Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's World Adventures

Mega Coaster was surprisingly decent, and the pirate version of Desperadoes was a plus.

Great report!

Thank you!

I have always been fascinated with the look of those "roll caged heartline rolls", but never got to experience one.

 

A little late to the party, but Pyrenees looks like bae. I love how it starts as "giant BTR", then has all those extra elements added in. As a huge B&M Invert fan, this one is absolutely goals for me whenever I make it to Japan. The snappy cobra roll has me longing for Ice Dragon.

The caged and non-caged heartline rolls feel pretty much the same to me from a rider perspective. It's definitely funky seeing the pipeline support structure on an otherwise normal coaster, but I'm glad Togo did what they had to in order to incorporate in such a fun element.

Pyrenees really is a fantastic invert. I too miss Dragon, but at least Raptor and Alpengeist are two inverts stateside that have really snappy cobra rolls.

Excellent update! I really enjoy exploring these different quirky Japanese parks.

 

It is great to hear that there is a good "Manhattan Express" out there. Who would have thought?

Thank you! There must be something about a Togo being in Japan that makes it infinitely better. The backwards one should have killed us, but it didn't. The Manhattan Express one also should have killed us, but it didn't. Then later on the trip I rode a stand-up that didn't squash my nuts. Then Bandit and Sea Coaster Leviathan (especially this one) ended up ranking far higher on my personal list than I ever thought they would.

Mega Coaster was surprisingly decent, and the pirate version of Desperadoes was a plus.

I didn't realize what Pirates Adventure was going to be, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it was one of those Desperados. Usually those things are a pretty steep upcharge at FECs, so it was refreshing to find another one at a park.

Lagunasia

Lagunasia has one of the oddest ride lineups in the world. In the center of the park, you have a massive pool, a lazy river, and a few water slides. Then around the perimeter, you have a few highly themed attractions with emphasis on few. It was hard not to be amazed at the amount of detail in each attraction until you realize there isn’t much beyond that.

One part water park, one part ride park.

It really was a beautiful park.

Pudgy mascots are so much better.

The most populous area of the park for attractions is the kiddie area which is booming with color. You can probably guess the reason we were in this area was for the kiddie coaster. Though to our defense I’d say this was more of a family coaster since it was more akin to an extended roller skater.

It was called the Stellar Coaster, but stellar isn’t how I’d describe it as an adult. It didn’t really have any drops or exciting turns, but it was relatively smooth and serves its target audience well. I don’t know what it is with Japan, but they always exaggerate their attractions. First Fantastic Coaster Rowdy and now Stellar Coaster. 4 out of 10

Stellar may be going too far, but it is ok for a junior coaster.

Pirates’ Blast is an odd duck. Off-ride, you can barely see any of the coaster. You can only see this slow, wonky outdoor segment with some awkward transitions. A majority of the attraction is housed inside a well-themed queue building. For this reason, I’m perplexed as to why they offered VR on the attraction (much like Space Fantasy). Fortunately this VR was 100% optional and I happily declined it.

The location of the theming was strange. The lift hill was pitch black, but there were show scenes once the coaster started gaining speed. It’s the exact same thing that the Six Flags Dark Knight coasters do. It’s really a shame here since the level of detail looked to be pretty impressive. Once the theming ends, the outdoor segment that rides every bit as awkwardly as it looks. It reminded me of Mystery Mine’s first half minus the shaft drop.

Pirates’ Blast had potential. However, it wasn’t fully realized since the ride speeds through the themed portion and crawls through the unthemed portion. The coaster section isn’t all that thrilling and has some jerky turns, but it never became what I’d consider rough. I have never ever advocated a ride adding trims, but I honestly think Pirates’ would be better with them during the dark ride portion. 5 out of 10

The photo is a bit out of focus like VR.

The star of Lagunasia is Legend of the Labyrinth. Going into the park, I knew they had a log flume. What I didn’t realize is that it would be the best themed log flume I’ve ever ridden outside of a Disney park. The ride travels through a mystical temple complete with all the usual paraphernalia plus an impressive dragon animatronic and a star tunnel that felt like it should belong on Space Mountain.

Beyond the theming, Legend of the Labyrinth offered thrills too. There’s a really well done backwards drop plus a surprisingly tall outdoor drop. If you navigate the park clockwise, you’ll see the drop beforehand. But if you navigate the park counterclockwise as I did, you won’t see the drop beforehand. The resulting splash was more soaking than expected after riding so many dry flumes on the trip.

Legend of the Labyrinth is not only the park’s best attraction, but it’s also one of the best flumes out there. I won’t take it over Splash Mountain, Chiapas, Ripsaw Falls, or Valhalla, but I can’t think of a better flume beyond that. This flume was the entire package- fantastic theming and solid drops. 10 out of 10

It's pretty clear from the start this will be no ordinary flume.

But it does have the familiar drop at the end.

Up next was Aqua Wind. I have to take a moment to applaud Lagunasia for their twisted sense of humor. First they name a coaster Aqua Wind (aka wet fart) and then they name a coaster Pirates’ Blast. Ok immature humor aside, this was one of those Gerstlauer wild mice that also mixes in banked turns.

I found out after the fact that the layout was identical to Six Flags Mexico’s Joker. You’d think I’d prefer the spinner, but I actually preferred Aqua Wind for the themed building and superior forces. The curving first drop was surprisingly steep with a pop of air. Then instead of modest spinning, the hairpin turns dished out some strong laterals. Then the indoor helix is quite disorienting. But the best moment is shared between both coasters, the final bunny hill which delivers some really good airtime.

I would love to see these Gerstlauer mice pop up more than the standard Mack or Maurer ones (and especially over those Zamperla ones). They really are a jack of all trades mixing in the traditional laterals plus some airtime and stronger forces. 7 out of 10

I wouldn't complain one bit if every single US mouse was replaced by one of these.

It even has legit airtime!

And the winner for the most baffling theme ever goes to Lagunasia for Magical Powder. What is magical powder you may ask? I rode the ride twice and still don’t fully grasp the mystical compound. All I know is that it can transform a broken rocking horse into a live horse, cause people to lose weight faster than Jenny Craig, and switch genders faster than you can say RMC.

In some ways, I preferred the queue line to the ride. In no way was the ride bad, but I could casually stroll through the queue line to appreciate all the little details in the different formulations of magical powder and watch the scene where magical powder is applied to fix all sorts of random things.

The ride does progress a little slowly, but the scenes are well done. I think the plot of the ride is that the elves lose their magical powder and it causes everyone to get depressed. But then they get their powder back and everyone is happy. I think they need to go to Magical Powder Anonymous for their addiction. I don’t see anyone around here going nuts for Gold Bond. The premise is so absurd that it makes the whole experience enjoyable. 8 out of 10

Yes this is a ride. And yes, it's as screwed up as you'd expect.

This magical machine hits creatures/things with powder and then they improve.

All the different varieties.

Just in case you had any nutritional questions, Lagunasia has you covered.

So are we being eaten by the can of powder?

Unfortunately that plush Magical Powder was not for sale. Though it was probably for the better. Explaining that one to TSA would have been fun.

The final dark ride is called Fire Fire (no Microsoft Word, this is not an unintentional repeated word you should delete). It was extremely difficult to find as it was tucked away in a corner of the park underneath a building, but it was worth the hunt. The scenes were extremely well designed and expansive.

The one downside with the attraction was the level of difficulty. It was extremely hard and quite possibly not for the right reasons. It seemed like I had to shoot most targets 4-5 times for the shot to register. Others in our group noted the ride’s difficulty, so it doesn’t seem to be related to my specific vehicle. Still the set design and sheer amount of targets compensates for this quirk. 7 out of 10

If you think you're good at shooters, this ride is the real test.

Lagunasia also has a Ferris Wheel located beyond the park’s borders. If we had more than 2 hours, I probably would have checked it out, but instead I used the remaining time to reride the Legend of the Labyrinth, Aqua Wind, and Magical Powder. That flume seriously was one of the best rides of the trip.

The obligatory jumbo Ferris wheel since we were in Japan.

Everything Lagunasia is very nice. However, it’d be hard to spend an entire day there due to the lack of attractions. The park clearly prefers quality over quantity. Usually that’s my mantra as well, but this park has drifted so far towards quality that we had already finished all the attractions in about an hour. I can’t think of another park that could use a package of flats more.

This wasn’t at the park, but it was so odd and bizarre that it needs to be included. After leaving the park, we wanted to grab dinner by the hotel and tried this bar called the Lockup per Robb’s recommendation. It was among the most memorable dining experiences I have ever had and definitely the most screwed up!

First there was a pre-show with a jump scare or two. Then they locked us in a jail cell. Then at the top of the hour, a disco ball dropped and rave music played as the staff members donned masks and danced outside the cell.

All of the items were morbidly dressed up. Drinks came in faux blood bags, test tubes, beakers, or pills. Food items were on the lighter side, but they were pretty tasty considering the place’s calling card was the atmosphere. I don’t quite think I’ll ever have a dining experience quite like it again...unless I return.

What have we gotten ourselves into?

If all prisons are like this, I think more people would want to go to jail.

What other prison has a blacklit dance party on the hour?

How daring are you?

These time capsules were pure alcohol. No one liked the taste, but they were a rite of passage.

Mmmmm bacon steak.

Which hash brown should I take?

Any idea what is in this building at Hirakata Park?

Looks looks a haunted swing to me.

I didn't walk over to that side of Higashiyama's amusement section, but I remember the vending machine listed at least two indoor attractions. One was a fun house that I believe was located next to the staircase. I thought the other was a mirror maze from the image, but could be wrong.

Tobu Zoo

If breezing through one zoo wasn't enough on this trip, we did the exact same thing witg Tobu Zoo. I have no problem with our furry friends, but I always prioritize coasters over animal exhibits. That's especially true when that coaster would be my first Intamin mega lite.

Tobu Zoo is first and foremost a zoo. That's why zoo is in the name.

My first thought entering the park was that Tobu Zoo is simply massive. I knew it'd be on the larger side considering it was a zoo, but I didn't realize just how spread out the amusement park section would be. It took a good 15 minutes from the entrance to reach Kawasemi and the kiddie coaster was even further back. While I do enjoy making a fool of myself on kiddie coasters, I wasn't going to waste my limited time walking back there when the alternative was a mega lite. I'd think most enthusiasts in my position would do the same, but I'm sure the allure of Diggy and Daggy’s Tram Coaster is too much for some to pass up. Now I would have ridden the Tentomushi tivoli coaster since it was on the way, but sadly it was down for the day.

I had a one (Intamin) track mind.

Maybe the monorail would have sped things up, but it didn't appear to be an option.

Kawasemi was without a doubt one of the most anticipated coasters of the trip for me. Enthusiasts always rave about the airtime. With no wait, we started in the front and were stunned a coaster this short would have a cable lift. It almost seems unnecessary, but it does whip you over the top. The turn at the bottom of the drop isn't quite at the level of I305, but it was really intense. On each of my rides, I was definitely seeing grey. Then instead of flying over the second hill, Kawasemi really crawled.

The next airtime hill appeared similar to the picturesque one on Maverick and delivered some strong airtime, but not the sustained ejector like Maverick's hill. The next bit was the highlight of the ride- the s-hills. There were three tiny s-hills traversed in rapid fire succession that each provided some strong ejector air to go with some laterals. After another quick turn there were two bunny hills that looked ripe with crazy airtime, but instead I just got a few weak pops. Then there was a surprise bit of air entering the brake run, but again it wasn't all that powerful. Kawasemi was good, but my sky-high expectations definitely were not met.

So the logical thing to do was try it again in the back row. And I can say unequivocally that is the right place to ride Kawasemi. The drop had some nice floater the whole way down, the already awesome air on the s-hills was even stronger, and the final bunny hills delivered some pops of ejector like I had expected. It still wasn't quite as good as I had expected, but it's still an excellent coaster. It's smooth, reridable, and few coasters of this size offer this much airtime. It just didn't have that out-of-control feeling that a similarly sized ride like Lightning Run provided. 9 out of 10

Was the cable lift gratuitous? Yes. But was it cool? Oh yeah!

See that hair standing straight up in row 1? That's what we call hairtime.

After a few more rerides, there was another Intamin waiting for us. Except this one was made of wood. Before getting excited, this isn't El Toro or Balder we're taking about. No, this is Regina. We walked onto the front row and prayed Regina wouldn't be abusive. While she doesn't quite reach the levels of 50 shades of grey, she does remind riders whose in charge.

The first turnaround delivered a very strong pop of air. Actually all the turnarounds delivered solid airtime, as well as the finale. It was a bit bumpy at points, but it never approached what I'd consider rough. My riding partner thought different, especially after I convinced him to ride in the back (after all, I hear that's where Regina likes it).

Again I didn't find it unbearably rough. It was definitely bumpier than the front, but the reward was some decent air on any larger drop. It's not the world's best wooden coaster, but it was the best one I rode in Japan. 7 out of 10

Regina sure is a beauty.

I mean look at those curves.

She's also a bit mean like Regina George.

Imagine that, Regina is a female that finds strong vibrations pleasurable.

Hoping Kawasemi was maybe running a bit sluggish on our first rides, we came back around 2 hoping it had sped up. Alas it did not happen. It felt like hill 2 was sapping a large chunk of Kawasemi’s speed on each ride. I think the low crowds were working against us. For one, I honestly don't know how many times it even ran without us. Then when we did ride, the train never had more than 6 people. Maybe others who have ridden Kawasemi or the other mega-lites can chime in, but I'm guessing a combination of the two led to me getting what were very good rides as opposed to world-class rides.

Those hills didn't quite dish out the insane air I expected. It was merely good.

Tobu Zoo is definitely way more than just the two Intamin coasters I rode. Animal fans definitely shouldn't do what we did, but it was the only way to cram Kawasemi into the trip. If and when I return to Japan, hopefully I will visit Tobu on a busier day (that feels like an odd thing for an enthusiast to say ) and possibly experience why these mega-lites always creeped into the top 10 on the Mitch Hawker poll.

My theory is you had what happened to me with New Texas Giant. I overhyped New Texas Giant so much, I expected it to blow me away like El Toro did. It simply didn't. Now I always just take new coasters as they are and try to keep hype manageable so I don't ruin the ride for myself. Also excellent reports from Japan!

^Personally, I was blown away by New Texas Giant.

^Personally, I was blown away by New Texas Giant.

Oh don't get me wrong I loved it it just didn't give me the "El Toro-like Euphoria" I was expecting. I wanted to ride it in the back but we needed to cover the whole park before it closed for inclement weather that day. Really need to get back to SFOT.

Really enjoying the play-by-plays of all the parks on the Japanese trip. I sure hope I can get out that way sometime in the not-too-distant future, as it looks like you've all been having an amazing journey!

My theory is you had what happened to me with New Texas Giant. I overhyped New Texas Giant so much, I expected it to blow me away like El Toro did. It simply didn't. Now I always just take new coasters as they are and try to keep hype manageable so I don't ruin the ride for myself. Also excellent reports from Japan!

Thanks! It's hard not to hear the hype about certain rides- El Toro, Lightning Rod, etc. But the truly great ones live up to the hype. From Robb's reports, he noted that Kawasemi was running slower in the morning, but it had warmed up in the afternoon. I suspect it never fully warmed up because the park was so empty and it was barely running. And then when it did run, it had no more than 2-4 people on the train.

^Personally, I was blown away by New Texas Giant.

If New Texas Giant was the first RMC I ever rode, I would have been absolutely blown away. Having ridden several others, New Texas Giant's individual elements aren't quite as daring as their other coasters. Again this is like saying a bucking bull running on setting 9 isn't as wild as a bucking bull on setting 10; both are crazy. The ride's sheer length is its strength.

Really enjoying the play-by-plays of all the parks on the Japanese trip. I sure hope I can get out that way sometime in the not-too-distant future, as it looks like you've all been having an amazing journey!

Thanks! It's definitely a bucket list place for all the parks and culture.

Did Tobu Zoo remove their Intamin drop tower? Seems like it would have bee visible in the pic of the hippo statue.

Unfortunately the Intamin drop tower was gone. I definitely would have ridden it otherwise.

Yeah. You really need to hit up Kawasemi after it’s warmed up and with a train full of westerners!

^

Yeah. You really need to hit up Kawasemi after it’s warmed up and with a train full of westerners!

That's what I thought since I wasn't totally blown away. Still a slower Kawasemi beats most coasters out there.

I'm sure I'll get a chance to ride a warmed up and fully loaded Mega Lite someday!

It's like Intamin steel coasters have the biggest spread between the not-warmed-up rides and running-all-day rides. Riding EGF last year first thing in the morning was like "SFNE Superman on a fairly good day", then just 4 hours later I knew why many people consider it the best steel coaster.

^ I've never had an issue with SFNE's Superman warming up over the course of the day. At least for me, how it runs in the morning is how it runs in the evening. It just runs noticeably better on warmer days and not the 40 degree opening days.

Tokyo Dome City

Tokyo Dome City is so much more than just an amusement park. It really feels like its own little city in the heart of downtown Tokyo. You have a massive baseball stadium, tons of shops and restaurants, and several interesting amusement rides scattered about. They don’t have as many coasters as they used to, but they still have the incredibly unique Thunder Dolphin.

The Tokyo Dome is unsurprisingly the main attraction of Tokyo Dome City.

But not for coaster enthusiasts!

Coaster enthusiasts come for Thunder Dolphin, the funkiest Intamin hyper out there.

Like moths drawn to a flame, we were drawn to Thunder Dolphin. It’s easily one of the most visually stunning coasters out there. For one, it’s massive. It’s Japan’s tallest coaster. Second, it uses its surroundings well. It winds itself up, around, and through buildings. Other coasters have done this before, but the difference here is that Thunder Dolphin is a hyper coaster. Incredicoaster thinks it’s cute to pass over the roof of a 1 story building. Meanwhile Thunder Dolphin flies over 10 story buildings and through a 200 ft tall Ferris wheel.

Like many Japanese coasters, I had to empty everything from my pockets. There were no metal detectors a la Universal, but they were very thorough and had me pat down every single pocket. This combined with one train operations led to 10 minute dispatches. There also is no choice seating on Thunder Dolphin. We were fortunate enough to get a ride in the back car, but never got a ride towards the front. I’m sure a front row ride has some of the best visuals of any coaster.

The first drop is one of the best of any coaster. The sustained floater and sheer length is enough on its own, but then you throw in the visuals of a bustling metropolis. Instead of jumping into massive camelbacks like a majority of other hypers, Thunder Dolphin loops around a building and then through the complex’s massive Ferris wheel. None of the overbanks are particularly forceful, but the visuals are one-of-a-kind.

The second lap begins with a tiny speed hill giving fantastic air in every single seat. Unfortunately that is the only other bit of airtime. Thunder Dolphin then speeds atop a building, loses all steam, and treats riders to one of the most anti-climactic coaster endings ever. Basically you have some awkwardly slow trick track. If it were right on the edge of the roof, the visuals would have been able to compensate, but this takes place smack dab in the middle of scaffolding. The drop off the roof is solid, but it’s right into the brake run.

Thunder Dolphin is a really strange coaster. The coaster doesn’t do the usual things a hyper coaster should. I prefer coasters with airtime or positive Gs. Thunder Dolphin really doesn’t do either. It trades these for breathtaking visuals. I still really enjoyed Thunder Dolphin, but it doesn’t use its speed to its fullest potential and there are parking lot hypers offering better rides. 8 out of 10

Thunder Dolphin dives through buildings.

And passes through a hubless Ferris Wheel.

And it even has an amazing first drop.

But unfortunately the coaster doesn't offer the crazy Intamin airtime I've come to know and love. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very fun coaster. It's just not as amazing as it looks because it looks incredible.

Beyond Thunder Dolphin, Tokyo Dome City also had a few dark rides. We missed out on the Haunted House due to time constraints, but we did experience Dive. After 1.5 weeks of shooters with similar ride systems, we completely caught off-guard by Dive’s vehicles. Riders stand against a central pole. The reason for this quickly became evident.

At first I thought my gun was broken, but I found out the gun only activates when the vehicle stops and begins rotating 360 degrees. You only have one rotation per scene, so you basically have one shot per target. Like James Bond, you have to make every shot count. Outside of the wonky ride system, it was a pretty standard shooter and an enjoyable experience overall. 7 out of 10

This sounds like the perfect name for a drop tower.

But instead it's a funky stand-up shooting dark ride.

They also have the Tokyo Panic Cruise. When browsing the ride list, I was stunned to see something that looked like Spiderman’s ride system. I figured it was just another simulator, but it actually was a 3D motion dark ride. Awesome!

The movement was as great as Spiderman and the 3D was solid, but the plot was a total WTF. Basically you had a catwoman. I’m not talking about a woman dressed like a cat like Catwoman from Batman. No, I literally mean a half-woman, half-cat creature. With her umbrella, she fought off a series of beasts straight out of the wildest anime you can imagine. At this point, I’d expect nothing less from Japan. Now it was a very short ride, but this ride system couldn’t have been cheap so I appreciate the ambition. 7 out of 10

It saddens me to know this screwed up attraction is closing soon.

Do you understand the theming on the wall? I rode it and still don't know.

Last but not least, we also tried the Wonder Drop. That sounds like the perfect name for a drop tower, but here it’s used on their flume. The layout was very quirky. Not only is it on the roof of a building, but after the lift, we saw a turntable. We figured that meant a backwards drop was imminent, but our excitement was tempered after we just rotated 270 degrees and continued along facing forwards. I guess clearances were that tight they deemed a turntable necessary?

The final drop at the end wasn’t overly steep, but it was visually impressive. You descent three stories and have a scary headchopper with a pedestrian walkway. Picture yourself on the top floor of a mall and descending to the lower level and that basically is what Wonder Drop did. The final splash was a real soaker, a surprise considering the other flumes on the trip barely got us wet at all. 7 out of 10

Those walkways created quite the headchopper.

Unfortunately I ran out of time to try the Sky Flower parachute tower as well. This one was particularly noteworthy since it had standing vehicles instead of the sit-down ones I've previously encountered.

I wonder how many people's legs quiver atop the tower?

If Tokyo Disneyland didn’t offer an after 6 special I definitely would have stayed later. I imagine Thunder Dolphin is a particularly impressive night ride and there were enough rides and attractions to fill a few hours. Because of its proximity to downtown Tokyo and Thunder Dolphin, this is definitely a must on any future trip to Japan.

And remember, no selfie sticks unless you want to get zapped.

Hmm--a hot cat woman who uses martial arts and a magic umbrella to fight monsters . . . makes perfect sense to me!

^ Honestly that would have made for a better feature film than that abomination with Halle Berry.

Fuji-Q Highland

Fuji-Q Highland has one of the most impressive ride lineups of any park in Japan. However, if you ask someone to talk about Fuji-Q, chances are that they talk about soul-crushing lines, painstakingly slow dispatches that make Six Flags look like Disney, and incomprehensible weather policies. For this reason, I went in with extreme trepidation.

The fiery entrance helps create a feeling of dread.

If you do have a bad day, you can stick your butt to the camera. It's Fuji Q approved!

The day wasn’t perfect, but we had a (dare I say) great day at Fuji-Q. It just required a beautiful weather, an early arrival, several skip-the-line passes, careful planning by Robb and Elissa, and some luck. But most importantly luck. Another TPR member visited a few days after us and had a much different experience.

But we actually had a good day!

Fuji-Q’s operations matched their dubious reputation. We visited on a weekday, so the park wasn’t particularly crowded. Despite this, the major coasters all were posting waits around 60-90 minutes. The only coasters with average dispatch speeds had laughably poor capacities. The coasters with improved capacities countered with glacial operations. I shudder to think what this place is like when it’s actually crowds.

Two other operational notes. First, choice seating wasn’t allowed on any coaster except the kiddie coaster (of course that would be the case ). Second, loose articles were strictly forbidden on any attraction that traveled more than 10 mph. Fortunately these lockers are free and are positioned right before the loading area so you still have your phone as time seemingly stands still in the dark depths of Fuji-Q’s queue lines.

We knew going in that Fujiyama would be closed. It was a bummer seeing the self-proclaimed “King of Coasters” down for maintenance. I’m not going to lie, I’m intrigued by a Togo hyper. By all accounts, the finale literally tries to kill you, but after loving Surf Coaster and Bandit, I hope I can experience this monstrous coaster during a return trip.

The king of coasters was resting today.

With skip-the-line passes in hand, we were guaranteed at least one ride on the big 3 coasters assuming the weather didn’t screw us over (a big if with Fuji-Q). That being said, we were advised to rope drop the attraction we cared most about. Without question, for me that was Do-dodonpa. Eejanaika (if it was like X2) would probably be my favorite, but at least I could ride that stateside. There’s nothing quite like Do-dodonpa left in the United States.

Do-dodonpa probably had the fastest dispatches of any coaster in the park; however, there’s only so much you can do when the train holds just 8 people. We probably waited 10 minutes and were miraculously assigned the front row. I was both excited and terrified by the raw power of the launch. Yes Top Thrill Dragster is slightly faster, but Do-dodonpa reaches its max speed in a third of the time. That’s insane!

With all loose articles tucked safely away in a locker, we rolled into the launch tunnel. The ride’s theme played on loop as anticipation mounted. Then a recording exclaimed “Launch Time” (yes it was actually in English). 3, 2, 1…and holy guacamole! I felt like I was rammed by a NASCAR. The launch was so powerful that it caused my stomach to drop, a feeling only Xcelerator has been able to replicate.

The rush of wind wasn’t quite as intense as expected due to a windshield, but you can definitely tell you’re flying. I definitely regret missing arguably the most intense and painful moment of airtime from the former top hat, but the vertical loop is really smooth and has a copious amount of hangtime. The turns are pretty shaky, but the spacious shoulder bars and shock-absorbing tires yields a bouncy experience that never becomes painful.

Do-dodonpa’s launch was every bit as good as advertised. Honestly the coaster could have launched right into a brake run and I would have been satisfied. But it also threw in an impressive loop. There are definitely more complete coasters out there, but few offer the absolute adrenaline rush of Do-dodonpa. 9 out of 10

Here's where one of the most insane moments of airtime once stood.

Saying the launch is insane is an understatement.

Do-dodonpa is fast!

I enjoyed the loop. Not sure if others did from their facial reactions.

Hi Robb!

We briefly contemplated saving our skip-the-line passes for later in the day, but we decided to use them just in case a single drop of rain fell from the sky and caused all coasters to go into Orphan Rocker mode. That made Takabisha the next stop. I was assigned the back row and was hoping the coaster was on the smoother side like the Smiler. As a precaution, I leaned my head forwards to avoid any bashing.

The ride started with an intense indoor drop and a hangtime filled inversion. That was followed by a launch. On paper, Takabisha has one of the more impressive accelerations out there. Reaching its top speed in 2 seconds is nothing to snuff at. But after riding a coaster next door with twice the acceleration, Takabisha’s launch merely felt decent. I guess it’s all relative.

It’s impossible to remember the sequence of inversions. What I do remember is that the banana roll and loop were funkily profiled and pulled some good Gs. Then there were also one or two tiny hills with quick pops of air. But the strongest pop of air was on that beyond vertical plunge. I was worried the holding brake would kill the air like Dare Devil Dive, but those fears were unnecessary.

Takabisha really is two coasters spliced together much like the Smiler or Twisted Colossus. Having the breather in the middle is a bit different. But do I care? Not one bit! Both halves are a whole lot of fun and the experience feels noticeably different having a launch versus a beyond vertical plunge. The coaster was also pretty smooth considering it runs the gambit of inversions. A few of the transitions were a bit abrupt, but leaning forwards negated any pain.

I’m excited the long delayed Meadowlands Mall will have a clone of this coaster. It will sure beat riding an Orient Express to get my coaster fix in February. 9 out of 10

If HangTime is considered a dive coaster now, does this count too because of the holding brake?

Takabisha is a launch, drop, and non-stop inversions.

Coaster or Food Stadium?

Most wild mice have wretched capacities to begin with, but Fuji-Q’s takes their mouse to another level. Rather than the standard 4 person vehicles, Fuji-Q’s Mad Mouse has 2 person vehicles. Oddly this was the one coaster where loose articles were permitted and actually required to come with you, bags included.

It didn’t rattle as much as Hamanako’s Jungle Mouse, but it didn’t track as smoothly as its Mack or Maurer brethren. The hairpin turns in the second half were extremely powerful (borderline painful), but outside of that, the coaster didn’t offer any thrills. I think I prefer the more standard mice. 4 out of 10

The mouse was definitely mad.

We happily bypassed a 90 minute queue at Eejanaika and walked right into the station. It was a two train wait, which took 20 minutes. Why? One, the train is in typical Fuji-Q fashion shortened. While X2 has 7 rows, this only had 5. Two, multiple operators came by to check every single part of the restraint individually. Three, the ride has one of the strictest loose article policies I’ve ever seen. Everything must leave your pockets and all riders even have to remove their shoes.

Eejanaika had the potential to be the best coaster on the trip. On one hand, X2 ranks very highly for me and I heard Eejanaika is faster. On the other hand, I also heard Eejanaika is rougher. The moment of truth on the ride’s comfort would come at the base of the first drop. Would I love the sheer insanity of a flip at the base of a 200+ foot vertical drop or would I be crying uncle? Thankfully it was the former.

Diving towards the ground Falcon’s Fury style is ridiculously intense on its own, but having a wild flip at the bottom really makes this one of the top drops in the world. Yes the train shook a bit (occurred on all valleys), but at no point did my head hit against the spaced out restraints.

When I name my favorite inversions, I usually say zero-G rolls. However, I always forget how ludicrous raven turns are. Those things pull the Gs of a pretzel roll and are usually accompanied by sudden flips on the 4-D coasters. But just when I think the raven turn is my favorite inversion, Eejanaika followed up with a breathtaking zero-G roll where the seats simultaneously invert. The result is absolutely disorienting and also yields some sustained hangtime.

The one dead spot on X2 is the far turn, but Eejanaika has different profiling and hauls through this element. That’s followed by another crazy zero-G roll with flipping and that’s followed by yet another nutty inversion, the final raven turn. The whip on this element is incredible, especially if you’re assigned the back row. Then there’s one last barrel roll into the brake run that makes Kumba’s zero-G roll seem like child’s play (and I absolutely love that inversion so this is no insult).

I hit the brake run absolutely speechless. This is definitely one of the most intense coasters on the planet. It’s baffling how all the crazy flips can be incorporated onto a coaster this massive, but Eejanaika succeeded. It’s not perfect since it does rattle noticeably at the bottom of each element. For me, this didn’t cause any pain, but I know others didn’t have the same opinion. I think if you like X2, you’ll love Eejanaika. Likewise if you hate X2, you’ll want to see this ride burn. 9.5 out of 10

I'm pretty sure you should be able to see Mt. Fuji back there, but Mt. Fuji was the hide-and-seek champion of the trip.

Eejanaika supposedly means "Ain't it Great" and I agree wholeheartedly.

Nagashimasuka is a mouthful to say or type, but it’s one of the top 2 river rapids rides I’ve ever ridden. The queue looked short, but it took about 20 minutes thanks to the smallest rafts I’ve ever seen. We had two adults in our raft and I’m not sure if we could have comfortably fit anyone else. They were selling ponchos for 100 yen ($1) in the queue, but we foolishly declined. How wet would we get? Famous last words.

The ride begins with a massive lift and it was followed by a ridiculously steep plunge. It looked like one of those vertical slides where you question if it’s safe to even go down. And like all rapids rides, the drop was followed by a colossal wave that doused the entire raft. Instead of moving into a slow river, the raft then moved down a long chute more akin to what you’d find on a water slide. That too culminated in a massive splash.

But there were still two more drops waiting for us. There was a double down and the Hafema whirlpool of death. The former was actually slower than expected, but the latter was pretty scary. It feels really wrong getting laterals on a rapids ride, but that’s exactly what happened. Both drops also offered soaking splashes and there were a few geysers and sprayers at the bottom for good measure.

If you don’t want to get wet, stay far, far away from this ride. Three TPR members saw how wet we got and they immediately bailed out of the queue. However, if you don’t mind being soaked to the bone (or aren’t stupid and purchase the poncho), this truly is one of the best rapids rides in the world. Only River Quest can match it for thrills and maybe Popeye for the overall experience. 10 out of 10

Hello Kitty! All I could think of was that awful Avril Levine song when I saw these golden statues.

If you come off dry, it's a borderline miracle. It'd be like going to Fuji-Q and finding everything a walk-on.

No nudity.

The nicest themed area of the park was the park’s Thomas Land. Barring a miracle from Kennywood, I can confidently say that this puts all of the US Thomas-themed areas to shame. I watched an unhealthy amount of Thomas the Tank Engine growing up, so the area was rekindling fond childhood memories.

I remember when Six Flags had Thomas Land. It didn't look this good.

It also helps that the area has a legitimate dark ride in Thomas’s Party Parade. Maybe party means something different in Japan, but all of the trains looked too sad and depressed to be attending a party. Nonetheless, the sets all looked fantastic and there was this weird rotating platform in the middle of the ride that wasn’t something I’ve seen on a dark ride before. 8 out of 10

At least Thomas looks happy to be at his own party. None of the other trains did.

And for the most embarrassing moment of the day, you have two contenders. First there was the Rock n Roll Duncan kiddie coaster that was ridiculously slow even by kiddie coaster standards. Second there was Everybody Twist. Basically it was one of those kiddie roundabouts, but the difference here is that they give all riders a tambourine. How could you not get into dancing to the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song?

This was sadder and more pathetic than most kiddie coasters on the trip.

Photo credit to PeoplemoverMatt.

Fuji-Q has also hopped on the trend of installing one of those flying theaters in Fuji Airways. The queue videos and preshow videos were odd. Prior to boarding, you are told that you’ll ride on the wings of a plane. Because riding inside the cockpit is too mainstream? And for good measure the test riders are shown to be aliens and the safety briefing is given by a dude with hair styled like Mt. Fuji.

The cruel irony is that Fuji Airways was the only time I saw Mt. Fuji all day. You’d think it’d be impossible to miss a volcano over 12,000ft in size, but Mt. Fuji was ducking behind thick clouds all day. Meanwhile the ride video featured several scenes around the iconic peak. The ride was extremely well done outside of the transitions being a random black fade. 9 out of 10

Fuji-Q has joined the flying theater trend.

The only Mt. Fuji sighting of the day!

My spider sense tells me that this isn't the safest way to ride a plane.

Indiana Jones 4 anyone?

SFNE’s former Time Warp was one of my favorite flats growing up. While it looked similar to the Zamperla hawks out there, Time Warp was a rare Vekoma Air Jumper and offered far superior hang-time thanks to the restraint design. I never thought I’d ride one again, but I was stunned and excited to learn that Fuji-Q had the exact same model still in operation.

While SFNE’s was called Time Warp, it had positively no clock theming. Meanwhile their old Double Trouble (Chance Inverter) had clock theming yet only ran one side. Alternatively, Time Warp ran both sides. So it’s a longtime joke that SFNE mixed up the two names, but the more I think about it, I honestly think it may be true!

But back to Panic Clock, this ride actually had incredible clock theming. We were lucky enough to be seated on the end and it reminded me why it’s the best inverting swinging ship out there. The cycle wasn’t overly long, but the hang-time was everything I could have wanted. The one other element I forgot about is that the individual arms tilt at the start of the ride to create the clearance with the floor. I can’t think of another ride that does that. 8 out of 10

Now this is how SFNE's old Time Warp should have looked.

For the most part, weather was on our side but a gentle breeze was wreaking havoc with three rides- the star flyer, the sky roller, and the hamster coaster. I queued for Tentekomai (sky roller) twice, but both times the wind gave a 5-10 mph howl and shut the attraction down. Guess I wasn’t getting my 40-50 flips today.

Yes! The wind subsided enough for one of my favorite flats to open.

I was ready to show the ride who was boss. But then it closed for wind again.

Once it opened, Voyage Dans Le Ciel (hamster coaster) remained open. This is a funky looking suspended coaster that looks like Pteranodon Flyer with much cuter cars. Because of the 1-2 person capacity per car, we waited just south of a half hour. That ended up being our longest wait of the day at Fuji-Q, which is a pretty remarkable thing to state.

The ride didn’t swing as much as I had anticipated due to frequent braking. It also doesn’t offer any large drops. But it does offer some nice views of the midway below as you slowly fly overhead. 5 out of 10

I really do wish I could have ridden this in its originally flying incarnation.

I was also able to get second laps on all three of the major coasters. I still had my skip-the-line pass saved for Do-dodonpa, but Robb and Elissa also had some extra passes available for Takabisha and Eejanaika. I’m really appreciative since I had actually considered queuing again normally for the latter since I liked it so much.

The skip-the-line passes were absolute saviors. They're a must in a visit to Fuji-Q.

Two other closures were the walkthroughs- Labyrinth of Fear and Ultimate Fort 2. I believe that someone said one of them may be rethemed before it reopens, so I guess that’s an item to look forward to on a return visit.

A rare Fuji Q closure that isn't for "weather".

The park also boasts an S&S drop tower and a Huss giant frisbee. Unfortunately I ran out of time to experience both. I almost rode the latter, but the painfully slow unloading policy would have caused me to potentially miss the bus. The park wouldn’t let you unload until all oncoming riders stored their loose articles in their locker. Policies like this are what I can see leading to frustration on a busy day.

Now I want pizza.

All in all, I had a very pleasant day at Fuji-Q. That being said, it may not have been possible without luck, excellent planning by Robb and Elissa, luck, good weather, and luck. It’s unfortunate when operations can negate such an awesome ride lineup, but based on the past experiences of the rest of the group and even others who visited mere days after us, they certainly can have that effect.

But based on my single day at Fuji-Q, I came away smiling. The skip-the-line passes were absolute saviors. That allowed us to enjoy the thrilling rides and attractions instead of painstakingly timing some of the world’s slowest dispatches. For that reason, I definitely would return to Fuji-Q on a return trip to Japan. I’ll just make sure I plan accordingly.

I mean their operations can't get any worse, right?

Of course they're adding VR. . [shudders]

Edit- Thank you to Ccron10 for clarifying this isn't actually VR goggles, but rather you can sit down and watch a POV of the coaster. That makes a whole lot more sense. I wonder if it'll load slowly and make you empty all your pockets for the full experience.

Great report!

I can't wait for the horror stories once VR comes to Fuji-Q.

^ Thanks!

Just when you thought Fuji-Q's operations couldn't get worse, they delivered the ultimate "hold my beer". I think it's astounding that VR is planned for not one, but two major attractions. Then there's the insanity of throwing that on something with a launch like Do-dodonpa. That headset is going to be plastered into the faces of riders.

^^Don't worry, they're not adding VR to the coasters. They took one of Dodonpa's old ride vehicles, set it up in a tent, and added VR headsets to play the old version of the ride and Fujiyama. BUT, imagine if they did? Could you say world record for the longest wait time for any type of attraction?

Always interesting to read a Fuji-Q trip report. I'm going back in a month so this should be interesting.