７月１７日Day 114: FujiQ Highland

I can never go to an amusement park in America ever again.

Today, I went to FujiQ Highland-- a theme park right next to Mt. Fuji that boasts the world's most hardxcore roller coasters like Fujiyama, that has the highest vertical drop in the world: 90 f*ckin' meters!!

We left Heiwadai at about 7 in the morning to take the bus to FujiQ from Shinjuku at 8:20. It took us 3 hours to get there. There was SO MUCH TRAFFIC. As someone who exclusively rides the train, I had completely forgotten that traffic even existed and sat there in agony as we inched out of Tokyo and into the mountains. Once we got there though, we wasted no time and went on every scary ride that makes the park so famous.

First, we went on Dodonpa-- a ride that shoots you 180km in 1.8 seconds. (Please note that the shoddy video doesn't do the ride any justice.) I've never felt anything that exhilarating in my entire life. I felt my eyeballs shaking, we were going so fast. I also didn't realize there was a huge vertical drop after being shot out from the starting point and screamed my pants off for that. TOTALLY worth the 2 hour wait. Holy balls.

Here's a picture of the Dodonpa drop.

Here's a better picture that I didn't take.

My friend Harriet and I on Fujiyama with some random Japanese girls.

Fujiyama at sunset.

Other memorable rides included Fujiyama, your standard fast paced, huge vertically dropping loop-less roller coaster, and Eejanaika-- the world's scariest mofuggin' ride... ever.

Eejanaika is without a doubt the craziest roller coaster ever imagined. You ride the entire time backwards in seats that spin in circles as you go down the steepest drops and loops that can only rival the American stock market (see what I did there? Haaaa)

The closest thing I can harken it to in the states is "X" at Six Flags. But the difference between all the rides at Six Flags and the rides at FujiQ is the fact that they last for at least a minute if not two. Rides in the US are a 2 hour wait for 30 seconds of, "Well, I guess that was cool," whereas every ride at FujiQ has you screaming for your mommy on the verge of pissing your pants wondering when it will ever be over/if you ever want it to end. I seriously thought I was going to die on some of these rides because I could feel myself hanging from the harness. Like this ride. I don't even know what it's called but I wasn't aware that anything could reach this sort of height... safely.

All life-affirming rides aside, I was really glad that the clouds parted long enough for me to see Mt. Fuji. I actually saw it while riding backwards on Eejanaika before the first drop. I remember thinking, "Wow, I'm so glad I get to see Mt. Fuji before I die."

Nothing will ever compare to the sheer beauty and terror of this day.