East Meets ACE – Part 5: Fuji-Q Highland / 富士急ハイランド
As we looked at the weather forecast for our trip it quickly became apparent that Tuesday, September 25 was going to be problematic in terms of rain.
This was our day to visit Fuji-Q Highland in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan. Operating since 1961, it was formerly known as Fujikyu Highland. It is well known for having issues with slow operations. We were scheduled to be at the park all day from open to close, nine hours.
We arrived at 9:00 before the rain started and hoped it would hold off until we could get the coasters in. We already knew one coaster was down for refurbishment, but the other six were all running when we got to the park. Light rain started about 10:00 and picked up as time went by. By 11:00 all but two coasters were closed for the day. People got in between two and four or maybe five coasters, but as far as I know none were able to get all six. We ended up leaving at 3:30 since the rain was not letting up.
Fujiyama (Togo, Hyper, 1996) We entered the park and headed straight for this coaster as we saw it was operating, and it was closest to the entrance. This would turn out to be a mistake as it continued to operate after the rain started, while most coasters closed.
Meaning King of Mountains (as in Russian Mountains – roller coasters), this was a very good and forceful hyper coaster, and the fact that it had only a lap bar restraint went a long way toward making this a good ride. It has a very good layout, a lot of airtime and has relentless speed.
Its length of 6,709’ makes it the fourth longest coaster in the world, while its height of 259’ and drop of 230’ make it one of the largest coasters in the world. Its age limit of 62 years was apparently not a problem for anyone – 1 ride.
Eejanaika (S&S Worldwide, 4th Dimension, 2006) At this point David and I were concerned we would not get all the coasters without fast passes, but Richard and Vanessa wanted to avoid buying them, so we divided up. We bought passes for two of the big coasters for the 10:00 hour, but passes for Do-Dodonpa were sold out, so we bought a pass for 11:00. We headed to Eejanaika. Meaning “ain’t it great”, this was the first 4D coaster S&S built after their purchase of Arrow Dynamics, which had developed the technology for X (now X2) at SFMM. It has three inversions, and I was somewhat surprised it gave a good, comfortable ride, more enjoyable than X2. Unfortunately rain moved in about two hours into our day and it never reopened, so many on the trip did not get this credit. Richard and Vanessa stood in line and got it just before the rain started. Its age limit of 60 was apparently not a problem – 1 ride.
Takabisha (Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH, Euro-Fighter, 2011) David and I headed here next. Meaning Dominant, this is a very good Euro-Fighter with a unique layout with seven inversions.
In spite of OTSR, it gave a good, smooth ride with little headbanging.
It also continued to run in the rain, so most got to ride it, including Richard and Vanessa. Its age limit of 60 was apparently not a problem – 1 ride.
Do-Dodonpa (S&S Worldwide, Thrust Air, 2001) It was just a few minutes to 11:00, our designated time to ride, so we got in the fast pass line to wait. About three minutes to the hour it began to rain. We heard a loud noise and unfortunately the ride closed. We waited for 20 to 30 minutes, but they finally evacuated the line. The ride would not reopen this day. At a length of 4,081’, a height of 161’ and a speed of 112 mph, this compressed air launched coaster was expected to be one of the standout rides of the trip by many. Named for musical sounds, (similar to Do Re Mi, but percussive), the more accurate natural pronunciation would be “Dodompa” with an “m”. Dodonpa closed in 2016 and reopened in 2017 as Do-Dodonpa after replacing the top hat element with a large loop, among other changes. I hope to return to ride it, but its age restriction of 64 may limit that if I wait more than ten years.
Mad Mouse (Unknown manufacturer, Steel Wild Mouse, 1998)
A few rode early, but due to closing for rain and not reopening, David, Richard, Vanessa and I did not. Its age limit of 64 was apparently not an issue for any who rode.
Rock ‘N Roll Duncan (Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd., Kiddie, 1999 or earlier) Themed to Thomas the Train, this was missed by most due to rain, including Richard, Vanessa, David and me.
Voyage Dans Le Ciel (Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd., Inverted, 2001) This ride, previously known as Great Fluffy Sky Adventure, and Birdmen, was closed for renovation during our visit, so everyone missed it.
Thomas’s Party Parade – This was a really nicely done darkride based on Thomas the Train and his friends – 1 ride.
Mizuki Shigeru’s Ge-Ge-Ge Haunted Mansion – This attraction allows you to listen to cartoon character GeGeGe no Kitaro’s spooky stories, but since it was all in Japanese, it was hard to understand what was going on – 1 experience.
Fuji Airways – This Soarin’ type attraction gave amazing views of Mt. Fuji, along with various special effects – 1 ride.
Shining Flower (Ferris Wheel) – This 164’ tall observation wheel would give great views of Mt. Fuji on a clear day, but that was not this day. Still it gave good views of the park – 1 ride.
Tea Cups – This covered ride was a good escape from the rain – 1 ride.
Merry-Go-Round – This antique carousel has beautiful hand-carved wood horses and gave a good ride – 1 ride.
The park focuses largely on thrill rides with some family rides mixed in. Few were operating this day due to rain, but other rides include: Tentekomai, spinning wing ride; Tekkotsubanchou, tower swings; Tondemina, swinging pendulum; Panic Clock, spinning inverter; Wave Swinger; Eiffel Tower Carousel, two-tiered merry-go-round; Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear, billed as the longest and scariest haunted house in the world, that takes 50 minutes to complete (we did not do it as we wanted to catch coasters if they opened); Ultimate Fort2, billed as an impenetrable Fortress of Despair; Red Tower, a 170’ drop tower that offers great views of Mt. Fuji, which I was looking forward to, but it was not to be this day; Nagashimasuka, elevated raft ride;
Cool Jappaan, shoot-the-chutes; and Thomas and Percy’s Fun Ride, a car ride through the world of the Island of Sodor. Also there is EVANGELION WORLD, a pavilion on a popular animation film series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. There are eight children’s rides in Thomas Land.
Defunct roller coasters include: Double Loop (Meisho Amusement Machines, Looper, 1988-2004/2005); Giant Coaster (Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd., Steel Sit Down, 1966-1997), which had a length of 4,698’ and was listed by Guinness as the longest coaster in the world when it opened; Moonsault Scramble (Meisho Amusement Machines/Okamoto Co., Ltd., Shuttle, 1983-2000); and Zola 7 (Togo, Enclosed interactive darkride coaster, unknown date-2010).
Fuji Q Highlands gets a bad rap for their slow operations, and with rain and smaller crowds I am in no position to judge from my visit, but it seems that to a large degree these issues may be related to their selection of rides: very popular, thrilling, low capacity rides.
I wish we had gotten to do more as missing four coasters in one park was the most we had encountered on any ACE international trip.
But the rain cannot be helped, and to the park’s credit they continued to operate two coasters for a long time after the rain started. We did have the opportunity to have a meal at the park, which was good. When it became evident the rain would not let up, the group decided to return to Tokyo just after 3:00. After fighting difficult traffic we made it back to Keio Plaza Hotel.
Our group of four decided to split up so those who wanted sushi could find it, so David and I found a nice small restaurant near the hotel where we each could get a rice dish. It was then time to return to the hotel to get some rest before my most anticipated day of the trip.
Up Next: Tokyo Disneyland
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