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

by **cfc** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 5:17 am

^^"I wanna ride, ride the tiger!/It could be black and white/In the dead of night . . ." (Old Jefferson Starship song).

by **ThatFalafelGirl** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:17 am

aww. don't be sad Bill! you Owned that Flan after all!

by **cfc** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:20 am

^Now I do regret missing the dessert ride.

by **Nrthwnd** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 11:02 am

^^ Yay! Thanks Falafel. I loved my flan, lol!

Well Chuck, it really came down to a choice for me:

Dessert Ride? or Wierd Animal-tracked Ride?

Of course, desserts always win out over wierd animals.

by **BarryH** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:55 pm

The desert ride was fun, but I had to get some insulin shots because they did not have any sugar-free options. :lmao:

OK, who still has the "Welcome to Tivoli" song stuck in their head?

And also, why do I look fat in the photos? Oh, it's because I am fat. *sniff*

by **cfc** » Wed Oct 10, 2007 2:52 pm

Chapter 7: Be Prepared to See Things You’ve Seen Before, But in Japanese—Universal Osaka

What do you get when you mix a half cup of Universal Studios California with a half cup of Universal Studios Florida, than season to taste with Islands of Adventure? You get Universal Osaka, one damn good theme park that is only a Men in Black and a Revenge of the Mummy away from being Universal’s best, I think.

Universal Osaka resembles its Florida cousin, only easier to navigate and more compact, and it has most of the stuff you can find in Florida, California, or both: Jaws, Backdraft, Terminator, Shrek etc. Plus, it throws in IOA’s Spider-man and version of Jurassic Park. But Universal Osaka does have two rides you won’t find in the States:

Hollywood Dream—This B&M mini-hyper is smooth and a lot of fun with some surprising pops of air (I’m also a big fan of B&M’s “chariot” trains). Plus, you get to pick from five different music tracks for your ride; I liked the Beatles’ “Get Back” the best. Dream gives you some great views of the park and is especially good at night, with all the sparkly lights on its trains. I wouldn’t mind seeing this ride at the U.S. Universals—it was one of my favorites of the trip.

Snoopy’s Great Race—Vekoma makes good kiddie coasters. This model is themed like a movie set where Snoopy is the director (he even takes your on-ride photo). The ride is surprisingly fast and forceful, and it was probably the best kiddie or mini coaster on the trip. Plus, it’s indoors and air conditioned!

Universal Osaka has much the same themeing as the Stateside parks, such as Amity, San Francisco, and New York, but it does have two unique areas: the disappointing Land of Oz, which is rather small and seems like just an afterthought (and a good place to for their truncated version of the musical Wicked), and Snoopy Studios, home of Great Race and a very nice place for kids.

Oz was really the only letdown here—this park is great. Besides, you haven’t experienced Jaws and ET until you’ve heard them in Japanese.

Next up—ole!