Moose Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 This really is the best thing I've seen on this site in a long time. Agreed. Very sexy...... dolphin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 (edited) REGISTER for our forum to leave a comment! Click HERE for an index of all our Japan 2018 Trip Updates Follow our LIVE updates on Twitter and Instagram Stories! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Day Seventeen - Nagashima Spaland! For our last few visits, Nagashima Spaland has had a new coaster under construction. This is AWESOME because it's great to see a park in Japan constantly adding new rides and coasters! Two visits ago Acrobat was under construction, last visit Arashi was in the process of being built, and now this visit White Cyclone is being transformed into what I'm sure will be an amazing RMC coaster! Arashi was new for us and the only other S&S Free Spin coaster like this I've ridden is at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. This version seemed to spin much faster and a lot more! We shot some AMAZING video (teasers below) and we'll have the full video clips posted soon! On to some photos & video... Good morning Japan! Have we mentioned how much we love you and especially your amazing rail system? We have spent amazing time in Tokyo, had a shaky visit to Osaka, and now we are on our way to Nagoya! Hello Mr. Shinkansen! I really don’t have a caption for this... do you? When we do our TPR trips to Japan, we like to travel to parks by train & taxi! It is by far the most efficient way to get to theme parks as a tourist in this country! And sometimes our taxis take us to some pretty cool places! Welcome to Nagashima Spaland! Home to the world’s longest roller coaster! And a bunch of other super cool rides! [twitter] [/twitter] The very first coaster I went to at Nagashima Spaland was the Shuttle Loop! Having grown up with Montezooma’s Revenge at Knotts Berry Farm this style of coaster has always been a favorite of mine! This may look slightly familiar and it should... Acrobat at Nagashima Spaland is a “clone” of Manta at SeaWorld! Clone or not, Acrobat at Nagashima Spaland is a GREAT ride!!! For 2019 Nagashima Spaland has brought in Rocky Mountain Construction to turn their White Cyclone wooden coaster into a hybrid! You can see they have most certainly started chopping up that ride! I can't wait for this!!! Oh, hi there... Lots of RMC track on site! I wonder if the Japanese theme park guests are ready for a RMC? Of course Steel Dragon 2000 was a huge priority of our visit to Nagashima Spaland! The view from the top of Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spaland! Nagashima Spaland recently opened up an S&S 4D Free Spin coaster called "Arashi." This roller coaster spins.... a LOT!!! Here's a few examples showing off exactly what "Arashi" does to you! It's pretty epic!!! This was such a fun ride to film on! [twitter] [/twitter] A mixed bag of emotions in this pic at the top of Steel Dragon some 300+ feet in the air! [twitter] [/twitter] [twitter] [/twitter] Nagashima Spaland still has one of these terrifying machines! I have a love/hate relationship with them as I hate that I love them! I rode it twice! They also have one of these rides... I also have a love/hate relationship with them, but minus the “love” part! It was awesome fun hanging out underneath Arashi mounting cameras in bizarre places so we could get some amazing footage of the ride! The staff at Nagashima are always so great to work with! And some of them are even TPR fans! Nagashima Spaland has always had great merchandise and these Acrobat undies are no exception! It features the bat flying out of the... well... you get the idea! And yay for the park having height check wristbands! [twitter] [/twitter] Our filming session on Acrobat got us some amazing photos and video! We’ll have more to post soon! And of course the group was huge fans of Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spaland! And in case anyone is wondering, YES we will absolutely be visiting Nagashima Spaland in 2019!!! This is the parks “big three” coasters and next year they’ll have to add one more to the list! We were so happy with how our footage on Arashi turned out! We had some great “stars” to be our riders as well! Beautiful sunset at Nagashima Spaland and it’s time to head back to Nagoya! We had an awesome day at the park! And no way better to end a crazy day than with a trio of Shaka-Shaka chicken! (Unless of course you went to a yakitori place!) Well, okay... maybe add in a beer or two at the end of the day! Now, POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!! After all, we took the time to write this report, the least you can do is post something nice about it! Click HERE for Part Eighteen of our 2018 TPR Japan Trip! Edited June 23, 2018 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 "bats in the belfry" indeed!! LOL. . added benefit of going to Japan? all the fun undies one could purchase! If I ever go, I know what I'm bringing back as gifts for everyone. once again, a fantastic update. And this one just filled me with memories! (the 1st Gen drop tower, Shuttle loop, and Starship -- all brought me right back to growing up going to Astroworld (Skyscreamer, Greezed Lightning, Looping Starship), the freespin is Fiesta (as you note, tho this one does spin WAY more), and the Manta Clone - which was my favorite ride at SWO. Steel Dragon would be a favorite of mine too, as I love long coasters with airtime hills (reminds me of a longer version of Steel Force, but with better pops of airtime. that sunset picture is gorgeous too! (new screensaver pic for me, so thanks). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlahBlahson Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Whenever I get to go out to Japan, I know exactly what I want to do. Two Week Trip, with 4 days at Tokyo Disney, 1.5 days at Universal Japan, 1 day at Nagashima Spaland, and another 7.5 days to fit in flights, Temples, Arcades, Food, and maybe Tokyo Dome or Joyopolis. Nagashima Spaland has always reminded me of Cedar Point, and it seems to get even better every time you guys go in terms of both Thrills and Operations. It's a must in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 Nagashima Spaland has always reminded me of Cedar Point, and it seems to get even better every time you guys go in terms of both Thrills and Operations. It's a must in Japan. We have always called this park the "Cedar Point of Japan" because there are so many similarities and they are of course continuing that tradition by RMC'ing their Mean Streak-like woodie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 23, 2018 Author Share Posted June 23, 2018 (edited) REGISTER for our forum to leave a comment! Click HERE for an index of all our Japan 2018 Trip Updates Follow our LIVE updates on Twitter and Instagram Stories! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Day Eighteen - Parque Espana This would not be our first experience with Parque Espana in the rain! In fact our first experience we visited the park during a typhoon, which you can see in THIS video (which BTW, you can right now download for FREE!), so of course we knew that Pyrenees would not operate in the rain. We did have a very good time at the park as it does have a lot to offer, but did we end up getting on Pyrenees? Read the report to find out... Good morning from Parque Espana in Japan! At the moment, our visit is looking reminiscent of our typhoon visit in 2004 where everything was closed. The park still looks as good as it always has! This is one of the nicer looking parks in Japan and they have really kept it in good condition! Even though the “big” rides are closed due to rain, we will make the best of it and enjoy the park and the attractions that ARE open! The name of the ride is “Ironbull” but once you see “TronButt” you can never unsee it! #TronButt #TronButt Ironbull aka “TronButt” is the old “Bullfight Coaster” rethemed to a Steampunk Bull! (Yes!) The newer theming was actually quite nice! The ride is fun, a bit jerky, but most certainly unique! #TronButt Pyrenees is currently closed due to weather. It’s raining pretty bad, the forecast calls for rain all day, and this coaster doesn’t operate in the rain. That blue dot is where we currently are in Japan! But there are characters out and regardless of weather, we will always have fun with them! We especially like this character! What can we say? She's cute! Maybe Dan & Chuck are part furry? The new kiddie coaster was open and some of the people on our tour couldn’t possibly pass up the “credit!” (No, I did not ride...) Since it’s raining we would check out some of the indoor attractions like the Alice in Wonderland interactive walk-through. They have given us some sort of magical wand weapon or something... [twitter] [/twitter] The park is actually themed to a “Spanish Village” and it’s actually a really nice looking park! It’s huge, too! Dan approves of the “Wine & Beer” section of the park! Parque Espana has three dark rides, all of them pretty decent! The shooting dark ride is themed to demons or zombies or something. The “Peter Pan”-like suspended dark ride “Don Quixote’s Magical Flight” is really good! It tells the story of the park mascots and their adventures. The “Nutcracker” dark ride is this bizarre light show that feels like something the park did for a Christmas event, but liked it so much they left it up all year round! [twitter] [/twitter] The current rain forecast is calling for weather to improve at 16:40. The park closes at 17:00. Will we make it on Pyrenees??? I have no words for this... Love this coin press machine where you can personalize your own coin! Awww, I remember visits when Kristen was small and she’d love playing in Parque Espana’s kids play area! Now she’s pretty much aged out of it. The volume of merchandise the park has based on these characters is staggering! I’ve only ever seen them at this park... ...and they’ve been their mascots as long as I can remember. The amount of stuff they have with these guys is insane! This store is filled with hundreds of items featuring these characters. Are they based on anything more popular? Like a movie or TV show? There really is a LOT of character based merch here! I can only imagine the development cost of all this stuff! So what about Pyrenees? Did we get on it or not? Thankfully, luck was on our side and we had originally arranged to do some filming on Pyrenees after the park closed at 5pm, but it would be cancelled if it rained. The rain ended up stopping about 10 minutes before park closing and the staff agreed to open the ride just for TPR as long as we didn't mind getting a bit wet (and maybe a little dirty!) Yay! It runs!!! The ride was closed all day today due to weather, but they managed to get it open for TPR after the park closed! Thank you Parque Espana for arranging this for us! Ponchos on since it’s still “wet” but dry enough to run the coaster! Pyrenees at Parque Espana is one of the best B&M invert coasters ever built! It’s right up there with Nemesis, Montu, and Katun as my favorite of these style of rides. Super intense and a LOT of fun! [twitter] [/twitter] It ended up being a GREAT day at Parque Espana! Huge thanks to the park staff who worked with us to get Pyrenees open for us in the 11th Hour! That really made our day!!! Now, POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!! After all, we took the time to write this report, the least you can do is post something nice about it! Click HERE for Part Nineteen of our 2018 TPR Japan Trip! Edited June 26, 2018 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterer Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Dear Lord I want to ride Pyrenees so bad. That backseat POV just sent it back up to the top of my list!! Thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Both Nagashima Spaland and Parque España look a lot of fun. Espwcially cool that Parque España has so many indoor things for you to do so you could make the most of a rainy day. And even before I read your captions I was thinking "Does that say Iron Butt?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Parque Espana was wonderful, because it was so un-Japanese, and worked hard to be as Spanish as it possibly could! And as far as I'm concerned, they succeeded admirably. One of the best parts of the park (and what you've shown) is that walk down the "left side" through that village, towards the Flying Dark Ride, the huge boat ride in the lagoon, then up the other side of it all, via the Musical Escalator... And up to a rather impressive Spanish Museum, I also remember, too. Great visit there, Robb. And that's awesome that they were so nice, to open Pyrenees for you and everybody, afterwards. It has such a neat ending to it. Great coaster, in a great park. I miss Japan. (And Musical Circus, R.I.P.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blk_mamba Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I am planning a trip to Japan next year and this whole thread is so awesome and has been very helpful in learning some do's and dont's in Japan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Kane Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Since I've already shared just how much I've ENJOYED these Japan Trip Reports, I thought I should also add how much good stuff I've LEARNED: * Capybaras are VERY TALL! (Cute, but hope to never meet one on the NYC subway tracks.) * Man-Dolphin love is encouraged in Japan. * TPR trippers look very hot in GREEN (panchos) * Universal Japan needs a 'good talking to!' It's on a slippery slope to losing its #1 status. * Parque Espana deserves a 'must-see' place in my heart for being so welcoming. * Free Fall was one of my fave rides at Six Flags Gt. Adventure 'way back when.' So happy to see it alive and well in Japan! "Wheee!" * I have "needs" I never knew I had. I NEED JAPANESE STUFF! I need all the cool merchandise I'm seeing in your photos (the darlin' park mascots; outrageous Tees. I need all the delectable foods you're dining on (even - gasp - McDonalds Shaka Shaka). I need petting habitats (wildlife to commune with!). And, I need AIR TIME on quirky Japanese coasters! Also a spin on the cutest teacup ride I've seen (but a short cycle, please!). There is SO much to love about your visit to Japan and all the fun you've shared with us. The American/Japanese Tourist Board could not have done a BETTER job than TPR! (I think I'm a little "Pancho GREEN" with envy!) Thanks, again! Alice P.S. I guess more men sign up for trips than women? Thank goodness for the "Ladies of TPR," representing that we girls ALSO 'just wanna have fun!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArgoZ Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 “Tronbutt” LOL. You look like such fantastic tour guides. Ensuring everyone gets on closed rides, experiences unique foods and Japan’s culture. Fantastic trip so far. I hope to go someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 There is SO much to love about your visit to Japan and all the fun you've shared with us. The American/Japanese Tourist Board could not have done a BETTER job than TPR! Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 So much great underwear! I think next to rollercoasters I like underwear the most. So far this looks like an awesome trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 It looks like a great day despite the rain. The fact that you got the park to open Pyrenees is why I love TPR trips, the work you go through to make the trips better for the participants is second to none. Getting dirty is a small price to pay for what looks like a great ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 REGISTER for our forum to leave a comment! Click HERE for an index of all our Japan 2018 Trip Updates Follow our LIVE updates on Twitter and Instagram Stories! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Day Nineteen - Legoland Japan! Today we visited a "new park" for us! It's sort of rare with all of our travels we get to visit a new park, so this was kind of exciting for us! We've always been a fan of the Legoland parks and this one in Japan, although smaller than most of the other parks, still had quite a bit to offer! Many of the Legoland attractions you are familiar with like The Dragon, the "water whip", the Adventure-themed shooting dark ride, etc are all here. And of course their Miniland was amazing! Here's some photos & video... Look at where we are heading this morning! TPR says “Good morning from Legoland Japan!” Warning! Lots of LEGO photos are about to be posted! (You’ve been warned!) There are a lot of super awesome looking things to see in the Miniland area but we’ll come back to this area later... Rides first! The Dragon is the same roller coaster you know and love from other Legoland parks. Still a GREAT ride and one of the main feature attractions of the park. (they also have a kiddie version of this coaster, too!) What is more important than the Dragon roller coaster... ...are all the cool LEGO characters they have outside of it! So... If Legoland Japan can have dueling Dragon coasters, why can't... Chuck must stop LEGO Godzilla and LEGO King Kong from destroying Japan!!! I love the “Submarine Adventure” attraction at LEGOLAND Japan! and I love that the name of your ride vehicle is “S.Q.U.I.D.” I don’t know why but squid is such a fun word to say! Everyone get in the S.Q.U.I.D! Here we are in the S.Q.U.I.D! You’ll see real sharks & fish on the Submarine Adventure... ...and maybe a few Lego characters thrown in as well! We have this amazing photo to remember our Submarine Adventure! [twitter] [/twitter] There really is just too much to show from Miniland! So much amazing stuff to see here! [twitter] [/twitter] It always makes me happy to see the “Rescue Academy” attraction at Legoland parks! One of my favorites and I’m glad they have it at Legoland Japan! More awesome Japan stuff in Miniland! While not the largest Miniland we've seen, Legoland Japan's might be the most elaborate! Choose thy fate: Post below what you want to be when you grow up! S.Q.U.I.D!!! This is probably my all-time favorite Legoland attraction and happy to see that not only does LEGOLAND Japan have one... ...but it’s also S.Q.U.I.D. themed!!! It just wouldn’t be a Merlin Entertainment park without a Pizza/Pasta Buffet!!! And this is the BEST one we’ve done so far!!! Pizza/Pasta Buffet!!! A trip on the Observation Tower will give you a nice birds eye view of the park! Here's the overview of the park. You can see that while the park is not that large in size, it does have a lot to do! This LEGO factory tour is one of the best we’ve ever done! You can see them making the actual LEGOLAND Japan bricks they give to you at the end of the tour! (And yes they are free!) I could just keep posting more pics from all the different areas of the park! No matter what direction you look there is always something cool to see! The large interstate in the background of the LEGOLAND City area actually works with this park! It fits the theming! This may have been my favorite display in Miniland! Yes those are all Lego mini characters in the stadium seats! Thousands of them!!! Why, yes of course LEGOLAND Japan sells LEGO shaped food... Some close-ups of many different scenes in Miniland! So many details! More awesome LEGO fun! I could easily post 100 photos of just more random things you see while wandering around the park! Pride zebra? In almost every Miniland at the different Legoland parks you can find a character sitting on the toilet! S.Q.U.I.D!!! We had a fantastic visit to Legoland Japan! All the Legoland parks do such a great job of truly making you feel like a kid again! The “giant white mannequin” in Nagoya Japan was dressed as Chewbacca this visit as a promotion for Solo. It’s pretty creepy looking... gotta admit! FYI - This is what it looked like in 2004.. Yes, these are capsule toys of “animals peeing into urinals!” Oh, Japan... We LOVE you!!! Now, POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!! After all, we took the time to write this report, the least you can do is post something nice about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 "Bathroom in groups" Looks like an amazing Legoland, Robb! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bert425 Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 I totally do not understand the animals at urinals figures. . . so of COURSE, now i have this urge to collect them all! Legoland looks amazing, and the lego shaped hot dog bun? yay! as to your question here? of course, if I MUST grow up, then I wanna be a shark. the photos and reports from Japan are so fantastic! Loving every update guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ytterbiumanalyst Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 By now you're practically Agents of S.Q.U.I.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JG-77 Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 I just want to say that these TR's have been absolutely fantastic! Can't wait to read more! Also, I know I'm several pages late, but: Because why not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 I just want to say that these TR's have been absolutely fantastic! Can't wait to read more! Also, I know I'm several pages late, but:[attachment=0]robAskedMeTo.PNG[/attachment] I actually get ALL of these emails!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfalcioni Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 That mega Chewbacca is terrifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted June 26, 2018 Author Share Posted June 26, 2018 By now you're practically Agents of S.Q.U.I.D. S.Q.U.I.D!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Maybe it's just me but it seems like every other Legoland park in the world looks better than Legoland Florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoasterInk Posted June 26, 2018 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Awesome report! Really been loving the amount of content in these reports and the great pictures! Growing up with Lego's, I have always loved LEGO land, not for their rides, but for the amount of just COOL stuff they contain. Happy you guys found time to visit one in Japan! Also, love these new submarine rides that resemble the old 20,000 leagues ride at Disney that are popping up in Legolands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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