Photo TR: Being Chuck's Account of TPR's 2007 Japan Tour

[rllrcster"Basically A Homosexual God!"]

^^ Maybe this will finally convince you to upgrade to digital Bill?

Great work Red Button Chuck. Keep it coming.

^

Upgrade?


Upgrade???



Don't make me.... well, maybe.

Still - when you check all the oopses and echs I shot in the 2006 UK Tour and I posted every single out-of-focus, way too much lighting, etc. shot...

Not too shabby so far I'd say, lolol.

[Coaster PaloozaThe search for the Ultimate Thrill!]

Great pictures and TR Chuck!

I was glad to hear about your trip first hand. Now, with these pictures, the trip comes to life.

It was really great meeting you too!

I will have my TR up soon.

[BarryHHe's kind of sad and pathetic]

The photo of me and Ryan is just so wrong.

I think I needed to brush my teeth in the haunted house shot. Man, look at that plaque!

[CycloneManJason X versus the Robot Space Donkey!]

I'm convinced, Barry needs a restraining order from everyone under the age of 25!

-Dainan "Just teasing ya buddy " Rafferty

[SteveCDonald Duck...]

Blimey Chuck - this great TR also brings home to me exactly how much ground we actually covered.

I can't believe I missed the whole land dog thing, though I think I was a tad vague that day (well not so vague after Bandit, as that brought me rapidly to my senses then knocked me ten streets into next week)

Looking forward to more as and when you update

Cheers

Steve

The photo of me and Ryan is just so wrong.

I think I needed to brush my teeth in the haunted house shot. Man, look at that plaque!

Hmm--maybe all those squid and octopus balls you ate have something to do with that plaque problem, Barry. They probably have aphrodisiac qualities, too.

Steve, believe me, I know how much ground we covered. This TR is taking on epic proportions. Mitsui Greenland to come tomorrow (I really liked that park a lot.)

[pagemaster_bI'm slow]

Hey Brian how were those Korean drop towers? Did you enjoy them as much as Blue Fall?

Well, Brian?

You already know the answer to that question.

^



Just teasin' ya, buddy.

Great pictures and TR Chuck!

I was glad to hear about your trip first hand. Now, with these pictures, the trip comes to life.

It was really great meeting you too!

I will have my TR up soon.

Thanks, Rick--I'll look forward to seeing your TR of Euroburg (one great home park, in my opinion).

And now the epic saga continues!

Chapter 5: It’s Not Just the Coasters, It’s All the Stuff—Mitsui Greenland
Another blazing hot, humid day—another blazing hot, humid park. But that’s OK, because Mitsui Greenland rocks! It’s hard to describe this sprawling mass of sun-baked real estate, except to say that it really offers something for everyone: anything any park aficionado could want is here, including nine, (count ‘em, nine) credits:

Fujin Rajin Blue—I never thought I’d ever say this about a stand-up coaster, but this is the best ride in the park. Yes, this coaster type that I’ve never liked has finally delivered—a stand-up with ejector air that doesn’t make a man scream for mercy. How did Togo pull this off? (KD’s Shockwave should burn in hell!)

Megaton—Another surprise! I wasn’t too thrilled with the whole “ultratwister” concept, either, but Megaton is great—a very smooth ride with a great first drop (just a rough stop).

Atomic Coaster—Weirdest shuttle loop ever, and it pulls some pretty insane G forces. There’s no launch. A funky double chain drive pulls the train up, then releases it to roll back through the station, down a hill, through the loop, up the rear spike, then back again.

Fujin Rajin Pink—This is the sitdown side, and while it isn’t as much fun as the stand-up side, it’s still pretty decent.

Grampus Jet—A suspended coaster with killer-whale trains? Well, OK, I guess. This is just one helix after another (the Japanese just love their helices), but you do get a nice, refreshing breeze in the front car.

Gao—What is it with the Japanese and really funky mine-train coasters? This one has the conventional train cars, but is, like, over 100 feet tall and rolls down the spine of a giant dinosaur! It’s isn’t particularly fast, but it really slams you on the turns.

Spin Mouse—Here we have an example of truth in advertising. It’s a mouse and it spins—a lot.

Nio—This was the only Vekoma SLC of the trip, thank god. One is always enough. Not as bad as Mind Eraser at SFA, but not a good ride either. Extra padding on the OSRs helps, though.

Sphinx Coaster—A family coaster with Egyptian themeing and a funky layout. OK for what it is (but not too exciting).

There’s a powered ladybug coaster, which rolled back on us—d’oh!; the Blackhole powered coaster (a fun if low-budget version of Space Mountain); and a very good alpine slide.

Greenland has a lot more than just the coasters. The Haunted Hospital walk through is a good haunted house with a pretty cool gimmick: an electric candle that you have to hold steady, or else it flickers and goes out. (They plug the candle into a computer at the end to see how “scared” you were.) The Horror Tower wasn’t as good (lots of steps to walk up), but experiencing the possessed squat toilet is a must. The Haunted Shrine dark ride is excellent—good atmosphere, enhanced by headphones (the giggling children will give you the creeps). The Legend of Salamander s a good shooting dark ride with, well, salamanders, bats, and bugs as targets. There’s even a very bizarre cross between Disney’s Indy rides and Star Tours: Adventure Ride (another attraction that has to be experienced at least once, cheesy as it is).

They even trusted us with arrows and guns!

All this and a McDonald’s—what more could anyone want?

Next up—2 out of 3 ain't bad