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Trip Report: New Reoma World Amusement Park, Japan

 I'm not sure if there was ever an old Reoma World, but the current theme park opened in 1991. It's located in Kagawa prefecture, and requires a bus ride from the nearest train station.
 It's by and far Shikoku's largest amusement park. Or I should say larger - there are only two parks with roller coasters on the entire island. The grounds here are quite nice and it's a place you could easily spend a whole day at a leisurely pace.
 The park forms a standard loop of sorts, with different areas that almost have themes.
 Lady Bird Coaster was my first stop around the busy park, which uses wild mouse-style cars on a layout similar to many family coasters in Japan. The station is themed to look like a hollowed-out log.
 From here, it's easy to get a good glimpse of the park's Ferris wheel, which has a few open-air seats in place of the usual carriages. The line for that was fairly long and time was limited, so I went with the regular cabin to get my view of the park.
 Near the Ferris wheel is Bird Flyer, one of those super swinging rides that I've seen so frequently at parks in the US now. They're fun but not that thrilling for me.
 This panorama will let you see some of the theming...
 And here's some detail on the Lady Bird Coaster station.
 Lady Bird Coaster has a long, narrow layout, which doesn't quite fit in a couple pictures. The red-roofed building is the station for the smallest of the park's coasters, Kids Coaster. Kids Coaster is also most likely the park's newest coaster, added in 2004.
 Here's a shot of one of Lady Bird Coaster's cars, headed around a turn.
 The park's signature coaster, Vivace, is pretty fun. You'll see a couple more shots later on.
 The fourth and final coaster at New Reoma World is Spaceship 2056, and is similar to Space Mountain at Disney parks. The queue area had some not-really-functioning displays, though, which is yet another example of the difficulty Japanese parks have faced during the long recession.
 From the top of the Ferris wheel, a bird's eye view of Lady Bird coaster is possible, as well as Kids Coaster in the foreground. There's a large green lake in the middle of the park's loop, with mostly uninteresting shops and such in the buildings behind it. That's actually very dull part of the park most of the time, though I think there are shows on and over the water which make that area a good vantage point.
 There is one fun indoor ride of note called Rainbow Bandits.
 You climb into a giant balloon and travel through a story and songs, just like Winnie the Pooh or Small World at Disney... hmm, I'm starting to see a little bit of a theme here.
 Is that the Tin Man I see?
 Where the displays in Spaceship 2056 weren't working, this one was kept up pretty well. Perhaps there was a light bulb or two out but it was a fun attraction.
 Back outside, the view from across the lake serves as the perfect photo spot. There are some additional attractions around the park, including an "Oriental Trip Area" and a Pretend Town, where kids (and adults?) can dress in costumes and work various "jobs" in the town.
 That last coaster, Vivace, is located behind the entrance. The rest of the park sits to the left, while an extra-fee water park is to the right. Being the park's biggest ride, it had a decent line all day, but it did move pretty fast. For a non-looping ride in Japan, it's pretty thrilling. I rode it a few times toward the end of the day when the line shortened to something a little more manageable. They also provided blindfolds for people who wanted a "bigger" thrill. The coaster was smooth enough but I was still afraid I'd end up getting whiplash or banging myself up with the blindfold.
In 2015, New Reoma World is accessible by bus from Sakaide Station, Marugame Station, Okada Station, and Kurikuma Station. Admission is 1600 yen, or 3900 yen for an unlimited-ride free pass. There are other ticket options available that include the water park and "oriental" portions of the park. Note that riding all four coasters once will cost 1800 yen over the 1600 yen admission, almost the same price as the free pass. Park hours are generally 10:00-16:00, with extended hours in the Oriental Trip section, and on weekends and holidays.

As I've finished off my amusement park posts about Shikoku, I'll go ahead and mention for any coaster fans that it is possible to visit all three of these parks in one day. It might be best to start at Tokushima Family Land, get to New Reoma World for the four coasters there, and finish your day at Washuzan Highland near Okayama. A car is most likely required, depending on Washuzan's hours, but with good timing you could do it with public transit. That said, this park can easily take a whole day to enjoy, and Washuzan can fill most of a day too.

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