On Friday, 14 September, Tati and I caught a midnight bus from Sendai to Tokyo. Technically, that would be very early Saturday morning but oh well. We were so excited to finally get on the bus, especially since there had been a moment at the mall where we were not sure if we would be able to get on the bus from Ishinomaki to Sendai. I ran into two of my sensei while waiting for the buses.
Neither one of us slept very well. Though we could recline the seats slightly, it did not feel like they reclined very much at all, and both of us spent the five and a half hour trip adjusting our positions and trying to get comfortable. I watched "Captain America" for the first part of the trip. As nice as it was to have a little television screen with so many fun options, I do not think I will ever chose the relax with personal monitor option again.
We arrived in Tokyo at five-thirty and spent the next hour trying to figure out which train would take us to Otsuki, where we could catch the train to Fuji-Q. Three minutes after seven, we were finally on our way again =) There were so many people heading to Mt. Fuji that we ended up sharing a single seat the entire ride (she sat for the first half hour, and I sat for the second). The train from Otsuki to Fuji-Q Highlands was also an hour and jammed packed, so we stood near the door the whole time.
Both of us were disappointed that the cloud cover prevented us from being able to see Mt. Fuji, but forgot about it when we caught our first real glimpses of the theme park. As soon as we got off the train, I called Nikki to find out that she and Kaarina were only about ten minutes away.
We met up in the line for Eejanaika, a rollercoaster which boasts the most spins in a single ride. It is such an amazing trip =) It has the loops and twists of any normal roller coaster, but this one spins you as it goes. So much fun--we all agreed that we had to do it at least three more times (unfortunately, we only got to go once more). I have never had to strip so much for a roller coaster! They required you to remove anything loose: jewelry, hair clips, shoes, socks, anything in your pockets. Basically, you got left with your shirt, pants, and underthings.
Next, we headed to Red Tower, which is your standard straight-up-then-drop ride. Still a lot of fun. When we got to the top, we were enjoying the view. From my left, I heard Tati ask "When's this going to--" and then squeals of surprise and excitement erupted from all four of us as we dropped.
After that, we made our way to Fujiyama--the King of Roller Coasters--stopping first at the tea cups and taking a spin. We were actually allowed to spin as fast as we could; Nikki and I were in heaven =D Fujiyama was a longer ride, and a lot of fun. It has a large drop from a height of 79 meters (259.19 feet)-- so amazing. I wish we had gotten another ride on that one as well (so this does not get redundant, I should mention that I loved all the rides and attractions at this park, and wish that we could have had another go at most of these rides. I want to go again).
We had lunch at Pizza-La. Yummy yummy pizza =)
After lunch we went to the carousal, followed by a ride on Tondemina (we called it Pizza-La). It is a large wheel that swings back and forth as it spins. It is a nice, relaxing ride, and you only get close to being upside down.
We rode Panic Clock--a feet dangling slow ride that swings completely around-- before heading over to Takabisha; we called it the blender. It combines all the best things from several different types of coasters. Starting out in the dark (like Space Mountain), then all the twists and turns of the best roller coasters. It also has a large drop, but it tips inward for a brief moment, as though going for a three-sixty loop but deciding to continue downward instead. The ride itself slows at the top of this drop and hangs you over it for a few moments--a nice teaser. The ride only takes eight people at a time (two rows of four) and we asked the very nice Japanese guys riding with us if we could take front. It was incredible!
Standing in line for Takabisha, we saw a group of six or seven standing in a circle sharing ice cream. Kaarina and I decided that we needed ice cream, so once we finished with the ride, we went and got some. I had mango while the other three all got strawberry.
Wanting a calmer ride, we went back to Tondemina and were able to catch our first glimpse of Mt. Fuji. I was so excited! After that, Nikki and I wanted to do the teacups again, so we headed back. This time, we had competition and so we worked harder to go faster. Unfortunately, that also resulted in poor Kaarina and Tatiana almost getting sick. Kaarina was green, and swore that she would not go back on the tea cups with us again. The good news? We beat the other guys =) Heeheehee....
Needing something to settle their stomachs, we headed for Tekkotsu Bancho, a calm swing ride that just lifts you up and spins you semi-slowly through the air. We could see the whole park, as well as Mt. Fuji. It was getting late, and so high up, we all felt a little chilly. We had been lucky all day with perfect weather =)
Once down again, we headed back toward Eejanaika for our final ride. By the time we got through the line, it was dark, which just made the coaster that much more fun.
We tried heading for the Haunted House, but only found it closed for the night. The park hours were suppose to be until ten, but most of the attractions began closing at seven, and only a few remained open until nine or later. Disappointed, we tried to get some food, only to find all the restaurants closed as well. We took the opportunity to ride Shining Flower (the Ferris Wheel), which moved at a really slow, continuous pace, before we headed to our hotel.
Once checked in, we got some food at a Chinese restaurant near the amusement park. It was really good. Such an amazing day--we all had a ton of fun, but you could tell we were all exhausted from the long road trip to get us there. We crashed a little after eleven, exhausted but excited for the prospect of the next day =)
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