Tuesday 7th April - Fugi-Q

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This blog is dedicated to my good friend Andy - who basically told me that if i didn't go to Fugi-Q (which i bloody would've anyway) he'd disown me...Well that is my translation of it. ;-)

It's 6am and i'm awake, bright & early and not even tired!...I get up, take a shower, check the emails and head out for an early breakfast @ the cafe. No 2,000yen breakfasts for me...haha

After my double-egg, sausage, bacon, salad & toast special (I fuckin love double-egg), I head off to Kawaguchiko station to catch the mini-rail to Fugi-Q. Fugi-Q Highland is the next stop on the line so the journey onyl takes 5 minutes. I arrive at the park @ 10am. It is pretty empty as it has only been open for 1 hour. I head straight to the big red coaster - Eejanaika. Basically it's like the X ride @ Six-flags, Magic Mountain, being only the second "4th Dimension roller coaster" ever built. As a "4th dimension" roller coaster its seats can rotate 360 degrees forward or backward in a controlled spin, thus allowing Eejanaika to invert 14 different times, even though the actual track inverts only three times. It surpasses the first built "4th dimension" roller coaster, X², in both height and speed. I queue for about 25 minutes and after a showing my obvious lack of Japanese theme park knowledge i get into the seat.

We go out on the tracks, turn backwards & almost upside down as we go up the steep as fuck hill. I'm not scared at this point as i cannot see where i'm going but as soon as we let rip, i fuckin shit-a-brick!...I've never been so scared on a ride in my life...hahaha :-)

The entire time i'm tossed around, upside down, topsy turvy, corkscrewed, loooped to fuck & constantly feel like i'm about to fall out. Now i don't get scared on rides, honestly i don't but i was fuckin terrified on this beast. WHAT A FUCKIN RIDE!!!

I actually couldn't wait for it to be over. I rode it again of course, later on, once i knew what to expect it was wicked. Once i get off i'm really shaken up & have to have a quick smoke before i get on another ride. The fag knocks me sick so i decide to go on a babyish ride - well compared to the previous monster!

The coaster i go on next is Fujiyama, 259 feet tall, 80.8 mph. Opened in 1996, it was once the world's tallest roller coaster. As of 2007 it is the world's 8th tallest, 5th longest, and 10th fastest roller coaster. It is a long wait before i finally get to the loading bay, i'm happy/scared/nervous to find i'm on the front seat. OH NO! - after the last ride i am actually worried. I don't show it, obviously!...It's the first time in my life i do not want to be on the front but anyway, off we go!

As we ascend up the hill i begin to notice just how incredibly high it is, like REALLY FUCKIN HIGH. IIRC it used to the World's Tallest Rollarcoaster until 2000 when another one took the throne. (it is 79 metres high) All to soon we're flying down the first drop and it is fuckin brilliant. My face is literally being torn about by the g-forces and i'm buzzing. My eyes are watering, my hair is in my mouth, i'm being thrown all over the place as go round the corners & up n down the drops. I get off Fujiyama elated having had my faith restored in coasters!

I decide to grab some food & a beer before i go on anymore rides as it is already lunchtime & my stomach is growling. I quickly munch my food & head towards the smaller rides. I go on the Mad Mouse, Swings, Clock thingy & all the others which are pretty fun. Well they pass the time between gut-wrenching hysteria on the coasters anyway!

The last ride of the day is Dodonpa, 170 feet tall, 106.9 mph. Opened in 2001, it was then the world's fastest roller coaster. As of 2007 it is the 3rd fastest in the world but still has the highest acceleration at launch time where it reaches it's peak speed in 2 seconds. I arrive at the end of the queue to find a noticeboard stating that the wait is over 1 hour so i stick in my ipod and listen to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Once at the ride base i am seated next to a young girl and we both nod & smile at each other.

Donponda is one helluva ride!...I'm flung forward so fast that i lose my breath & my heart fly into my mouth. when i finally gather myself on the bend i start laughing my head off & screaming along with the kids...All fun & games! I get off the ride feeling happy & content. It's been an amazing day but over so quickly!

I head off to grab some donuts, have another beer & catch my train home. I'm already looking forward to hitting Everland in South Korea!

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Photos

Don't look at me...
i'm shy ;-)

Comments

[ShazzaSpannered]

Sounds amazing! Never even realised they had a theme park - would definitely be on my list of we ever went. Glad to see your having a good time :o)

[bobby]

Great park name for the dyslexics (how do they manage to spell that).