Fuji-Q Highland is an amusement park situated in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan with huge roller coasters, haunted-theme rides, kids’ area and a couple shops & cafes. This amusement park is located near the base of mount Fuji, the highest peak in Japan.

Fuji-Q Highland offers a wide array of attractions ranging from a number of really fast coasters to haunted houses.

The Japanese people are known for their love of adventure and theme parks. In all seasons, these amusement parks in Japan were filled with people craving for fun and adrenaline pumping activities. One is the Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park.

So why does Fuji-Q Highland has gained popularity since it has been opened and had been frequented by both local and foreign tourists in Japan? Here are few reasons why.

1. Fuji-Q Highland amusement park has the King of Coasters also known as the first world’s tallest and longest roller coaster opened in 1996 and currently the world’s 8^th tallest, 5^th longest coaster around the world.
2. It has the first world’s fastest coaster opened in 2001, now the 4^th fastest but still notorious for being the world’s coaster with the fastest acceleration at launch time. Scary amazing isn’t it?
3. Fuji-Q Highland has the world’s steepest roller coaster with the steepest drop of 121-degree free fall.
4. It has the world’s coaster with the highest number of spins.
5. It has the 4^th Dimension roller coaster wherein the seats can rotate 360 degrees.
6. Fuji-Q Highland has the most difficult maze ever created, with a successful escape rate of only 1/100000!
7. The Fuji-Q Highland also has numerous rides and horror booths.

Fuji-Q Highland Attractions:

1. Takabisha
2. Eejanaika, the 4th dimension coaster
3. DODONPA, the world’s tremendous roller coaster
4. FUJIYAMA, the king of roller coasters
5. TEKKOTSU BANCHO
6. Ultimate Fort
7. Adventure land of Kaiketsu Zorori
8. Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear
9. Tondemina
10. Nagashimasuka
11. Great ZABOON
12. Red Tower
13. Mad Mouse
14. Panic Clock
15. EVANGELION: WORLD
16. Shining Flower
17. Tea Cups
18. Merry-Go-Round
19. Mizuki Shigeru’s Ge-Ge-Ge Haunted Mansion
20. Hide-and-Seek in the Forest
21. THOMAS LAND

Fuji-Q Higland Experience: The Coasters and more!

1. Fujiyama (The King of Coasters)

Fujiyama is named after the iconic Mount Fuji, which stands to the west of Tokyo. The term Fujiyama comes from “fuji” which means king, and “yama” which means mountain.

This hyper coaster boasts a world class spec. It stands at 79 meters tall, has a maximum speed of 130kph and has a maximum of 70 meters’ free fall drop (230ft) within a 2km track. This is recorded as the world’s 8th tallest, 5th longest, and 10th fastest roller coaster. The thrill on this attraction is so out-of-this-world that you’ll feel like you did the first time you rode it no matter how many times you’re on it!

I was not really into coasters as I’m really afraid of the free fall thing, but out of curiosity and the eagerness to conquer my fear, I tried it. I told no one that I am afraid of the free-fall. Little did I know, my Japanese manager was afraid of heights too, he only told us when we’re on the top of the track and ready for the launch!

The experience was really both scary and exhilarating.  On its vertical free fall drop (70m+), it felt like I lost my soul for about 5 seconds, I can’t find it! LOL. It separated from my poor body. Haha. My companion who really loved this type of rides gave me some tips to minimize the tension and fear. She told me to raise both arms whenever the car is going down or on a free fall and to shout loud. She said it can help ease the sensation that you lost everything inside your stomach. (don’t know how to describe it properly). LOL. Indeed, that 4 minute-ride was the hell ride of my life!

2. Fuji-Q Highland’s Dodonpa

This is another beast coaster that Fuji-Q Highland offers. It stands at 52 meters, 50 meters drop in a 1.2-kilometer track reaching the top speed of 172 kph in just after 1.8 seconds after the compressed air launch! This is the fastest coaster upon its opening way back in 2001, currently ranked as the 4th fastest in the world now but still has the highest acceleration at launch time.

It travels at speeds that are almost too fast that brings a thrilling sense of acceleration that races almost the entire park that when you’re riding, it feels that you can’t even breathe!

At this time, my soul didn’t just separate from my body but it was scattered everywhere in the park. It was too damn fast that you will get the feeling of being thrown on the in the air halfway of the track. This 55 seconds ride is a killer! But thank God I’m still alive! 🙂

3. Eejanaika and Takabisha

Unfortunately, we do not have time to ride these coasters. Thank God, those first 2 was an overkill already. 🙂

Well, Eejanaika is the 4^th Dimension roller coaster with the highest total number of spins in the world. The seats can rotate at 360 degrees may it be spinning forward or backward, spinning with twists or rotating in loops or flip-flops in the air. All these rotations will take place while you are in the race down the 1.5km track at top speed of 126 kph.

Takabisha is the coaster with the steepest free-fall of 121 degrees. This coaster offers a spine-tingling drop by its linear launch system with linear acceleration and vertical ascent at 100kph! Whoa vertical ascent! It also offers a heart-pounding experience with non-stop thrills that awaits you starting with a vertical ascent that takes you straight up toward the sky followed by a brief stop at the top, tilted downward just before the highlight, finishing off with a maximum of 121°-tilt drop in free fall.

4. Ultimate Fort

Ultimate Fort is a walk-through attraction set up as a labyrinth in a huge fortress with mission tasks to clear in order to escape. The goal is to make it so difficult as to boast a successful escape rate down as close to 0% as possible. This is the most difficult maze ever created, with a successful escape rate of only 1/100000! Hilarious right? I wasn’t able to try this, so I’ll just have to put here what the Fuji-Q Highland guide said about this attraction.

“Guests who take on the challenge have to try to work through a labyrinth of countless doors, corridors, and rooms and strict security set up within the fort and make it out within the time limit. There are different stages inside, with the stages becoming increasingly difficult as you progress through the fort. Each stage is full of hidden clues, secret doorways, and other traps and contraptions all designed to trip you up. This is not the type of maze that can be cleared by merely fumbling around in the dark. Only those who possess the knowledge, memory power, physical strength, imagination, and most of all, luck will be able to persevere to the end and earn the rank of “Successful Escapees. “Successful escapees will have a prize to recognize their glorious achievement.”

There are attractions (listed above) inside Fuji-Q Highland that can satisfy the daredevil within our adventurous soul. They also have horror booths that I don’t want try coz it’s really creepy as they say. Since our time was consumed mostly on lining up for the Fujiyama coaster, we were not able to try as many rides as it closes before sundown. So we opted to try the Shinning Flower instead. Shining Flower is a Ferris Wheel that spins so slow in order for the riders to enjoy the view below and hear the screaming of the riders of Fujiyama and Dodonpa. The ride was about 11 minutes (1 complete spin).

My Japanese manager had told me that he was thankful that I tried the Fujiyama because it left him no choice but to accompany me and at the same time conquered his greatest fear, the fear of heights! It was still fresh in my mind what he said to me that, Fujiyama is the dubbed as the scariest coaster in Japan but often the only ride in Fuji-Q Highland that has the longest queue. Ironic isn’t it? He told me also that any coaster rides after that King of Coasters Experience will be so easy.

Indeed, it was a fun and kind of suicide ride for me. But overall, it was really top of the world experience! If you are to pick few of those rides, what are your top picks?

Tickets:

You can purchase tickets / passes upon entry of the amusement park. We availed the blue pass (fujiyama access included). The blue pass costs 2,800 yen. There are also another type of passes and package inclusions depends on their prices. For those attractions not included in the packages , you may get the tickets on machines near the entrances of those attractions.

How to get there:

By Bus:

From Shinjuku Station(West Exit)
Take Chuo Highway Bus Fujigoko Line (app 1 hr and 40  min)
From Tokyo Station (Yaesu Exit)
Take Tomei Highway bus (2 hrs and 30 min)
From Yokohama Station(West Exit)
Take Tomei Highway Bus at West Exit of Yokohama Station (2 hrs and 30 min)

By Train:

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Take JR Chuo Main Line (app 60 min by limited express ) to Otsuki Station.
Transfer to Fujikyu Line to Fuji-Q Highland (app 50 min). From Shinjuku Station to Otsuki Station by JR Line
Regular fare: around 1,300+ yen
Express fare: around 1,300+ yen (in addition to regular fare)

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From Otsuki Station to Fuji-Q Highland Station
Regular fare by Fujikyu Line Direct: 1,000+ yen
Express Fare: 300+ yen (in addition to regular fare)

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The Fujikyu Line is a private railway line, so the Japan Rail Pass by JR Group is not usable for this line. However, the Japan Rail Pass is usable from Shinjuku Station to Otsuki Station.

By Car:

Take Shuto Expressway #4 then Chuo Expressway to Kawaguchiko I.C. via Otsuki JCT(app 50 min).After Kawaguchiko I.C.to Fuji-Q Highland (0 min).Take Shuto Expressway #3
to Gotenba I.C. via Tomei Expressway(app 60 min). Then take Expressway No. 138 (app 15 min) to Subashiri I.C. (app 3 min),and change to Higashifujigoko Road to Fujiyoshida I.C.(app 15min). Then you can finally see Fuji-Q Highland (0 min).