There are many ways of escaping from the hot summer in Japan. Try the newly built roller coaster Takabisha at Fuji-Q Highland, an amusement park at the base of Mount Fuji.
Takabisha, the fourth giant coaster at the park, was launched in July. Takabisha means high-handed or an attitude of looking down from higher places.
Roller-coaster fans can experience a 121-degree angle on a vertical drop, which was certified by Guinness World Records as a world record on July 8.
Riders are lifted vertically to about 141 feet high while looking at the sky. The eight-passenger car immediately stops on a downhill, then restarts rolling down along 121 degrees of overhang and reaching 328 feet in two seconds through a tunnel, a total of seven twists. It’s 160 seconds of breathless excitement!
KNOW & GO
Address: 5-6-1, Shin Nishihara, Fujiyoshida city, Yamanashi prefecture
Phone: 055-523-2111
Admission: 1,200 yen, plus 1,000 yen/per ride or 4,800-yen free-pass for adults; 600 yen for admission, plus 1,000 yen/per ride or 3,500-yen free-pass for children
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays & holidays
Transportation: 80-minute ride from Shinjuku on Chuo Express, get off at Kawaguchiko I.C.; 100-minute bus ride from Shinjuku (03-5376-2222); 50-minute train ride from Otsuki Station on Fujikyu Kyuko Line to Fujikyu Highland Station.
Website: www.fujiq.jp/en/
