Photo TR: Chuck Returns to Japan with TPR--Again

[Blue Turbo]

S.Q.U.I.D!

Great report Chuck. I loved the JR museum, it was amazing to see all of the different pieces that you don't even think about that go into the whole Shinkansen system.

[DJeXeL]

As a train nerd (avatar makes this painfully obvious ), I really enjoyed this. Well done.

[cfc]

Lobster Pinocchio and Micro-Mini-DisneySea: Hamanako Pal Pal & Lagunasia

 

It was another train-and-cabs day as TPR returned to two parks from the 2007 trip: Hamanako Pal Pal and Lagunasia. Had either of them changed since then? Not much. But that day affected me profoundly. You see, I met someone at Pal Pal in 2007 . . .

 

 

. . . but she broke my heart. She looked at me, sighed, and said, “I’m made of fiberglass, while you are flesh and blood. It just won’t work. Besides, I’m sort of seeing . . .

 

 

. . . Pinocchio and Lobster Pinocchio.” (Well, her Facebook relationship status did say, “It’s complicated.” Never trust the Blue Fairy--or little wooden guys.)

 

Yes, I’ve grown hardened and more cynical since the Blue Fairy dumped me for two cartoon characters. But that doesn’t completely alter my feelings for Hamanako Pal Pal--a fun, funky Japanese park with a big Togo coaster than doesn’t kill you and a little wild mouse that does.

 

Let’s have a look at Pal Pal 2018. I promise that there will be little, if any, heartbreak.

Upon seeing this Togo coaster, which resembles a certain death machine in Vegas, what would you do first?: a) say “that looks awesome”; b) weasel out of riding it; c) make out your will; d) all of the above.

There you are, Pinocchio, you lousy, two-bit woman-stealing son of a . . .

"Dude! She dumped both of us for Lobster Pinocchio! Let's have a beer and talk this out."

Yeah, that lobster looks pretty shifty.

We were drawn to the huge Togo like moths to a blow torch.

They take this . . .

. . . very seriously.

This is why they took that very seriously.

There’s no turning back now.

The bow is drawn . . .

. . . let fly the shaft!

Why doesn’t this hurt more?

Yay! We’re still alive!

Congratulations. You’ve earned this.

Truth be told, Mega Coaster wasn’t quite as painful as Mini Coaster.

Cute cars, though.

Jungle Mouse was the most painful of them all.

Ever rode Desperadoes? Well, this is Desperadoes with pirates.

So, would that be “Pirates Adventure--Pirate’s Plunder: Ghosts of the Golden Grotto”? That's more complicated than the Blue Fairy's relationship status.

Did you know that pirates rode both horses and boxes?

Pink is for girls, bluish green is for boys.

“Pinocchio is dead! Long live Lobster Pinocchio!”

This dark ride has changed a lot since 2007.

But the creepy ride vehicles still stare at you.

Then again, the whole thing is a bit creepy--especially the grinning tomato. (Oh, the Blue Fairy is probably hot for that tomato now. Watch your back, Lobster Pinocchio!)

It’s now a low-budget “Midway Mania.” You play sports games (such as a hurdles race) with a controller in your ride vehicle.

“Please push the plush Pinocchios at Pal Pal.” How’s that for a tongue twister?

Even so, the Minions are moving in.

One last look at the relatively pain free Mega Coaster. Next stop, Lagunasia!

[cfc]

I had an interesting chat with our cab driver on the ride to Lagunasia.

 

CABBIE: You know, this is a very small city.

ME: Is it?

CABBIE: Yes. Why you come here to go to kid’s park?

 

Well, if it’s such a “small city,” why not spend it at a “kid’s park” like Lagunasia? Like Tokyo DisneySea, it has a nautical theme, with coasters themed to fish, pirates, and . . . er . . . wet wind?

 

 

And don’t forget the “Magical Powder.” It can really change your attitude about everything--and make you forget that entire days, weeks, or months ever happened.

 

Had the park changed at all since 2007? A wee bit. They added a VR option to Pirate’s Blast, an indoor-outdoor coaster. As rough as that thing was, I chose to skip wearing the headset, which I was afraid would come loose and give me a concussion. I’m happy to report that the park’s Gerstlauer Bobsled, Aqua Wind, is still a lot of fun. They also added onride audio to their kiddie coaster (Stellar Coaster).

 

Be on the lookout for big rubber-headed characters, and cats, as you enter Lagunasia.

“Lagunasia” is Japanese for “why do you silly adults visit kid’s park?”

He is totally checking her out.

I met a long-lost relative at Lagunasia. There does seem to be a family resemblance.

Lagunasia is a very pretty little theme park.

OK, it’s nice, but is it really “stellar”?

The synchronized on-ride audio was rather odd--and in Japanese, of course.

Of all the rides to offer VR . . .

Enjoy your neck braces and black eyes!

Hmm--”Wet Fart: The Ride”?

Nice queue--unless someone cuts a big wet one.

I kid, but this is a pretty good Gerstlauer Bobsled.

Not to be confused with the “Gato House.”

“Do I get a cut?”

Er, Dan? It’s a bit creepy in here.

Speaking of creepy . . . the strangest dark ride ever.

Dan! Don’t look at it!

“Dan? There is no more Dan.”

“Yes, we have taken his essence, drained it of all impurities, and . . .

. . . and ground his dehydrated remains into Magical Powder. Er, he’s on the right.”

“Oh, wait . . . there he is. Our mistake.”

“But if the two of you wouldn’t mind stepping into our dehydrator . . .”

Sheesh! Magical Powder is a big deal at Lagunasia.

Pink is for FAT.

You can instantly gain 15 pounds just my hugging a pink Magical Powder plush.

This powder can make you disappear for a mere 400 yen!

Looks like we stumbled into a Carnival Cruise ship theater.

We weren't there in time to be dazzled, though.

We settled for this shooting dark ride with the redundant name. That's all for now.

[Canobie Coaster]

Great report! Thanks for reminding me that I couldn't buy the plush Magical Powder.

[SharkTums]

All parks need a Magical Powder dark ride.

[cfc]

^I was glad that Magical Powder was still the same, and a bit disappointed that Pal Pal had changed their bizarre Pinocchio ride (but I did like the pirate version of Desperadoes).

Edited September 6, 2018 by cfc

[Nrthwnd]

All parks need a Magical Powder dark ride.

 

And a "Nights In White Satin" dark ride too, please?

 

Chuck, was the Paratrooper still there at Pal Pal? I couldn't see it

in any of your photos. Great insane (not so) flat ride, that was.

[cfc]

Do you mean Wild Storm?

 

 

If so, yep--it's still there.

[Nrthwnd]

^

 

That was my first one, and it still stayed The Best of the others I had ridden, since then.

 

Interesting to me, and I really hadn't noticed it before, but both dark rides in Pal Pal and Lagunasia,

(Powder and Pinocchio) use the same ride system. Big turntable with rotating/fixed "booths."

 

Are the two parks owned by the same owner, or is that just a co-incidence they use the same ride system?

 

(Probably a co-incidence, I betcha.... Damn, I miss Pal Pal and Lagunasia.)

[bert425]

very much enjoy your updates, Chuck.

 

tho I have a question on this:

 

 

 

 

is it a place to take a nap? you rent the chair for an hour? there doesn't seem to be any privacy screens, so can't imagine they want you to lay in the chair and nap.

 

what is the deal here?

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

^マッサージチェアー=Massage chair

[cfc]

"Put in a quarter!/Shut out the lights!/Magic Fingers makes you feel alright!"

[SharkTums]

very much enjoy your updates, Chuck.

 

tho I have a question on this:

 

 

 

 

is it a place to take a nap? you rent the chair for an hour? there doesn't seem to be any privacy screens, so can't imagine they want you to lay in the chair and nap.

 

what is the deal here?

 

It's Japan! People take naps in public all the time. You don't have to worry about someone harming you or stealing your stuff...ugh, thanks for reminding me once again how great Japan is!!!!

[bert425]

very much enjoy your updates, Chuck.

 

tho I have a question on this:

 

is it a place to take a nap? you rent the chair for an hour? there doesn't seem to be any privacy screens, so can't imagine they want you to lay in the chair and nap.

 

what is the deal here?

 

It's Japan! People take naps in public all the time. You don't have to worry about someone harming you or stealing your stuff...ugh, thanks for reminding me once again how great Japan is!!!!

 

that really is SUCH a nice thing to imagine. . something we just don't get in America

 

someday, Japan. . someday!

[cfc]

Back to Tokyo: LaQua & the Decks

 

Our time in Nagoya came to an end. Time to head back to Tokyo, the Tokyo Disney Resort, and the Hilton Tokyo Bay! Farewell, Nagoya! You had the cutest manhole covers anywhere.

 

Did Disney theme this town, or something?

 

But how to get back? I considered taking this bus.

 

But catbuses are notoriously unreliable. One random piece of yarn on your route, and your whole trip could be canceled. Plus, the damn thing stopped every half-hour to groom itself.

 

But Robb and Elissa were right. The Shinkansen was the most practical alternative.

 

Much more reliable than the catbus.

 

We had some time to kill before checking into the Hilton; fortunately, Tokyo is a great town for just killing time. So, how about lunch at LaQua and some random shopping at the Tokyo Decks? Sure!

 

Join us, won’t you?

I thought you went down for the Big O? Obviously, I’m confused.

We’ll get to you later Thunder Dolphin, but now . . .

. . . it’s lunch time.

Enjoy this raclette, or feed it to the rabid dog on the sign.

This is the Tokyo Dome: The home of the . . .

. . . Tokyo Giants (and their snacks).

Yep--pro baseball is a big deal in Japan. Who knew? (Well, almost everybody.)

Thunder Dolphin/Big O foreplay.

More foreplay.

“Was it good for you too?”

I don’t think anything particularly disgusting went on in this theater (unlike those last three captions).

This is for all the Lupin fans. I think it was some kind of simulator. (EDIT: Turns out it was some kind of maze.)

Tokyo Panic Cruise was Spider-man, except that you’re following a hot cat woman in a crop top and a short skirt who uses kung fu and a magic umbrella to defeat monsters. (Well, why not? Too bad it’s being removed.)

At LaQua, you can smoke in the Battlestar Galactica.

Bye, LaQua! We're moving on to the Tokyo Decks.

Edited September 13, 2018 by cfc

[Nrthwnd]

I thought the Dining Adventures sign, over the doorway was a nice touch.

[cfc]

Let's stroll around the Tokyo Decks. Who knows? Maybe we'll find some wasabi KitKats.

I love this building. It looks like a model from a 1970s sci-fi flick.

“Stay on the other side of the wall, or there may be unpleasant consequences on your head.”

There’s the Decks. We didn’t hit Joypolis today.

Pokemon? That’s a thing here? Who knew?

Great Godzilla gear in this store. Who wouldn't want a major monster in their pants?

Hmm . . . not sure I’m that interested though.

Ulp! Then again, . . .

. . . the King of the Monsters is a very persuasive salesman.

Aw, Dan is showing his love for Tokyo.

Beautiful view from the back deck--of the Decks.

Who’s up for some really touristy shopping?

“If Gigantor were somewhere around here, I’d give him a piece of my mind!”

“Don’t sing it, bring it--punk.”

If you’re looking for a big skeleton with a little skeleton hanging from its crotch, this place has you covered.

Intriguing, but not what I’m looking for.

Aha! My quest is at an end!

Achievement unlocked! They were delicious.

I have no idea what’s going on here. Perhaps someone from another dimension is trying to force his way into ours.

I think this was some sort of Shinkansen simulator.

Dan and I did this little haunted walk through. We had to carry a flashlight. It was cheesy, but fun.

Does this bug you? I’m not touching you. Does this bug you?

Er, I’m gonna say “no.”

Hello kitty butts . . .

. . . and hello kitty heads.

This vending machine made fresh, blazing-hot popcorn--lightly salted or caramel.

Nathan nearly burned his fingers on the bag.

I think some Pokemon stuff is going on here. Just a hunch.

I wonder if any of the Pokemon players caught these guys?

Time to check in--yay!

This is a great hotel . . .

. . . even though we needed an exorcist to treat our room with holy water each night (especially when the walls started bleeding). That’s all for now.

[Nrthwnd]

Room 666 ? You're off to a great Disney Kind of Adventure, Chuck!

A few of these awesome persons will probably show up in Tokyo....somewhere... where you least expect it, HA!

[Garet]

Stop by Korea for the wasabi milkshake they sell here. Or if you are feeling particularly mean, let the flavour soak and pass it to an unassuming friend and tell them it’s vanilla since it's hard to tell the flavor from looking at it

[Canobie Coaster]

Great update! I really need to explore the Decks area more next time.

[SharkTums]

I love just exploring around Tokyo and finding things like the Raclette restaurant, Hello Kitty butts, and random Pokemon Vending machines.

 

 

Yes, we were playing Pokemon.

 

Yes, I am wearing that exact same outfit today as I read your TR!!! FREAKY!!!

 

Yes, I was jealous of your Hilton Tokyo Bay room!

[cfc]

Dan and I hung this in our room to hold off the demons.

[Dombot]

Stop by Korea for the wasabi milkshake they sell here. Or if you are feeling particularly mean, let the flavour soak and pass it to an unassuming friend and tell them it’s vanilla since it's hard to tell the flavor from looking at it

Alright, let's calm down Satan.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Nice! Love all the random Japanese awesomeness. That KitKat display is epic.