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OK, has everybody got off . . . the train? If so, let's check out Misaki Park. Little did these souls know how interesting the day was about to become. Time to play the post-quake waiting game. This appeared to be the extent of the damage in our train station. I was impressed with how calm the Japanese remained and how quickly they got the trains going again. Misaki’s train station seemed intact. I’m not sure they even felt the quake. No flags, MORE FUN! We were in the area circled in red. This reminds me of the fountain at New Town in Williamsburg--it hasn’t worked for a few years, either. Yes, the park is open, and it appears to have its very own lighthouse. “Free us, and all these cookies will be yours!” Angry children love Misaki Park. Behold the splendor of the only wild mouse ever to be built by Hopkins. Somehow, it ended up in a zoo in Japan--go figure. The trains look like they cut a longer, full-size coaster train into two-car units. They were a bit cramped, too. The coaster looks painful, but it wasn’t that bad. Not a great ride, certainly, but a unique one. Yes . . . . . . this happened. At least if you could ride sidesaddle. It was a bit of a hike to the Jet Coaster. I presume this is Japanese for “Jet Coaster,” even though it looks more like a mine train. “My bumper cars are ready, in case any of you want to ride them. Hello? Bumper cars over here! Hello? I’m so lonely.” This is as close as I got to getting a picture of the Jet Coaster in operation. It looks more like a mine train with a monkey on it.

The Day that Almost Wasn’t: Misaki Park & Adventure World June 2018 marked my third trip to Japan with Theme Park Review. Past outings to the Land of the Rising Sun exposed me to a number of new experiences, such as bullet trains, katsu curry, Pokari Sweat, Green Tea Kit Kats, and even a typhoon. But June 18, 2018 was my first, bona fide Japanese earthquake. I grew up in Central California and attended Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, so I’ve felt the ground shake a number of times; however, the Japan quake was the biggest one I’d ever experienced (and the closest I’d ever been to a quake’s epicenter). We were standing on a train platform in Osaka, and it first felt like Godzilla had kicked the side of the building. Then the shaking began, and keeping on one’s feet was a bit of a struggle. For my part, I heroically clung to a handy vending machine. The quake caused five confirmed deaths and hundreds of injuries in the area (from what I’ve read since the quake), as well as a fair amount ot property damage; it also shut down train service for a few hours. Measurements of the event’s force ranged from 5.9 to 6.2. The group decided to stick it out at the sation for a while. Eventually, we were able to take a local (which made a lot of stops) to MIsaki, the first "official" park of the trip--a zoo and amusement park with three coasters: Jet Coaster (yes, this is a popular name for “big" coasters in Japan); the New Wild Mouse (the only such ride ever built by Hopkins, who gave us the Dragon at Adventureland in Iowa); and Child Coaster (self-explanatory). Misaki was a bit rough around the edges, but the staff was very friendly and seemed quite pleased that anyone had come to visit that day. But would we push on to the second park of the day? Stay tuned. We’ll start with a look at Osaka the night before, then move on to Misaki Park. The best rump is an aging rump. The official trip-opening dinner: All the meat you can cook and eat for 90 minutes! Although this was not the place that touted their “aging rump," what rump they offered was delicious. It is, indeed. Some of us decided to explore Osaka a bit. Kind of busy that night. Seizure-inducing lights! Why, thank you, Osaka. We were hoping to ride this bizarre "rectangular" Ferris Wheel, which had reopened after being shut down for years . . . . . . oh, well. What is wrong with this picture? An octopus strikes a come-hither Deadpool pose. Dan tracked down this barcade he’d read about online. It wasn’t very big . . . . . . but I got a beer and a round of Burger Time, so there’s that. The barcade may have been located in a neighborhood of somewhat questionable morality. Need a hotel room for just a few hours? This place has you covered. Wow--even the train station is a bit kinky. On to Misaki Park before we become hopelessly corrput!

I rode it and thought it was fun, but once a day was enough.

I think I'd hit Twisted Timbers first. Normally, I'd recommend Volcano, due to its capacity, but I think it's currently down for the count. You shouldn't have any big problems on a weekday. The park has a shooting dark ride, too (Boo Blasters) and a decent log ride.

You shouldn't have any big crowd-related issues on a Wednesday. The park tends to open in phases, so you might want to head toward Griffon and InvadR first (Germany and Italy tend to open later). If you're into water rides, hit Pompeii and LeScoot (the log flume).

The Monsters Inc. ride at Tokyo Disneyland is great (as is the Winnie the Pooh ride). They were estimating close to 70,000 guests in the park that day, but we got a lot done before noon. Thanks for running around and getting the Fast Passes, Robb!

I like what they did with the Incredicoaster--this was more than I'd anticipated. The Lamplight Lounge looks great (would love to give it a try).

Careful what you wish for! During “Chip N Dale’s Summer Splash” they have the two characters on a boat with a firehose spraying down anyone within reach! lol This show cracked me up back in 2007.

Roman Rapids has soaked me every time I've ridden it. I agree with you about the Churrasco. The South Korean rib was great, too.

If it is a Screamin' Swing (which would be OK by me), they should put it in Scotland and call it the "Highland Fling."

According the the Virginia Gazette (Williamsburg's local paper), the James City County Board of Supervisors has approved a height waiver for "an attraction not to exceed 115 feet above finished grade or not to exceed 155 feet above sea level" in Ireland: http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-james-city-supervisors-busch-gardens-expansion-0613-story.html. The park didn't provide any other details.

The cooking class looked like a lot of fun. I'd love to make gyoza!

Looks good to me. Just posted this with my phone.

I just removed some flame posts from this thread. If you have a disagreement, I suggest you 1) discuss it via private messages or 2) schedule a death match in a steel cage--just keep it off the forums. Thank you.

Expect July 3 to be fairly quiet and July 4 to be a bit nuts. As for Quick Queue, I'd recommend it for July 4. They still open in sections sometimes, but not every day (being a local, I usually go on Friday nights or on Sundays, though). France should open first, follwed by Germany and Italy. Passholders get discounts on food, merchandise, and Quick Queue (usually 10 percent). Celtic Fyre is the best show, and More Pet Shenanigans is cute. The Coexist show at Wolf Haven is worth seeing, too.

There is nothing but "win" here! See you in about a week!

The Smokehouse is good, the Mediterranean beef in Marco Polo's Marketplace is good, and the sausage sampler at the Festhaus is tasty. The french-fry joint in France is worth a look, too. If they're visiting over the weekend, they can sample the Food & Wine Festival booths, too.

The Starflyers are more fun than the Windseekers, probably because the chairs are held by "tiny"' chains as opposed to big steel arms. I'm willing to give this one a try.

Oblivion--Alton Towers

This looks like a very nice park. The dive coaster does look like a Griffon clone, which isn't a bad thing.

If I'd replaced a wretched old Boomerang with a great new Gerstlauer, I'd throw a big party, too! Looks like a perfect addition to the park.

Looks great! I'm a big Cheetah Hunt fan, and if Icon is as good as that ride, I'm sold.

Cuba, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea on the Menu: What's New at the Food and Wine Festival OK, who's up for some beef and chimichurri sauce? This guy! Yes, Busch Gardens kicked off their annual Food and Wine Festival last Friday, and (as usual) I went there after work to check out the new menu offerings. A number of booths from last year have returned, such as Hawaii (for all you spam fans) and the Carribbean (for all you Jamba Fritter fans); some are sporting some new items, such as Hawaiian Mac and Cheese; and others have departed, such as Germany (but you can still get a Schnitzelwich in the Brauhaus). But the big news is that the new booths for 2018 are great. Here's what I sampled: Cuba (located in France)--Ropa Vieja (very tasty shredded beef with rice and beans) Brazil (located in Fort New France)--Churrasco (grilled beef in a very nice chimichurri sauce) South Korea (Festa Italia)--Korean BBQ Pork Ribs (sauce has a nice bite and the slaw that comes with it is surprisingly good) Japan (located in Italy)--Matcha Ice Cream (green-tea ice cream with a sweet soy glaze and a sesame cookie, which was both sweet and savory) There are a number of wine-tasting opportunities, and you can sample Scotch in Scotland (appropriate) and tequila in Germany (well, I guess Germans like Mexican liquor, too). You can find more information here. The festival runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until July 1. I imagine I'll be going back a few times. Go figure. Here's a look at what I ate. Well, before I ate it. Having trouble finding the Food and Wine Festival? Just look for the wine-fork-glass. How about a nice local appetizer? Ham and Cheddar Hushpuppies with Honey Butter seem pretty southern. Argentinean Malbec, anyone? I have no idea who these guys are. I'm sure they're perfectly nice people. Cuba is located in the shadow of Griffon. (Note that I have upheld enthusiast law by featuring a coaster in this photo.) A little extra detail on the side--the park did a nice job on their temporary booths. Here's the full menu. Not sure about the Batido de Trigo. A puffed-wheat milkshake? Hmm--maybe next weekend. The Ropa Vieja was very good--I liked the sauce in which they simmered the meat. Brazil is located in front of the Trapper's Smokehouse, where the Canada booth used to be. I grew up in the Central Valley of California, where linguica was a common pizza topping (thank you, vibrant California Portuguese community). I'm definitely coming back for some here. Everything is better when you add monkeys. While the presentation left a bit to be desired, the Churrasco was delicious (best sample of the night). I love chimichurri sauce! Welcome to the Kastle Formerly Known as Dark. Tequila in Germany? Why not? The Germany booth may be gone, but the Schnitzelwich lives on in the Brauhaus. (The beer is Red Willie, which is an Irish ale from Tradition Brewing in Newport News.) Let's see what's going on in Italy. There's some spicy stuff at the South Korea booth. The information kiosk on the left has a blurb about Lotte World. Definitely coming back for the Beef Bulgogi. The rib was great, and the slaw surprised me with how good it was. This was an "Asian" booth last year, but now they're focusing on Japan. The gyoza sounds good, and the noodle bowl is tempting (come to think of it, so is the lettuce wrap). But I was in the mood for dessert. The Matcha Ice Cream grew on me as I ate it (wasn't sure about it at first). I'm stuffed! Think I digest my food during a nice, relaxing train ride. Thanks for reading.

Europa is a great park (the best in Europe), and I'm very sorry to read this news. I always liked Pirates of Batavia, too.

I've always been a fan of the Morgan Hypers, and I've heard that Superman is the best of the bunch. Thanks for the report.