Fuji-Q Highland is a theme park located in Yamanashi Prefecture at the base of Mt. Fuji. It's known for it's roller coasters and the haunted hospital. The amusement park opens at 9am and closes at 5pm so in order to get the most out of our day we left the dorm at 6am! We took a bus from Shinjuku station at 7am and arrived a little bit before the gates opened and stayed there until closing. It was a long day, but it was definitely worth it!
Most of the rides are designed so that you can see Mt. Fuji. The most famous roller coasters are- Fujiyama (79m tall, 130km/hr) is the one with the best view of Mt. Fuji - it slows the car down at the top, right before you drop! Takabisha, which has a 121degree free fall, 43m drop, Dodonpa, not very tall but it's one of the fastest at 172km/hr, and Eejanaika which is 76m tall and goes 126km/hr.
There were also two water rides- we were laughing and joking at how most Japanese people don't like to get wet so all our Japanese friends bought rain ponchos to wear on the ride... after this ride those of us without ponchos were completely drenched. It took almost the whole day to dry off!
Tall roller coasters, a ferris wheel, and the scenic Mt. Fuji in the background!
Takabisha holds the Guiness World Record for the world's steepest roller coaster made from steel. This ride is terrifying to look at. I was practically peeing my pants I was so scared to ride this one but it was actually one of the best roller coasters I'd been on! The entire ride is a lot more smooth when compared with the Fujiyama ride. There is a show on the BBC called 'An Idiot Abroad', where the comedian Ricky Gervais sends his friend Karl Pilkington on trips around the world to experience cultures outside of England. On one recent episode Karl Pilkington gets sent to Japan and he rides Takabisha. Thanks to youtube I can show you that video!
Unfortunately (or luckily) the roller coaster called Eejanaika was closed for maintenance checks.
This is the roller coaster from the video. Quite terrifying from this angle!
Mt. Fuji in the background!
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