Best way to hit up Fuji-Q is to reserve a bus seat online and get the
Toku-Q Pack. It costs 7,300 yen and gets you return bus tickets from Shinjuku West bus station to Fuji-Q and a day pass which gives you unlimited rides for the day. You just reserve your seat online, payment for your ticket is when you turn up at the Keio bus ticket office.
Finding the Keio ticket office can be a bit tricky. I had to ask a couple of people for directions. You come out of the Shinjuku station west exit and the ticket office is between Yodobashi and the Keio department store. The buses out to Fuji-Q do fill up so it is best to reserve your seats at least a couple of days ahead. The bus rides takes an hour and 40 minutes.
Just be aware that they do seem to close the theme park on random days. We had reserved seats on the bus for last Tuesday but when we turned up at the ticket office there was a big sign up saying Fuji-Q closed for the day. There is a calender showing the closed days but it is only on the Japanese version of the Fuji-Q website. The slightest bit of rain also means the majority of rides get stopped so you might want to keep that in mind during the rainy season.
Once you arrive the fun begins! These roller-coasters are not for the faint hearted. Or for anyone with any of the many, many ailments they list while you wait in the queue. You can't be too old either, all the rides have age limits, some of which are 59. So sorry Mum & Dad, you guys are out.
We hit up Fujiyama first, mainly because it is the first one on your left after you get through the entry gate. Probably not the best move as it was also the longest wait we had for the day, 50 minutes. Better idea would be to head to the back of the park and make your way back towards the entry gate and skip some of the queues.
Fujiyama was my favourite ride of the day. It is long, it is fast and it has a 70m drop. As the crank the ride slowly up the steepest section, my palms were sweating, I felt slightly sick and I started questioning my own sanity. I had my eyes squeezed shut for most of the descent but man what a rush!
Everyone looks a little dishevelled at the end of the ride.
Next we conquered Takabisha, the roller-coaster with the steepest drop in the world, a 121 degree tilt. I was very surprised that I got off this ride without losing my dignity. I have never felt fear on a ride like I did on this one. I can't believe this ride is in the same country as the lame ones at DisneySea. Its like going for a spin in my 1976 Datsun and then being taken round the Nuburgring in a Porsche 911.
I feel justified in nearly turning my trousers brown, its in the Guinness book of records. It is officially scary.
Next up we went on Dodonpa, one hell of a fast roller-coaster. It hits 172km/hr at 1.8 seconds after the ride starts. Reminded me of the super man ride at Movie World, Gold Coast. Think it has the same G force, at 4.25. Awesome stuff.
Unfortunately, the last of the big 4 roller-coasters was not open. Eejanaika has 14 rolls and you have to take your shoes off to ride it. Will have to go back and try that one!!
After some Mos burger for lunch we checked out some of the tamer rides. It was pretty hot and humid so we thought we would go on a water ride. We were pretty amused to see everyone shelling out an extra 100 yen to buy ponchos to wear on the ride. What is the point of going on a water themed ride to stay dry?
Well, they all had the last laugh because we got soaked!! Good excuse to have an ice cream while we dried off.
No other rides really deserve a special mention unless you are into the anime Evangelion. They have a pretty cool display of stuff from the series you can pose for cheesy photos with.
Oh yeah, going on the little kid roller-coaster 'A little ride on the clouds' was pretty funny too. Mainly because the ride was designed for an adult to sit with a kid being held in front. No-one in the queue had a kid with them but we were all still told to get on the ride 2 by 2. Watching two blokes squeeze onto a ride together and cuddle was one of the funnier sights of the day. Awkward giggles all round.
Oh yeah, token photo of Mt Fuji from the bus stop. Only time she popped out of the mist for us.
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