rollermonkey

Tht'd be no, Lou, as my signature does not contain a quote from CSI.

The Shinkansen will only take you part way from Tokyo. You have to transfer at NasuShiobara station to the Tohoku line and go one station to Kuroiso station. I can't remember the bus number right now, it's at work, but the nice lady at the information counter had the info taped to the counter in English, too if I can't find it. From Tokyo it isn't too bad, but from where I live (south of Yokohama) I had to leave really early to arrive before noon. From Tokyo station to Kuroiso is between 90 minutes and 2 hours depending on connections. The bus was a good 45 minutes and travels about once an hour, so make sure to pay attention to when they leave from the park end when you get there!

I love that you can see the rusty hole in the front of Big Boom's train in the POV! That hole was there in the summer, too.

Clerks II: The Sellout, Coming soon! Who wants to see it?

Yuck. Then there was the time I woke up, took a shower and went to work.

I Want an Alien For Christmas Fountains of Wayne

That was it! Thanks for the rapid ASSistance! You da man! Pound it! Never mind, don't pound it. I think this will be my favorite TPR video segment ever!

Robb, can you double check the downloadable version? The address doesn't seem right and it's not working for me. Thanks. (Two periods before the .zip extension?)

Order placed, and now my collection will be complete!

It varies wildly for me depending on how much I go out to sea, if the ship hits a port where I can get to coasters, etc. In Japan, I've tried to make one trip out of the Tokyo area per month, but that isn't always possible. Next year, I'll be 15 minutes from a large 6F park, so I'll likely go there at least weekly with other trips on weekends, probably every other week.

Dave, I hereby crown you King of Obscure Theme Parks. I can't compete! I am 'hoping' for a second go at Escape Theme Park in Singapore, but even that pales in comparison to Fantazy Land. Maybe one of the Thai parks will be bad?

I intend on visiting Fuji-Q about the same time. When the date gets closer, drop me a line (PM or e-mail) and we can work out if it's possible to meet up. As for the video? I guess I was wrong about how long it would take for a POV to get out! Cool!

^^ ? The Lost River area of DisneySea is representative of Mexico. Indy is "in" a Mayan Pyramid and Raging Spirits is also an ancient Mexican ruin.

Wow! That's a weird question! Since last year's season ended on New Year's Eve and this year's season started on New Year's Day, albeit at two parks without new for me credits, that's a tough question! Between the UK trip and my Kyushu trip, that's about 100 new for me, plus a couple swings down to Nagoya, plus a couple other scattered credits, I've got 128 credits at this point in the year. Way more total coasters, but that's what happens when the count starts getting up there! New for me parks this year: Kodomo-no-Kuni (1) Miyazaki City Phoenix Zoo (2) Harmonyland (2) Kijima Amusement Park (5) Mitsui Greenland Arao (10) Parque Espana (2) Higashiyama Zoo (3) Japan Monkey Park (4) Minami Chita Beach Land (1) Lagunasia (2) Hamanako Pal Pal (4) Walibi World (6) Toverland (2) Drievliet (4) Efteling (4) Bobbejaanland (6) Walibi Belgium (6) Legoland Windsor (3) Chessington (4) Coney Beach (3) Oakwood (4) Drayton Manor (4) Southport (3) Camelot (5) Gulliver's Warrington (2) Lightwater Valley (6) Flamingoland (5) Pleasurewood Hills (3) Great Yarmouth PB (2) Joyland (1) Tusenfryd (6) Liseberg (4) Parks not NFM, but credits NFM: Alton Towers (3) Thorpe Park (2) Blackpool PB (2) Yomiuriland (1) Arakawa Yuen (1) Parks not new, no credits (yet): Fuji-Q Tokyo Disneyland Tokyo DisneySea I'm at 572, and I'll be stuck there for a couple weeks. Hopefully, I can get two NFM before August and 16 more in September. October will be tough as I'm moving, but I might pick up 5 before this season ends, for an estimated total of 151 credits this year and 5 to go to #600.

There once was a man from Nantucket, who's ...

If you are an eleventeen year old, stuck in the body of a 22 year old fratboy. (Not a fan, can you tell?) Do you have a passport?

^ Needs to turn on the eakon! < Sleeping enough lately, thanks for your concern! \/ Eats wasabi every day.

Yup, weird beach parks. I still can't believe how small Joyland really was! I've got to agree, Snails is definitely NOT a credit. Tyrolean Tubtwist isn't either, but that makes me sad that there really isn't a Virginia Reel left in the world. Maybe the fine folks at Knoebels' can fix that!

I am so excited to finally get to ride one of these! TDR doesn't seem to do soft openings, but I'll definitely be there in September! I think it looks rediculously incredible, but that's definitely in keeping with the rest of TDS. I think they went with the lower cap CA version due to the park's relatively small areas available for expansion. The only place in the park with any area is to the left of the Indiana Jones ride, and a ToT wouldn't fit very well in the middle of Mexican ruins! TDS is a gorgeous park, but they really are squeezed on all sides. What I'm waiting for is a third gate on new landfill! First: Tokyo Disneyland. Then: Tokyo DisneySea... Next: Tokyo DisneyAir!

Aw crud. Two pictures of me in ARN&R? Now the FBI will be on to me! JK. The one on Alton's indoor waterpark was a bit disturbing, though.

Wow! Eveyone's coming to Japan lately! I'll say that Elissa's list is great, let us know if you want more parks or areas you might be visiting. I'd add Mitsui Greenland Arao to the list, but it's a long way from Tokyo! Let me know when you'll be here, I leave in October, but maybe we could meet up?

That's funny. I find Toshimaen souless. Maybe it's that they named EVERY ride in the park with the generic catalog name? (Except Cyclone, which isn't even a Cyclone clone!) I've been three times, and I have yet to find a redeeming feature of that park. Yes, there's the Toys r Us, but that's not really a part of the park, as it is outside the gate. The Japanese coaster guide is indeed awe inspiring in it's completeness. While we are on the subject of Japan, Robb, I bought you Japanese curry! I'll mail it to you Monday.

I'm often solo at parks, so yes. I will often strike up a conversation with guests around me, but not always about rides. Now when I'm outside the US, that's a bit harder, but here in Japan, people will often speak to me just because I am foreign. Those conversations can get really fun! I walked around Nagashima Spaland all day with people actually calling me 'Yon-hyaku" because I had a sign with me for my 400th roller coaster. That started a LOT of conversations that day! (White Canyon, photo available at www.rcdb.com for only $5.00!)

Maybe next year, Ted.

^Hopefully, soon! To answer some of the Q's: The wheel guards haven't been installed yet. It wasn't technically a media day, as the ride didn't operate for the invited guests. The Scream Heaven guy was invited for a closer look at the trains and the station. It seems that a few other folks were invited as well. 11 days until opening, but 71 until I get to ride. 89 days until I leave Japan.