Fuji-Q Highland: Fun For All!
Are you a roller coaster fanatic, or just like the atmosphere of amusement parks? Fuji-Q Highland, located near the base of Mount Fuji in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan is the perfect place to spend your day! Fuji-Q Highland is home to many attractions – from terrifying roller coasters, to haunted houses, to rides for children. Fuji-Q Highland is known for their record breaking coasters and pushing amusement park norms to a thrilling extreme!
Opening on March 2nd, 1968, Fuji-Q Highland was originally called Fujikyu Highland and was created by owner and operator Fuji Kyuko Co. The first coaster at Fuji-Q Highland debuted in 1996, and was a shocking 259 feet tall. This was record breaking for the time, and was the tallest roller coaster in the world.
Fuji- Q Highland is typically open from 10am to 4pm on most days of the week, these times extended on the weekend. Day passes are available for 6300 yen, and the park is open throughout the whole year. You can travel to the park by bus, train, or car. This is the perfect way have an exciting day in Fujiyoshida after all the sightseeing!
Fuji- Q Highland has six unique roller coasters, four of them including the Fujiyama, considered major attractions. The 2001 roller coaster named Do-donpa has the fastest acceleration in the world and was at one time considered the fastest coaster in the world, but today it is the fourth. Do-donpa is 170.6 feet tall, but has been closed as of August 2021 for an unspecified amount of time.
The 2006 Eejanaika coaster is one like you’ve never experienced before, with the most inversions of any roller coaster. The seats on the Eejanaika rotate 360 degrees with the car,making it the second “fourth dimension roller coaster” ever made. The 2011 Takabisha features a 121 degree freefall with seven major inversions, making it the steepest roller coaster in the world.
Besides the coasters, there are plenty of other family friendly attractions in Fuji- Q Highland. Traditional rides such as Tea Cups, Pirate Ship, Log Flume, Drop Tower, and Ferris Wheel are spread throughout the park to take a break from the intensity of the coasters. Attractions for kids are sectioned off to a specific area of the park called Thomas Land. Based on Thomas the Tank Engine, a British book and television show, this park is based on popular children’s characters.
By Kayley Hill
