either- I had a ball at both. I'm generally satisfied as long as I can get on the rides I want to get on. I realize I'm in the minority here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Six Flags America and La Ronde generally aren't regarded too highly here, either- I had a ball at both. I'm generally satisfied as long as I can get on the rides I want to get on. I realize I'm in the minority here.

I had a great time at SFA when I visited - luckily, the park was pretty dead and everything was a walk-on. Plus, it had just rained so the woodies were running great, and, best of all, I got to see M.C. Hammer in concert. On the other hand, La Ronde was about the same as my times at Fuji-Q - even with ideal circumstances at La Ronde (ERT, Gold Flashpass), I was barely able to get all the credits in our time there (there was no time left for poutine... ). In that case I get stressed when parks are run so poorly that you can't possibly do all the coasters in a day (especially when you're on a tight schedule, and you might not be back for years). Such is the case at Fuji-Q (unless if you visit when it's dead, or you stock up on fastpasses). But excepting the terrible operations, they probably still have the best coaster collection in Japan.

 

There are non-coaster rides???

That's what the park map says, I had plenty of time to read through it while waiting in line...

Seriously though, most of the non-coaster stuff there that I'm interested in would actually be considered walkthroughs, not rides (except the Thomas darkride and maybe the Coffin Ride - but I really have no idea what that is).

 

Does it have continuous headbanging like an arrow looper? Like, how bad is it on a scale of 1 to 10.

Because of their vest-like restraints and near lack of turns, neither X2 or Eejanaika have any headbanging (unless if you count the back of your head against the seat - I haven't had that problem, but it's pretty likely). But, I think everyone agrees they're both very rough (I've heard comparisons to riding in a paint mixer). X2 will toss you around a lot when it rotates and if you don't keep your legs tucked in, it can do some damage (the outside seats tend to be especially violent). Even so, I generally find X2 to be very rideable because of the open restraints. When it comes to 4D coasters, it seems that people are very polarized: either they find them rideable and love them, or they find them far too rough and loathe them. I personally love them, I think they're an experience like no other, but no one can really say how you'll ultimately feel about them, you'll need to ride and find out for yourself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice photos. Thanks for posting them & your report.

I seem to be in the minority here who really likes Fuji Q.

 

One thing in your recommendations you advise to buy 1 ticket for each coaster.

I would recommend buying 3-4 tickets for each coaster.

How often in your life will you visit Fuji Q people?

 

The train ride in was FAR more scenically enjoyable for me, than the bus trip i had taken previous.

Was very easy to work out (1 minor transfer) & the pricing between bus & train was pretty similar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One thing in your recommendations you advise to buy 1 ticket for each coaster.

I would recommend buying 3-4 tickets for each coaster.

 

In my experience, the chances of using more than one ticket per coaster per day at Fuji-Q are pretty close to non-existent.

 

(Takabisha is absolutely stunning, FWIW -- it's just a shame they built it at Fuji-Queue).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/116-terms-of-service-please-read/