Day Eleven - Nagashima Spaland
Day Eleven - Nagashima Spaland
John Covan
Finally I have found a Togo ride worth going back to. After having been nearly bored to death or being beat senseless on every other Togo I had previously ridden, the Ultra Twister surprised me by showing originality of design and good craftsmanship. Its 6-person cars are suspended within traveling rings that are compatible with both barrel rolls and a weird transfer to vertical lift and descending, backsliding return. I did not expect the quick transition from lift to a vertical drop, followed by air time on the first hill. Now I have to temper my until-now relentless badmouthing of Togo. Also I had great fun on the Giant Frizbee the ultimate swing, big Gs at the bottom, floating at the top, and silky smooth the whole time. If only the steelies could be this smooth! What I would give to have this bad boy in my back yard. The short lines facilitated quick turnarounds for multiple rides. Try that at a major park in America.
Bob Roginski
My day at Nagashima Spa Land was quite enjoyable despite the fact that most of the coasters are identical to their counterparts in the US and other countries. One notable exception is the White Cyclone woodie which is breathtaking and photogenic, but is too rough for a significant number of rerides.
Owen Rees
The big frisbee had loads of air time and good veiws of the bay. Pity the Viking ride was closed as it looked good, they did some testing. The coasters were colour co-orineted.
Eugene Robinson
I like Nagashima Spaland, and I talked to many people before the trip who said that because Steel Dragon 2000 was not running that they would not come. The Bobkart was great - it's one car I can drive at 50mph on my own (I am partially sighted), and as I can't read Japanese I bought my first beer from a vending machine in 19 years.
Dolores Damm
White Cyclone has a very intricate layout, but is bumpy sitting on the wheels. Enjoyed the Schwarzkopf coasters, loved the Bobkarts, I hope we get them in the US. Strange mixed feelings looking at Steel Dragon... If only...
Virginia Dismer
Another hot day in Japan. Seeing Steel Dragon was a thrill....would have really loved to have rode it. Ultra Twister was a blast, especially in the front row. Bobkarts were fun even they were old hat to the Europeans.
David Cornell
Nagashima Spaland was a great park with lots of type of rollercoasters and other rides. Unfortunately some of the best were down. Of course the large piece of modern art called "Steel Dragon 2000" loomed mockingly over the parking lot, forcing you to walk under it to get to the park. The giant Viking ship was also down. But I loved the Ultra Twister with the vertical lift hill. Also, they had a fairly good Bobkart. Once again the park had few guests making it easy to ride 8 coasters in 2 hours. But that also meant that one of the twin Wild Mouse coasters was not running. Tomorrow at Fuji-Q I will hit coaster #700.
Anneliese Heiner
Nagashima Spaland was a lot of fun, although it was frustrating to see Steel Dragon 2000. I can't believe that it's been down for so long, and Justin mentioned that the whole situation with the coaster was so screwed up, that it might just be sold for scrap. The Bobkarts were a big hit. This ride is a hybrid between a bobsled and a go-kart; you sit in a bobsled and control your speed, and careen around a track that has banked curves and bunny hops. We spent a lot of time at White Cyclone, which was great if one avoided the wheel seats. I was pleasantly surprised by my first ride on an Ultra Twister; I had not expected the lift hill to be vertical. The visuals in the front seat were stunning. I also enjoyed several rides on the Giant Frisbee, which was like a huge swing. Wheee! Other people mentioned that the ride cycle on this one is longer than usual for this ride, so we got lots of good swings. There was also a Magic Carpet with inverted seats.
Tim Herre
Nagashima was meant to be one of the trip's highlights, but it wasn't. Looking at Steel Dragon instead of actually riding it was a big pain in the arse, and we should better have just looked at White Cyclone instead of actually having ridden it, for it was probably the worst wooden coaster experience you can have on this side of the pond. Again, german technology ruled the place, with two coasters from Schwarzkopf being the top rides at the park. Ron Toomer should have gone to Schwarzkopf school, then he might have learnt how do do it properly. The TOGO Ultra Twister was, despite many people feared it, mostly enjoyable. If it weren't for the awful break at the very far end, it would have been a pretty much reridable coaster. Second worst decision of the day has to be our go for the Shoot the Chutes without ponchos, which got us absolutely soaked. Worst decision of the day was paying 1000 Yen for the hotel's porn channel, which acutally had the porn bits blocked out. OK, therefore I had a good and refreshing 9-hour-sleep. At last!
Ric Turner
Kuma the bear says Hi Kai and Zak! Yesterday I got to see the longest, tallest and fastest lift hill coaster in the world. It's called Steel Dragon 2000. Sadly it was not working and we did not get to ride it. But, the park (Nagashima Spaland) had lots of other rides including an Ultra Twister spiral coaster, a huge wood coaster called White Cyclone, and powered bobsleds that were really fun. By for now, love, Kuma. PS.. Happy Birthday Zak!
xxxx xxxxx-xx
Repeat after me. We are European, we are inferior. We are European, we don't have the knowledge, how in the world could we ever? We are European, we say hello. We are European we ride to enjoy! We are European and yes, there are some very nice Americans!
andycoasterboy-san
moshi moshi, today we are at Nagashima Spaland home of a tremendous amount of steel, mostly dormant but there are loads of other things to do. A giant woodie which will have your fillings ready to pop out of your head. 2 great Schwarzkopfs - Shuttle Loop and Looping Star. Then back to the Business Hotel directly opposite the local red-light district, cheers Kev... Jeff and Wortsie the Beers are still very tasty next I will be having many Sake..... :)
lee bennett san
The hi-light of todays park was the Looping Star and the Shuttle Loop. Also worth a mention was the Ultra Twister by Togo a very smooth ride compared to the one in houston texas!! I finished my day at Spaland with a back to back ride on Giant frisbee and a return to the shuttle loop!! Sai O nara!! Bring on Fuji yama!!!
Paul Wortz
Where the hell am I?
Jeff Holmes
I like Sushi and Octopus.
John Gerard
Steel Dragon, Schmagon! We had Bobkart- the powered bobsled! Nagashima Spaland was the biggest non-themed park we've been to--and two Schwarzkopf coasters! An interesting floorless Magic Carpet ride and my first Giant Frisbee. White Cyclone, the wooden coaster, was unimpressive until they added the second train; then it really came alive with good speed, airtime and less roughness.
Russell Van Tassell
I was very much looking forward to Nagashima Spaland on this trip... like most, I was disappointed that Steel Dragon is still down. Just looking at such a gorgeous structure was very depressing -- even more-so to think that this awe inspiring Morgan mega coaster might end up hitting the scrapyard while the metal is still worth a bit of a return to the original investors.
A surprise hit were the Bobcarts, with a bobsled-like track and a third-rail type impulse to drive the car. I found it funny that this park seemed to be using a lot of "catalogue names" for their coasters and similar (eg. corkscrew, ultra twister, looping star, shuttle loop, frisbee, giant frisbee, etc). The giant frisbee also flew suprisingly high (bottom seats were past the 90 degree horizontal plane of the pendulum). Despite what others say, White Cyclone was quite rideable with a decent amount of airtime (with a distinct lack of wheel noise).
Richard Bannister
I don't know that I've ever enjoyed a coaster quite as much as Steel Dragon 2000. High quality air time over every hill, smooth tracking, and almost two miles of track - what more can an enthusiast ask? Everyone should come out to Japan to ride this coaster *NOW*; nothing else comes close. My only regret? That I only managed fourteen rides on it during the day.
Jeff Waters
After seeing videos of this park on the travel channel several times I finally got to visit it. I was as disappointed as everyone else arriving there seeing this huge coaster Steel Dragon 2000 pristine looking but not running, but nevertheless still managed to have a lot of fun. It was another hot and steamy day in Japan, and it seemed like in all the parks, spending all my money on liquid refreshment. One of the rides that I really enjoyed was the white cyclone, a good woodie; the front seat was best, a lot of airtime; the back seat would jar you pretty good, it was like a flat wheel on it. The Ultra Twister; I found that to be a little different, and much smoother than the one in Texas, so I did enjoy it. The bobkart was pretty unusual; rode that a couple of times, it was a lot of fun; and also the drop ride. Really enjoyed the vistas of the park; all in all another great day. Miss my wife and family; see you soon.
Malcolm Marr
Nagashima Spaland today and it wasn't a bad park, although it was let down by some awful ride operations. The two Schwarzkopf coasters were the best the park had to offer. After missing out on the giant pirate ship at Toshimaen I was disappointed to not see them not running here too. Fortunately they decided to open them up at the end of the day and I got a go on one of them. Pirate ships rock! but Giant pirate ships rock more! Oh, and there was a big red coaster there that sort of looked like Blackpool's Big One but it was stuck in a car park and wasn't running. Maybe it's due to open soon.
Andreas Lindemuth
Sorry folks, but Nagashima Spaland appeared to me like the Japanese version of Six Flags: Just very slight, loveless notions of theming, and a selection of rather poorly maintained rides centered on steel roller coasters. Combine this with annoying muzak played all over the park all day long, boiling heat, rides that remain shut down till 4:45 pm (when the parke closes at 5 pm) and the once highest and fastest steel coaster in the back ground grinning at you "yeah, I might look good, but you cannot ride me", then you will not consider this to be your favorite Japanese amusement park experience. The Schwarzkopf Looping Star is the best coaster in the park (the Arrow corkscrew and White Cyclone beat you up worse than any Meisho or Togo coaster on the trip so far) and the Bobkart is another pleasant experience.
Evan Hoagland
I enjoyed the Ultra Twister, fun, not painful. Rode it twice. Park had a Bob Cart, a powered bobsled style ride, that apparently they have in Europe, but not in the States, this was fun also. Goes faster with single riders, (each car takes one or two). As is common with the dark walk throughs, this park's included a mixture of the spiritual-people playing drums, and the scary. And it was so dark that it was hard to impossible to see some of the scenes. And this one had a fine animated display over the front entrance. There was also a Giant Frisbee, that I rode on the recommendation of others and it's very smooth, like being on a giant swing, doesn't get you dizzy, despite its spinning.
John Coffield
Sadly no rides on Steel Dragon 2000. This park has one of the last freefalls, and ultra twister, and a shuttle loop - all which were running quite well. The best coaster in the park was the Schwarzkopf looping star. It's amazing that a thirty year old coaster runs smoother than many of the newer coasters. The bob karts were also excellent.
The Irish Representative
One for the odd ride policy file; guests disembarking from a ride in Nagashima Spa Land were not allowed to leave the ride platform until everyone had congregated beside the exit. Having gotten there first on one occasion I almost had the gate open before my hand was politely but forcibly removed and the operator held the gate shut. What on earth is the point in this floccinaucinihilipilification?
George Greenway
The best day so far, nearly every photo I took had SD2K in the background, it would have made a superb~ 500 coaster, but it was down, so I had my 500th coaster on the woodie. Rough in places but full of energy, it was also the last of the 6 woodies in Japan, ridden by at least 2 ECC members on this trip and 1 ACE member. The park only had 1 other unmissable ride, the schwarzkopf looper, 20+ years old and still a good ride. without SD2K, there is little reason to visit this park apart from 8 coasters. yesterdays park espania set the base line for park themeing, and Spaland falls well below that.
Chris Penn
Tried the red light district out last night; really cheap; three transvestites in a row. One of them gave me my money back because I was so crap. I can't find my underwear this morning; it has Hello Kitty on it so it should be easy to spot! Woke up itching in odd places.
B. Derek Shaw
Nagashima Spaland was a park I had visited on the 2003 trip with Matt, Betsy and Lisa. Unfortunately I knew before I left for Japan that Steel Dragon 2000 is still not up and running, so riding their signature coaster was not going to occur. (In 2003 it was not the accident, which occurred later that year, but the high winds the day we visited which forced the park to shut down the ride.)
While Steel Dragon 2000 dominates the park, it is not the only coaster. There were eight coasters that were running, including the surprisingly smooth Ultra Twister and the disappointingly rough, White Cyclone wooden coaster. I'm surprised that since the latter ride has defaulted to the park's current signature ride that they've made no attempt to elimate the washboard effect. A call to the Canadian trackers (Martin and Vleminck) should be Nagashima Spaland's first priority. The rather small Schwarzkopf Looping Star was the hit of the park (sister to Busch Tampa Scorpion) proving that "good things do come in small packages". It delivers far more than many rides ten times its' size.
Extremely HOT with NO water fountains - a challenging day in an OK park. Oh yes, there were more souvenirs at this place.
Derek Cromarty, England
Nagashima Spaland was the place we visited today. There was a big 300 foot coaster that unfortunately was out of action. There was a big woodie the White Cyclone, that looked quite good, but they had the square wheels on today. The Ultra Twister was a one off that was like riding through a tight corkscrew. Looping Star was very good. The shuttle was good. The Vekoma Corkscrew was below average. Overall a good park.
ETC, ETC, ETC!
(Notes still being transcribed by B. Derek Shaw since Derek Cromarty hasn't taken his typing class yet!)
Maggy Linka
On the bus again this morning, knitting, and enjoying the sights out the window of the farming in Japan. We've been in the coastal areas lately (last two days), and the weather has been muggy. But we've seen rice paddys (sp?) and fishing boats as a result of the coastal travels. The rice fields so on forever, seas of green tufts. Very different vistas from the big cities of Tokyo and Osaka.
Last night our "business hotel" was in the middle of the red light district... very interesting. Most of the guys on trip were propositioned at least once while walking around the neighborhood going to dinner. The propositions came from both males and females. Nightlife at the beach!
Everyone is still in good health and spirits. Some are behind on sleep a bit, as the heat is very taxing (and who knows how late folks stay out). The children with us (3 boys) are doing great, working on their journal homework during our bus rides from park to park. Such a GREAT experience for these kids!
The NFL fans are anxious to hear the scores of opening-day games from home. No CNN news on the TV's in this part of the country (as there was in Tokyo), so we're out of touch with the sports world. Baseball fans are getting twitchy as well with the playoffs looming. Hopefully, we'll find an English newspaper somewhere soon!
Having a tremendous time! Hope New Orleans is pumping itself dry, and that those poor people are safe and fed.
Andrew Weiss
Nagashima Spa Land was a very generic park, a few good rides , but no atmosphere. The wood coaster was very rough, but had an interesting layout. The hotel was in the middle of red light district, which made for an interesting walk at night. I thought Houston was muggy in summer, it is nothing like Japan.
Marlon Scott
Even though I knew we would not get to ride Steel Dragon 2k at Nagashima Spaland, when we drove up to the park, the coaster looks so magnificent, I couldn't help the creeping disappointment. I think a combination of the heat, tiredness (remember the karaoke?), and the park having more of a 'theme park' mentality, made this one of the more underwhelming parks on the trip. Until-that is, I took matters in my own hands and spent most of our visit in the massive waterpark- perfect attitude adjustment!
David Hamburger
Nagashima was a nice park with an ok woodie (which only had airtime in the front, but had angry ride ops who MADE you sit in the open rows, even if you wanted to wait for the next train and the next people wanted to ride) and two nice Schwartzkopf’s. And the Bobkarts - a combination go-kart and bobsled ride was really cool! But it was so hot that after getting all of the credits and riding the bobkarts a few times, all our group wanted to do was hit the upcharge water park. We really enjoyed the two lazy rivers (one of which was salt water, probably pumped in from the nearby ocean), the toilet bowl slide and the cool Flow Rider (complete with expert surfers showing off.)