East Meets ACE – Part 11: Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens / 東山動植物園
On Saturday, September 29 we boarded the busses and headed out for a short drive to Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. Rain was beginning to fall lightly as the beginning waves of the typhoon began to be felt. We wondered how this would impact our day. From the forecast it looked like only light rain in the morning, so we hoped we would get in the first park, but we worried about the second park in the afternoon when heavier showers were predicted. Once we arrived our tour leaders learned the bad news and passed it on to us: the park would open and provide ERT on some rides, but no coasters would be open due to the rain. While this meant missing three credits, the hardest part of this news was missing a truly unique coaster, one of the oldest in Japan.
The park welcomed us and discussed some of the history of the park before we made our way to ride what we could.
The coasters we missed included:
Slope Shooter (Unknown Designer, Steel Side Friction, 1961)
Although we could not ride, the park graciously operated this unique coaster for us so we could see it in action.
It is a side friction coaster that runs through a concrete trough, kind of like a cross between a bobsled and Virginia reel.
It is the third oldest coaster in Japan and the oldest we were slated to ride, but it was not to be. It was a very difficult miss to not get to ride this unique coaster, making a future trip to Japan even more compelling.
Jet Coaster
(Meisho Amusement Machines, Steel Sit Down, 1980)
Due to rain, we did not get to ride.
Bear Coaster (Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd., Powered, 2003 or earlier)
Due to rain, we did not get to ride.
Observation Tower –
This gave great views of the park, the zoo, the botanical garden
and the city
– 1 ride.
Ferris Wheel –
Although small compared to others we have seen, it gave good views – 1 ride.
Monorail – Good tour of the park, zoo and gardens – 2 rides, 1 to each station.
Adventure House – This walkthrough house featured magic tricks, a tilt house portion and more – 1 walkthrough.
Haunted Swing – This was very fast moving and the room seemed to spin quickly – 1 ride.
Mirror Maze – Standard mirror maze – 1 walkthrough.
They also have a Train and New Viking, a swinging ship. There are also some children’s rides.
The park is quite spread out
and also includes
a Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
Ironically, the rain was fairly light the entire time we were here as forecast, but the park does not run the coasters in any rain, so it could not be helped.
This is definitely a park I will want to visit again. We boarded the busses and headed to our next stop, but as we got closer, the rain got harder.
Our final park of the day was Sea Paradise in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Operating since 1993, this is a marine park with a few rides spread out over a very large space, somewhat reminiscent of Marineland in Canada. We had about an hour and a half here.
We presented a plaque to the park when we arrived.
Surf Coaster Leviathan (Togo, Steel Sit Down, 1993)
Previously known as Surf Coaster, it has a length of 4,170’ and a height of 144’.
With a triple helix and 2 double helixes, this could be called Helix: The Ride,
but it a very fun and an interesting design with some good airtime and no pain as it has lap bar restraints.
This is a very good coaster.
It also sits out over the water for nice effect. I am aware of no one being turned away due to its age limit of 65 – 2 rides.
Sea Paradise Tower –
Great views as you rotate around on this 295’ observation tower – 1 ride.
Ice of the country – This ice house had a game where you had to find a bag inside of the same weigh you previously felt. All three of us who went through together won a prize. It is an upcharge attraction – 1 walkthrough.
Drunken Barrel – Not that fast of a spin but the platform tilts like a Calypso, which was fun – 1 ride.
Merry-Go-Round – Another classic wood carousel that is well preserved – 1 ride.
Unfortunately Blue Fall, a 351’ drop tower, was not operating. Other rides include Carnival House; Mirage; Aqua Ride II, a rapids ride;
Splash Shoot, a boat chute into the sea; Paradise Cruises; Shiboto, paddle boats;
Train, a trackless train; Tour Bus; Octopus; A Buffet, swinging pirate ship; Red Baron; Peter Pan, a spinning boat flat ride; Trap of Laser Mission; Speed King; and De’umi, an escape labyrinth. They have several children’s rides.
Marine attractions include: Dolphin Fantasy; Fureai Lagoon; Aqua Museum; and Umi Farm.
There was one defunct roller coaster in the park’s history, Dolphin Coaster (Top Fun, Wild Mouse, 2001-2005).
We enjoyed our time at this unique park.
Upon leaving we went to Yokohama Shin Station to take the bullet train to Nagoya. With limited time to grab food before all 167 of us had to board the train in less than one minute, David and I opted for a quick meal at Burger King. It turned out a Whopper in Japan tastes just like a Whopper in America! After a fast ride we arrived at our hotel, Hilton Nagoya, our home for the next three nights. But we were paying close attention to the weather forecast as a storm was headed our way, a typhoon in fact, and it would have a major impact on our trip the next couple of days.
With a dive through an underwater tunnel, this coaster looks quite stunning.
It has some rough transitions, made painful by OTSR, but the dive is quite good. I did not hear of anyone having a problem with the age limit of 64 – 1 ride.
Spinning Coaster (Reverchon, Spinning Wild Mouse, 1998) This was the first spinning coaster in Japan and sits on top of a building.
The very tight restraint system, which has a tendency to ratchet down, made for a somewhat painful ride, not usually seen on a Reverchon spinning mouse. I am not aware of any issues from its age limit of 64 – 1 ride.
Family Banana Coaster (Senyo Kogyo Co., Ltd., Family, 2007)
While quite tight for many, it gave a good ride – 1 ride.
There are a number of dark attractions at this park.
New Ghost – Journey of Fear – This was interesting as you could choose from three levels of fear in this darkride haunted house, meaning that certain scenes were turned off on the lower levels. We chose the highest level and it was pretty good, with lots of Japanese horror scenes – 1 ride.
Ice World – This ice house was at a temperature of -30 ° C, and the walls, chairs and other items were made of ice. This was the first of six ice houses we would encounter on the trip. It was amazingly cold and very nicely done. Even as hot natured as I am, I could not stay long – 1 walkthrough.
Cycle Monorail – This sky cycle had great views by the river – 1 ride.
Rapid slide “Cliff Drop” – This was a good log flume with a game where you would shout to win a prize for the greatest noise level. It also went right by where the coaster dives underwater. I am not aware of issues with the age limit of 64 – 1 ride.
Cosmo Clock 21 – Advertised as the biggest watch-type Ferris wheel of the world, this 369’ observation wheel has great views – 1 ride.
Other dark attractions include: Shooting Ride “Cave of Ekidona” 3D; Mirror Adventure; Game Ride “Smog Kingdom Adventure”; Card Maze “Gururi Forest Adventure”;
Dr. Edgar’s Curse Collection “House of Terror”, a Western style haunted house which was not open this day; Surprised · Fushigi Hall “Cosmo Panic”; 360 ° 3D Theater “4D King”; and VRV ~ VIRTUAL REALITY VEHICLE. They also have Merry-go-round, a two-story merry-go-round; Super Planet; Galaxy; Disk-o and five children’s rides.
East Meets ACE – Part 8: Tokyo Joypolis / 東京ジョイポリス
On Friday, September 28 we left Keio Plaza Hotel for the last time. This was a very nice hotel, and of particular note they offered three breakfast options: Western, Mixed and Japanese. The first morning we had gone to the Western Breakfast, which was very good, but the rest of the mornings we went to Mixed Breakfast, which gave us the opportunity to sample Japanese items without forgoing all of our Western favorites. As the Japanese Breakfast started later and since we had a later departure, we decided that this last morning would be a good opportunity for a true Japanese Breakfast.
Richard, Vanessa and I were served a set menu with a lot of different items, most of which I liked. Some we traded off to each other. While I would not have wanted to have this breakfast every morning, it was a very good experience and I would do it again in Japan.
Once on the buses we made our way to the first of three parks this day, Tokyo Joypolis in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Operating since 1996, this is an indoor theme park built around video games and spread out over three floors. Most of the rides revolve around games, and many use simulation. We had about two hours here, but it just about took all of that to get all of us on the relatively low capacity coaster.
This custom spinning coaster with an inversion is part video game and part coaster as it stops at various points along the way for games before releasing the car to the main part of the ride.
It was originally named Veil of Dark.
It is fun, although with its low capacity it was a challenge to get everyone through in time, but I think all who wanted to ride got on – 1 ride.
Other rides on this floor include Halfpipe Tokyo, a next generation extreme ride; The Joypolis Explorer, a treasure hunt to solve the riddle of an “old document”; and Pirate’s Plunder, where you shoot skeletons for hidden treasure.
2nd Floor
Rides here include: Transformers Human-Alliance Special, a 360 degree spinning shooting ride; The House of the Dead 4 SP, shooting zombies in a ruined city; Sonic Athletics, a run to victory; Tower Tag a Virtual Reality Shooting game; and Storm G, a simulatedBob-sleigh with 360 twist.
3rd Floor
After our coaster ride we really only had time for one more attraction, so we went to the third floor and chose:
Mystic Mansion – Tale of Pandemonium – This was an interesting simulator type ride that used a rotating platform, 3D effects and other special effects for a horror presentation, which was quite fun – 1 ride.
Other attractions on this floor include: Fortune Forrest, which tells the future; Biohazzard, Resident Evil 7; Wild Wing, a glider tour of virtual world; Wild Jungle Brothers, an adventurous jeep tour of a jungle; Wild River the Treasure Hunt, a simulated rapids ride; Phoenix Wright Ace in Joyopolis; The Room of the Living Doll, a horror attraction; Unsearchable – The Orb Hidden in Basement, a challenge to find hidden treasure and escape; Lola & Carla the Beauty Contest; and Joyopolis Sugoroku, a long & winding attraction through Tokyo.
They have one defunct roller coaster in their history, Spin Bullet (Masago Industrial, Enclosed Spinning Coaster, 1996-2011), also known as Speed Boarder and Rail Chase the Ride.
This is a unique park, more like a life-size arcade than an amusement park. It would have been interesting to have had enough time to try out a few more attractions.
East Meets ACE – Part 7: Tokyo DisneySea / 東京ディズニーシー
On Thursday, September 27 we arrived early at Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. Operating since 2001, this park is themed to various lands along waterways. While the previous day I had a good idea of what to expect, this day would be almost completely an unknown experience. I had heard this was perhaps the best themed park in the world, and once I arrived, I realized that it very well may be. I will review by highly themed sections.
Mediterranean Harbor
The attention to detail here is amazing
as you almost feel you are in Italy at times.
We had a nice midafternoon meal at an Italian restaurant, including a 35th anniversary dessert!
Venetian Gondolas –
Having been on real gondolas in Venice,
this ride making its way around Disney quality theming
made to look like Venice
is the closest to the real thing I have seen –
a wonderful experience – 1 ride.
This section has a station for the DisneySea Transit Steamer Line which travels to American Waterfront and Lost River Delta. While we took it several times, we never passed through this station as various water shows limit transportation in this section of river.
We did not go to Fortress Explorations, a walkthrough exploration fortress.
American Waterfront
From realistic city streets,
to a life size ocean liner
to a New England fishing village,
the attention to detail here is stunning.
Tower of Terror – This has a different story than the other versions. This one is based on the owner having mysteriously disappearing due to a cursed idol he had been given on an expedition. The ride is very good and the different story makes for a nice twist – 2 rides.
Toy Story Mania! – This is always fun, although the long line makes it difficult. We waited to the end of the day for a slightly shorter 60 minute line – 1 ride.
DisneySea Electric Railway –
This train runs above the city streets of New York and other landmarks of the American Waterfront making its way to Port Discovery. We used this as transportation throughout the day – 2 rides to Port Discovery, also arrived here twice.
DisneySea Transit Steamer Line – This is a good method of getting between the front and back of the park. We wanted to ride through Mysterious Island, but both times we rode, they were backtracking the other way due to shows – arrived from Lost River Delta twice.
We did not ride Big City Vehicles, which includes an open-top town car, a police wagon, a delivery truck and more. We also did not get to Turtle Talk. Under construction here is a new Soarin’ attraction coming in 2019.
Port Discovery
Themed to Science and Discovery, this section looks nice along the water.
Aquatopia – With a similar ride system to the one on Winnie the Pooh’s Hunny Hunt, but on water, these boats move and spin among the others, but they never run into each other. It is a fun and unique ride – 1 ride.
DisneySea Electric Railway – Traveling from American Waterfront, this provided good transportation throughout the day – 2 rides to American Waterfront, plus arrived here twice.
Nemo & Friends SeaRider – This was a good ride – 1 ride.
Similar to but not identical to Indiana Jones: Temple of Peril at Disneyland Paris,
this compact design with one inversion is very well themed, quite comfortable and fun.
It is short, but it makes up for that with its immersive theming – 2 rides.
Indiana Jones® Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull – Always a fun ride, this was very good, and its single rider line was useful – 2 rides.
DisneySea Transit Steamer Line –
A good way to get between the back and front of the park – 2 rides to American Waterfront.
Arabian Coast
The theming of this section is so immersive
that you are truly transported to the Middle East.
Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage –
This elaborate and well done boat darkride tells the story of Sindbad and his loyal tiger cub, Chandu. – 1 ride.
Caravan Carousel – This highly themed double decker carousel is really two carousels on top of each other. It is filled with exotic creatures including camels, elephants and even griffons – 1 ride.
Jasmine’s Flying Carpets – Like the one at Magic Kingdom, this gives a good ride – 1 ride.
The Magic Lamp Theater – This show about the magician Shaban, is fun – 1 show.
Mermaid Lagoon
This section is geared toward children and is mostly indoors.
Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster (Togo, Family, 2001) –
Good family coaster, and it is outdoors – 1 ride.
We did not make it to Mermaid Lagoon Theater for King Triton’s Concert.
Attractions include Ariel’s Playground; Blowfish Balloon Race; Jumpin’ Jellyfish, which was closed for maintenance; Scuttle’s Scooters; and The Whirlpool.
Mysterious Island
This is perhaps the most intriguing section as it is set in a volcano that erupts periodically along the river.
Journey to the Center of the Earth – Perhaps the most noteworthy attraction at this park, this ride uses Test Track technology to take a fascinating trip to the earth’s center before a thrilling return to the surface – 1 ride.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – A new take on any old attraction, this uses four person submarine vehicles to take you through a darkride of the underwater civilization of Atlantis. It is a fun ride – 1 ride.
It was another amazing day. This park is truly one of the most immersive I have been to and the attention to detail is absolutely amazing. Again we snacked throughout the day, largely on flavored popcorn, with the added flavors of Garlic Shrimp, Strawberry and Black Pepper. The employees here were just as friendly and helpful as the day before. It rained some during the day, but not too bad. Again we returned to the hotel on public transportation, but exiting from this pit was a little harder to find the train station from this park than the night before. After some confusion, we made our way back to Keio Plaza Hotel.
East Meets ACE – Part 6: Tokyo Disneyland / 東京ディズニーランド
On Wednesday, September 26 we went to Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan. Operating since 1983, this was Disney’s first park outside the U.S. and it was my first visit to an international Disney park.
We arrived early for the 9:00 opening, and I was in great anticipation.
I was not disappointed as this is an amazing park, much like its American cousins, but with a number of distinct differences to set it apart. I will review by its well themed sections.
World Bazaar
While the layout of this front section is similar to the Main Street U.S.A. sections with which I am familiar, its striking difference is that it is completely covered.
Considering the amount of rain Japan gets in the summer (and judging by our trip, in the fall as well), this was a very good move. Such coverings are quite common in Japan at other parks as well as on city streets. Missing here is the train depot as the train does not encircle the whole park and has only one station, but I will get to that.
The buildings here had much of the same look as an American small town main street. The main attraction in this section is the Omnibus, which we did not ride.
One notable difference is that the street after the first block actually leads to the other sections, unlike the dead ends at the U.S. parks.
Adventureland
To the left of World Bazaar is Adventureland,
with much of the familiar look.
Missing here is Dole Whip, a staple of this section in the U.S. parks, and that fact was a great disappointment to our group of four.
Pirates of the Caribbean – This is just as good as it is in the U.S. parks,
and to make it even better, we got to eat at Blue Bayou with a table overlooking the ride. It was a delicious three course meal in a wonderful atmosphere right beside the beginning scene on an iconic ride – 2 rides.
Western River Railroad – Unlike the other parks, this train only has one station, as the story goes, because they would have to pay railroad tax on every passenger due to Japanese rail laws.
Thus it is a ride around the Jungle Cruise
and the Rivers of America, with a U shape around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. To add to the ride, you go through a tunnel with prehistoric scenes like at Disneyland, which was a nice added touch – 1 ride.
Jungle Cruise: Wildlife Expeditions and Swiss Family Treehouse were closed for a few weeks for maintenance. We did not make it to The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents “Aloha E Komo Mai!”.
Westernland
Very similar to the U.S. parks’ Frontierland,
this section is very familiar looking.
Big Thunder Mountain (Walter Elias Disney, Mine Train, 1987)
This gave a great ride
and seemed to have some added sections that the other versions do not have – 2 rides.
We did not make it to Mark Twain Riverboat, Country Bear Theater or the Tom Sawyer Island Rafts.
Critter Country
Like the section of the same name at the California park, this section has Splash Mountain, but here it lies just above where Westernland and Fantasyland come together.
Splash Mountain – This was just as good as the other versions and it was interesting listening to Br’er Rabbit sing Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah in Japanese – 1 ride. We did not ride Beaver Brothers Explorer Canoes.
Fantasyland
There is no New Orleans Square or Liberty Square in this park, so the Haunted Mansion is located in this section,
which otherwise shares a lot in common with its U.S. cousins.
Haunted Mansion –
For Halloween through Christmas they have overlaid Nightmare Before Christmas, and this was a very immersive overlay, much more so than what I remember at Disneyland.
I would have much preferred the original,
but maybe someday I will see it in Japan in its normal form – 2 rides.
“it’s a small world” – Much like the others – 1 ride.
Peter Pan’s Flight – One of my favorite Fantasyland attractions, this was very good – 1 ride.
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey – I enjoyed this ride – 1 ride.
Pooh’s Hunny Hunt – I had heard this was a not-to-miss attraction, and I see why. Its trackless cars go all over the place, but never hit each other, making for a very fun and unique attraction. The animatronics were very good as well, making for a very good ride – 1 ride.
Snow White’s Adventures – Much like the original, this was good and fun to ride now that it is gone in Florida – 1 ride.
Alice’s Tea Party – Good spinning, and it is covered – 1 ride.
We did not make it to Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall, a walkthrough attraction in Cinderella’s Castle;
Dumbo The Flying Elephant; or Mickey’s PhilharMagic.
Toontown
Similar to the California section of this name,
it is well themed and located similarly behind Fantasyland near its border with Tomorrowland.
Gadget’s Go Coaster (Vekoma, Junior Coaster/ 207m Family, 1995)
This gives a good ride – 1 ride.
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin – This is always a fun ride, and the spinning cars add to it – 1 ride.
Children’s attractions include Chip ‘n Dale’s Treehouse; Donald’s Boat; Goofy’s Paint ‘n’ Play House; Minnie’s House; and Toon Park.
Tomorrowland
This section looks similar to the other parks,
but with a big addition to Fantasyland with Beauty and the Beast and Tomorrowland with Big Hero Six coming in 2020, the area that once was home to the Speedway Cars is fenced off.
Space Mountain (Walter Elias Disney, Enclosed, 1983)
This gives a great ride and the darkness and stars along with a very good layout make for a thrilling ride – 2 rides.
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue – Good ride – 1 ride.
Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters – Good ride – 1 ride. Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek – With its flashlights that activate certain things, this is a fun and unique ride – 1 ride.
Stitch Encounter – Different from the version that was at the Magic Kingdom, this is an interactive show where audience members talk with a cartoon version of Stitch, who reacts to what they say. While it was all in Japanese, it was interesting to see – 1 ride.
Throughout the day there were a number of parades,
some of which we saw
in part. After our large meal at Blue Bayou we opted for snacks the rest of the day, mostly various flavors of popcorn, very popular in Japan. Throughout the day we tried Soy Sause & Butter, Honey, Milk Chocolate, Curry, Barbeque and Salt. The most unusual was Curry, which Vanessa and I liked, but we all agreed the best of the day was Honey.
One interesting thing was that for Halloween many guests dressed in Cosplay, portraying various Disney characters. Some were quite good and almost hard to tell from park employees. This was interesting, especially since adults are not generally allowed to dress in costume at U.S. parks. The park employees were extremely friendly and welcoming. We did have some rain, but it was mostly late in the day and since most attractions are inside, it caused little problem.
I was truly impressed by this park and it was my best day that I have ever experienced on an international trip. Everyone was required to use public transportation to return to the hotel, and while that started out smoothly, an accident on one of the train lines caused delays throughout the system that threatened not to get us to the hotel by the witching hour of 12:00 when the trains shut down for the night, but we made it with a few minutes to spare. All in all it had been an amazing day and the best part was we got to do it again the next day at the other Disney park.
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.
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.
Our second park of the day was Yomiuriland in Inagi, Tokyo, Japan. Operating since 1964, this park is somewhat larger than the previous one we visited that day. We had about four and a half hours there and it was fairly busy.
We presented a plaque to the park when we arrived.
Bandit (Togo, Steel Sit Down, 1988)
This mammoth coaster is 5,118’ long and 167’ tall with a change in elevation of 256’. Its top speed of 68 mph makes it a powerful coaster, and its setting overlooking Tokyo makes for some amazing views.
Unfortunately OTSR render it somewhat painful, although to me it was still a very good ride, but others had a different opinion – 1 ride.
Momonga Standing and Loop Coaster (Togo, Stand Up, 1979) The ninth oldest coaster in Japan, it was once named only Standing and Loop Coaster.
It has a stand-up train and a sit-down train, but it originally was a sit-down coaster until a stand up train was added in 1982, one day after the first stand-up coaster opened. Its name means Japanese flying squirrel.
The experience of standing was quite different than what I have had on other Togo stand-ups
and was very enjoyable and somewhat more thrilling, and the sit-down version is even smoother – 2 rides, 1 on each train.
Spin Runway (Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH, Spinning Coaster, 2016) This enclosed custom spinning coaster is nicely themed to a clothing factory and has an impressive spiral lift. Thanks to a fast pass, I got this in quickly – 1 ride.
Wan Wan Coaster Wandit (Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd., Family, 2005) Nice kiddie coaster that was decorated
with an amazing number of Christmas lights – 1 ride.
Haunted House “Hyu ~ Toro” “Music Box Music Box” – This was an unusual walkthrough haunted house with some good scenes, though hardly worth the 30 minute line with our limited time – 1 walkthrough.
Sky Cycle – This had some good views of Tokyo and a nice route above the Jurassic Car ride – 1 ride.
Jurassic Car – Since we had a few minutes and could only do something that was a walk-on, we rode this antique car ride, which had a nice course around dinosaurs – 1 ride.
Time did not allow us to ride Animal Rescue Counterattack of Mentura, interactive darkride; Splash U.F.O., shoot-the-chutes; Hero Training Center “Mission 8”, dark attraction; Laser Athletics Temple of the Sun, laser course; Crazy Zoom & Crazy Boom, drop tower; Giant Sky River, large spinning raft ride; Gondola Sky Shuttle, gondola ride; SKY Patol, bicycle ride; Go Kart Family Course; Go Kart Highway Long Course; ev-Grand Prix; Spin Drive, car ride; U.F.O. Bump!, bumper cars; Oriver Opinions Music Party, train;
Merry-Go-Round Dog, classic merry-go-round with park mascots Ooma
and Landog; Milky Way, Wave Swinger; Looping Starship; Miracle Wink Room, space trip with Landog; Space Jet; Ferris Wheel; and Animal Coaster, a Tumble Bug/Turtle. They have 14 children’s rides.
Defunct coasters include SL Coaster (Togo, Steel Sit Down, unknown-2011), Twist Coaster Robin (Sansei Yusoki Co., Ltd., Steel Sit Down, 2014-2014) which had an accident shortly after opening and never reopened; and White Canyon (John Pierce-Roller Coaster Corporation of America/Togo, Wood Cyclone, 1994-2013), one of three wood coasters in Japan that have been lost over the last several years.
I enjoyed this park and in spite of crowds for the Autumnal Equinox holiday,
we were able to get a good bit done.
That evening we walked from our hotel to East Shinjuku,
taking in the amazing sights
of this major nightlife section of Tokyo.
We walked by Hotel Gracery to see the life-size statue of Godzilla,
which had a nice show every few minutes.
After an exhaustive search to find food that would satisfy Richard, Vanessa, David and me (a daunting task),
we settled on a nice Japanese restaurant on an upper floor. This was one of the few places we visited where we had to remove our shoes and sit at a low table. The English version of the menu was limited, but we all found meals we were very pleased with, making this perhaps our nicest Japanese meal experience of the trip.
After dinner we walked around East Shinjuku some more
on our way back to Keio Plaza Hotel to get ready for the next day.
On Monday, September 24 we continued our journey with Toshimaen in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan.
We began the day with a plaque presentation and almost an hour of ERT on the park’s coasters. We had about three hours in the park.
Cyclone (Togo, Steel, 1965) I was very interested to ride this coaster, the fourth oldest in Japan, (and the oldest one we got to ride) but I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is.
From its comfortable velvet seats to its interesting log themed cars, from its frequent airtime to its surprise tunnel helix ending, this is a very good coaster.
It was just the beginning of a much better appreciation I would gain for Togo on this trip – 2 rides, 1 during ERT.
Corkscrew (Arrow Dynamics, Corkscrew, 1979) This is the eighth oldest operating coaster in Japan.
With trains that are newer or have been very much renovated, this gave a fairly smooth ride – 1 ride during ERT.
Mini Cyclone (Hoei Sangyo Co., Ltd., Family, 2009)
Themed like its larger namesake,
this gives a surprisingly peppy ride for a small coaster – 1 ride during ERT.
Blauer Enzian (Mack Rides GmbH & Co KG, Powered Coaster, 1997 or earlier) Located on top of a building, as are many rides at this park, it gave a good ride – 1 ride.
Mystery Zone – This haunted house darkride was good – 1 ride.
Haunted House – This haunted walk-through has a distinctly Japanese feel – 1 ride.
Time did not permit getting to Mirror House, a maze with over 140 mirrors; Flume Ride, a log flume that looked nice and interacted well with Cyclone; Model Train, a miniature train; Sky Train, a monorail; Antique Car; Auto Scooter; Challenge Train; Carousel Eldorado, a 1907 Hugo Hasse wood carousel from Munich, Germany that once operated at Coney Island, NY before coming here in 1971; Troika;Break Dance; Flying Pirates, a large merchant ship; Pirates, a medium pirate ship; Magic, a spinning ride; Eagle, a Condor ride; Wave Swinger; and Swing Around. They also have 11 children’s rides, a water park, petting zoo, challenge course, insect house, fishing pond and other attractions.
This park has one defunct roller coaster in its history, Shuttle Loop (Schwarzkopf, Shuttle Loop-Flywheel, 1980-2008), which was relocated to Attractiepark Rotterdam as Shuttle Loop in 2018. When looking back on the trip this was one of my favorite parks on the trip outside the Disney parks. It had a nice traditional park feel and Cyclone was a real standout coaster on the trip, especially considering its age. We left the park early that afternoon for our next stop.
East Meets ACE – Part 2: Tokyo Dome City / 東京ドームシティ
After a bit of a drive we arrived at Tokyo Dome City in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan Sunday afternoon. Operating since 1958, this park is part of the huge Tokyo Dome development where Vanessa had gone to see the Tokyo Giants baseball team play the previous day. Formerly known as Korakuen Amusement Park, this park is in the middle of the city. We arrived around 2:30 to find a very busy park. It took a good bit of time to ride the park’s one coaster, and the only reason we got the few other rides in was that we decided to stay past ACE’s departure time of 4:30.
Thunder Dolphin (Intamin, Hyper, 2003)
With a length of 3,500’, a height of 263’, a drop of 218’ and a speed of 81 mph, this coaster is nicely placed on top of buildings and dives through the hubless Ferris wheel.
While somewhat short for a hyper, it is really fun, has some good airtime and a nice collection of elements, including a neat trick track section. The crowds were enormous and time was very limited, so I did not get a reride as I would have liked – 1 ride.
Big O –
This huge centerless Ferris Wheel gives great views of the park, Tokyo and all the way to Mt. Fuji, although the clouds were too much this day to see it well. Some gondolas have karaoke, but we rode in a regular one – 1 ride.
Sky Flower –
Parachute rides have become rare with the demise of the ones at SFOG and SFOT.
Although somewhat short, this stand-up variety gives a double drop.
It was fun and reminded me of good rides on The Gasp – 1 ride.
The Dive – This underwater themed interactive dark ride was good, with standup cars that rotated all the way around. It was a fun and different take on an interactive dark ride – 1 ride.
Time and long lines did not permit getting to Wonder Drop, a very nice looking log flume; Venus Lagoon, a merry-go-round on water; Water Symphony, a fountain show of water, sound, and light, at the waterfront of LaQua, one of the parks sections; Super Viking SORABUNE, a swinging ship; Furi Furi Grand Prix, a car ride; Bun Bun Bee, a small drop tower; Tokyo Panic Cruise, a 3D darkride; Lupin III: Labyrinth Trap, a darkride; Pixie Cup, tea cups; Corocco, a trolley ride through a fairy forest; Bloom Express, a Music Express; Water Cannon, an interactive water ride; Flash Rush, a sports-oriented attraction; and Laser Mission, a laser game.
The park previously had more than just one coaster. Defunct roller coasters include: Boomerang (Arrow, Shuttle Loop, 1980-1984); Geopanic (Togo, Enclosed, 1992-2007/2008); Jet Coaster (Togo, Steel, 1955-2000); Linear Gale (Intamin, Inverted Impulse,1998-2010); Spinning Coaster Maihime (Maurer, Spinning Wild Mouse, 2000-2011), which was relocated to Wiener Prater as Insider; Ultra Twister (Togo, Pipeline, 1985-1997), of which a small section of scaffold with stairs that supported the tilting switch track remained for many years after the coaster was removed. We enjoyed what we did at Tokyo Dome City, but due to crowds and limited time we did not get to experience the park fully.
We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in the park before heading to Tokyo Skytree to see Tokyo at night.
From Kasuga Station we took the subway to Oshiage SKYTREE Station
and walked to Tokyo Skytree, an observation tower in the tallest building in Japan (2,080′).
From the observation deck at 1,150′
we enjoyed amazing views of the city at night.
We returned to Oshiage SKYTREE Station, changed lines at Kudanshita Station and arrived at Shinjuku Station and returned to Keio Plaza Hotel to get some rest before the second day of the ACE trip.
Ronny's Travels 