Perhaps the number one destination on my Japan list was Fuji-Q. I would be happy riding roller coasters all day long as a career, and Fuji-Q is the premier coaster park in Japan.
In clear, sunny weather, the park looks really beautiful, and the right angles can make it look really good.
But people come to Fuji-Q to ride its unique coasters. This is Takabisha, which has a 90 degree lift hill (see the train going up?) and a drop of 121 degrees. This was my first ride of the day.
Yes, they are going to fall while partly upside down. It's actually kind of fun!
The coaster is then a mess of twists and inversions.
It's possibly the easiest coaster to photograph in the park, too.
Next, I headed to Dodonpa, which has a very violent top-hat element you see here. You go through the top so fast it's painful on the thighs, and what guys have between them.
From the Ferris wheel, though, it provides another great photo opportunity.
Towering above the rest of the park is Fujiyama. Due to "high winds" the coaster was closed all day.
My favorite ride at the park is Eejanaika. This coaster was one of two fourth-dimension coasters in the world until recently - and one of only three produced by S&S/Arrow (the third opened this year in China).
Riding on the inside, the coaster isn't too rough, though I rode once in an outside seat and it was pretty violent.
The coaster sits in the back corner of the park. Fuji-Q isn't a big park, though, so it takes only a few minutes to get from one side to the other.
Speaking of the park, here are more pictures of the park instead of just the coasters. This is the entrance gate.
While this is a coaster, it's a family ride. They call this Mad Mouse.
Behind Mad Mouse is Tondemina, a Giant Frisbee that I didn't go on (don't know why).
Fuwa Fuwa Osora No Dai Bouken is the hamster cloud coaster for kids, but I arrived when there was no line so I took a quick ride. It's okay for kids but not worth waiting for.
This is the building where you get on the coaster. Nice painting!
There are a couple water rides here, but nobody was riding them since it was pretty cold.
You gotta love the giant waving cats, though.
In the middle of the park, you can walk up a trail to the top of a hill which gives great views of the rest of the park. Or just ride the Ferris wheel.
A nice view with Mount Fuji hiding behind the coasters.
I think this is the entrance to the Thomas the Tank Engine ride.
This would be a hedge maze in the kids area of the park.
Did I say the park is quite photogenic?
Thomas the Tank Engine coaster! Yes, I rode this. I'm lame.
Beautiful!
They have a carousel too. I took this as I was leaving the park.
I heeded the advice of other travelers and planned my visit on a cold, clear weekday while school was in session, and I got to the park before it opened. I wasn't on the first coaster of the day but I was pretty close. The park wasn't busy but the ride lines move very slowly, and tackling as much as possible early is very important. Despite the fairly empty park, lines were about an hour long or worse most of the day, and on a busy day don't count on riding much. But the coasters are enjoyable and coaster enthusiasts flock to this place for the experience. There are plenty of other parks in Japan for people interested in riding a lot of rides and not waiting an insane amount of time, though. Oh, and take advantage of the bus service from Shinjuku with the free pass ticket included, as it's about the same price as a round-trip train ticket!
I'll leave you with one more beautiful picture of Mount Fuji.
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