Day Twelve - Higashiyama Zoo, Fuji-Q
Day Twelve - Higashiyama Zoo, Fuji-Q
Russell Van Tassell
The zoo here was amazingly large and very-well kept. It would have been nice to have been able to see more of it at less of a rush (we only had two hours here). The "cement bobsled" was awesome (Ricky called it a "cement mouse" of all things). Rumour has it that Justin is awarding a prize to the first person to build one in their backyard and invite everyone over.
Darren R. Besoyan
The trip is almost over, and I'm tired, but don't want it to end. Japan is amazing! The people, cities, parks, and coasters are all fantastic. Being a tall fellow in Japan has proven interesting to say the least. I've banged my head more times then I care to mention, and more often then not, it takes me about three minutes to fold my body into the often too small seat/car. Both my ankles are bruised, so are my knees, and the whole side of my right foot is one big bruise. I wouldn't trade any of them, or any of the adventures for anything. Much love to all my freinds and family reading this, especially Ray (I really miss you).
Laurel Edel
Today I learned that one woman with a full bladder has the ability to stop three large coaches. I also learned to not mistake the auto water dispenser for the soap dispenser because when you give it a small "smack" you will douse yourself and everyone within a five foot radius. Some days I learn more than others.
Paul Asente
What an interesting hotel we stayed at last night. I don't believe I've ever found sequins on the floor of my hotel room before. I wonder how they got there? I don't suppose that it might have had anything to do with the large number of scantily-clad ladies strolling around the streets outside of the hotel? Perhaps that's what is meant by "business hotel". We did have a fantastic meal at a nearby restaurant. The best 2000 yen I've ever spent.
John Gerard
This zoo had an interesting bobsled type coaster that was "asphalt tracked". There was a fun non-looping steelie, too. The zoo was nicer than the other zoo that we visited, with a better selection of animals and better-kept. The cages were still a bit small, though (although I am spoiled, being from San Diego). There was a beautiful observation tower with a "funicular elevator" transport to take you up the mountain to the entrance. A fun place.
Malcolm Marr
This morning started with a trip to a zoo with a few rides in it. Higashiyama was OK but has a unique coaster in it's Slope Shooter, a trackless coaster that is neither wood or steel; something to confuse the credit counters.
Keith Johnson
Higashiyama was great fun, especially riding on the Slope Shooter. There was also a nice walk-through that I enjoyed as well. I just wish that I had more time to visit the zoo area, but I know that I'll visiting Japan again in the future.
Richard Bannister
I really enjoyed my ERS on the Big Wheel it was very cool in the metal gondalas. Special thanks to Martin Valt for making it possible, and I hope he enjoys his collection of vending machine photographs...
Owen Rees
Boob Sleigh ride was unique. The zoo itself was very poor, animals in concrete pens.
andycoasterboy-san
moshi moshi - day 12 and Higashiyama Zoo, a small park with some very unique rides including an amazing trough coaster - which is very hard to describe being a cross between a coaster and a log flume without any water?? every enthusiasts garden should have one. Then a loooooooooooooong drive to Fuji-Q and a rush to check-in and into the park only to find 2 hour queues lines have already closed the big rides Dodonpa and Fujiyama, so many pictures taken and many drinks in the hotel bar.. jeff I did good :)
Paul Wortz
I still have no idea where the hell I am.
Ric Turner
Hi Kai and Zak from Kuma the Bear! Today we visited a zoo in the city of Nagoya. It has several rides including 3 coasters. One of them is the only one of its kind in the world! The Slope Shooter looks like it was made in someody's back yard. It has goofy cars with big rubber wheels running down concrete and asphault chutes down a big hill. It doesn't have any drops, and never goes very fast, but was lots of fun! Your dad has lots of pictures and video to show you when he and I get back to Valencia. Bye for now. Love, Kuma
Tim Herre
Today was a big drive that had to be done, but the team managed to tie in a real gem: Higashiyama Zoo. This beautiful gardens had not only a lot of animal displays on offer, but also a few decent rides: a powered coaster, a family coaster from Meisho (which was surprisingly good) and, highlight of the day, the very unusual Slope Shooter. This is a trough coaster with logflume-like cars that run on wheels on a concrete surface. It looked much like a sidefriction coaster, but without any supports, for it was located on the side of a hill. Big fun, could have ridden it forever. Every park should have one. Then it was on to Fuji-Q Highlands, only to find it had already shut it's queues for the big coasters because of thed crowds. So we had some glasses of warm milk and went to bed early ...
Ricky Cooper
For dinner last night I went exploring near the hotel. I really enjoy finding locations for a mystery meat dinner with the locals. I stopped by a noodle shop and had to take the waitress with me to the window display to order since the menu was all in Japanese with no pictures. The meal turned out to be a large bowl of some type of noodles with some meat that seemed like beef and chicken. The food was very good, service was swift, and I got to eat with the locals - key ingredients for a great outing.
Higashiayama Zoo
Jet Coaster
The cars on this one reminded me of the cars of an Arrow steel looper except no over-the-shoulder restraints. The ride was very tame and there were the gentle slopes that we have encountered on many of the coasters in Japan.
Slope Shooter
I think a better name for this coaster would be Cement Mouse. The "track" was a trough built along the hillside with cement in the curves. The entire layout was like the hairpin section of a mouse. There was a really quick and fun surprise jerking as the lift chain engaged. The Cement Mouse was my favorite coaster here.
There was a walk-through attraction that reminded me of "Small World" because it had a very peaceful and happy atmosphere. The first room contained a small model coaster that unfortunately was not working but the Ferris wheel filled with stuffed koalas was working just fine. We spent probably 15 minutes clowning around in the tilted room section. This attraction was a lot of fun and had some good quality displays -- a really pleasant surprise.
O yeah -- they had some animals at the zoo, too.
Still smiling and bowing in the Land of the Rising Fun.
B. Derek Shaw
In the morning we had a brief two hour visit to Higashiayama Zoo, a small two coaster park (plus a powered one) and a decent size zoo. Jet Coaster (Meisho) had no leg room (I didn't know my feet could go in so many odd directions!) The Slope Shooter was odd, unique and fun. Free wheeling two passenger bobsled-type cars went up lift to be guided in a concrete trough down a course that went back and forth (ala the top of a standard Wild Mouse layout.) At the turn-a-round area the trough gave way to a large open area. Somehow the car navigated the turn successfully. It was different.
Richard Bannister enjoyed extended ferris wheel time as Martin and company paid the operator to keep him on a second time. Maggie and I paid for a third time, (when he was still on the second ride) but Richard lucked out since the operators changed shifts and the first one did not communicate that information to the second one!
Nige Harness
Where am I? Who am I? This replacing fluids business is very hard work - maybe we should be using water rather than beer (Mart! Mart! What do you think? Sorry he’s unconscious!). At present we’re in transit to Fuji-Q eager to ride Dodonpa. We’ve just left Higashiyama Zoo where we experienced a most unusual bobsled ride - basically soap boxes on wheels in a concrete track! We also have to salute Richard Bannister’s valiant attempt on the world ferris wheel endurance record!
It’s a bit difficult to know which day we’re on but...day before yday we hit Parque Espana in Isobe. Nice place which had a superb Mack mine train - very quick and smooth and also a monster custom B&M - Pyrenees - a 1997 creation with a fabulous first drop. Highlight of the day was the amazing buffet provided by the park hotel for the whole group - stunning sushi, stewed octopus, tempura etc.
Yday we visited Japans second major Japanese park, Nagashima Spa Land - I was expecting crowds but the place was nicely quiet. High spots were Togo’s 1989 Ultra Twister - the cars are like something fron Judge Dredd - beautifully engineered considering their age - surprisingly smooth to ride too! Best coaster in the park was a Schwarzkopf Looping Star from 1982 which had the advantage of some input from a certain W.Stengel. Next to this was a Shuttle Loop from the same company which also rode extremely well.
Well it’s nearly over - tomorrow is our last day - what a trip! You have to marvel at the hard work put in by Justin and the rest - a big thank you and kiss to you all. Overall impression of Japan - it’s a very busy place yet the people are truly 'beautiful' and I don’t say that lightly. Love to all and arigato!!!!!
Christopher Smith
Hey ho; last update was on the train, it seems that the return journey is by coach (do the time calculation yourselves) but we have visited a load of parks on the way there. At Expoland there was a dualing coaster that has been recycled into one extremely long rusty ride, the main fun factor is the weird noise that the trains make as they go faster. Also there was a stand up ride with so many positive g’s is was like an ejector seat, everyone came out the end a few inches shorter.
At Nara Dreamland there was a great woodie, lots of air time at the front, and a mine train / bob-slead that left the taller among us with a crink in our necks as we ducked under the ride’s props.
Hirataka Park had a good drop tower and the white coloured ‘red falcon’ steel coaster. Parque Espania was a sight to behold, it was like being in an actual Spanish coaster park, the themes and the costumes and buildings were awesome, check out the pictures!! The B&M coaster at the Spanish park (reminiscent of a nemesis style) has an awesome first half of spins looks and a cobra roll, the second half was almost as good with more corkscrews and zero g hills before a hard brake into the station, The problem was the turn around which was almost 3 times as long as the ride time, but at least all the ace’r sweat was removed before we had to ride. Nagashima Spa Land was possibly the best park so far on the trip for those not only after coasters. The super spinner provided a chance to ride an unsuall type of coaster. The blue drop tower was rough but accelerated towards the ground , before turning to run parallel to the ground providing the weirdest feeling. The giant Frisbee was great for developing trust in ride restraints, as a disk of people are thrown a 100 feet up into the sky in all sorts of orientations. Finally the shiney powered bobsleigh although slow but produced a great thrill and a fantastic on ride video, This morning we visited Higashiyama Zoo, it was a mini stop with a rather strange ‘coaster’ that ran down a concrete channel somewhat like a bobsleigh. This afternoon we have a hyper-coaster, a huge drop tower, and the aircraft carrier like launched coaster so assuming I’m still capable of thought and articulating myself I’ll see everyone back in the UK next week.
Overall the trip has been a great experience, lots of coasters but also drop towers, dark rides and themed rides. Lots of folks that are good fun, and up for all sorts of new experiences in food, entertainment, shopping and more. I’d say the fusion of ECC and ACE members into one trip has gone great, and given me a first trip to remember. So as soon as I’ve got home (and slept for a few days) I’ll look forward to recounting the awesome trip experience to my friends and family.
Dan Harvey
Parque Espana has a nice Spanish feel to it with an abundance of things to see and do. Pyrenees is a powerful coaster with some intense positive G’s, very enjoyable. At Nagashima Spaland, the White Cyclone was a good way to cool off and rattle your bones. It’s a decent woody, although a bit on the rough side. The Shuttle Loop coaster was my favorite ride in this park. It’s the same as Knotts’ Montezuma’s Revenge, which I rode about 20 times in a row with my Grandmother when I was in middle school. It brought back some nice memories. Higashiyama Zoo has the coolest little ride of the trip. It has little bob sled type cars on wheels going down a trough. FUN! This has been a wonderful trip! Japan is a great cultural country, The coasters were a big part of the trip, but I’ll be returning home with memories of how nice the people are in Japan, and how amazingly clean the cities are. I’m very fortunate to have been able to take such a great trip!