The Doctor Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 When I was in Tokyo last summer I caught a glimpse of this on a bus tour I was on. I was shocked to see a coaster I had not come across in my trip research. Only got around to trying to look it up now and found this entry on wiki. "In 2005, Don Quijote began building a 'half-pipe' roller coaster on the roof of its eight story Roppongi store. Roppongi is a heavily populated area in the core of Tokyo, and many residents and businesses were upset with the idea of having a roller coaster in their neighborhood because of the spectacle, noise and crowds it will likely create. The project was completed in 2006 but due to increasing pressure from concerned groups in the area it has never been operated. As of 2009, the structure still exists. Don Quijote has not announced what future plans they have for it." Anyone know anything more about it? Has it even ever been run for testing? I would love if they opened it just once for some special coaster enthusiast event or something along those lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 ^ It tested and it's operational, but that's it. They never got the permits to run it with people, and from what I'm told it's going to cost a ton of cash to get the permits to dismantle it. So there is a perfectly good Intamin half-pipe that has been sitting dormant for a few years now, and it looks like it will permantently become a hood ornament. There was talk about strining Christmas lights on it one year for Countdown, but not sure if that ever happened. --Robb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Doctor Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 ^^ If they really have no plan on opening it, why not trying to sell it to another park? If they really just want it gone but don't want to spend the cash taking it down, I can't see why they couldn't get another park to pay for the permits and moving it. I would imagine that to cost less then building a new ride from scratch. Also thanks for answering robb, it really bugged me on my trip this year, and my tour guide new seemingly nothing about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 From what I know Japan is VERY into permits, and it costs a lot to build, dismantle, etc. Because of that it would probably be the same price for a park to get a brand new Intamin Half Pipe, then this used one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermann Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 An user at Roller Coaster database (www.rcdb.com/3383.htm) says: There are a couple of conflicting stories on why this Half Pipe never opened. Story #1 comes from the web and states complaints from the community about noise prevented the opening. Story #2 is from Intamin who states the problem is with the structure of the building. While the building is capable of handing the weight of the roller coaster, the lateral forces presented an unexpected problem and is why the roller coaster never opened. This roller coaster is also shown in the movie The Informant! (2009). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jds03 Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Oh, man. That REALLY sucks for that place. It's almost like they dug themselves into a hole that was somehow eight stories tall. I guess the best option would be to sell the ride's machinery to someplace with a broken/ repair needing half pipe. I bet probably a decent chunk of the price for a half pipe comes from the trains, motors and computer equipment. If they can’t get rid of the track and can’t open the ride, they should at least sell everything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STR8FXXXINEDGE Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I was wondering if this thing was real. It pops up on my iGoogle homepage every once in a while. Even though it doesn't operate, at least I now know that it's real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Does anyone know if the coaster was built at the same time as the building or if it was added on afterwards? I am sure Japan is very stringent on the permits on the building of it (as well as the removal). If the building was not originally designed for the coaster I cannot imagine what sort of forces the building would have to handle as a result of putting this on top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loefet Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 I think that I spotted it on the way to Fuji-Q in 2007, or was it to Nasu 2008 with the TPR bus... While on the subject of Don Quijote stores, then this isn't the only store with a ride attached to it, there is one in Osaka that had a Ferris wheel on the side, (had because it was removed during the last year since it wasn't there as the ECC trip passed by last September)... Weird wheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 ^ Not quite a "wheel". It's a shame it was removed, it was such a unique ride. I think it was the only non-round Ferris wheel ever built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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