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| K's Guest House in Kawaguchiko |
The Kawaguchiko Station (900m) was extremely busy. I wanted to go to the tourist information desk but there was a lineup out the door. I waited for a taxi to take me to my guesthouse but there weren't any around so I decided to walk to K’s Guest House. According to Google Maps, it was seventeen minutes from the station.
I got to the hostel around 3pm and was able to get into my room on the third floor. It was a mixed dorm that slept five. I set myself up before venturing out for food. I was starving. I went for a quick walk to the lake and the skies were threatening rain.
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| At Lake Kawaguchi |
I found a grocery store and bought some things for the next few days as there wasn't much in the way of restaurants around the guesthouse. I also wanted to prepare for the hike up Mt. Fuji.
That night, I took it easy at the hostel and watched some TV. I was in bed early as I wanted to be up early the next morning.
DAY 6:
The first ride was a lot of fun but very jolty. I had to wait about an hour to get on the next roller coaster. It was once the longest and tallest coaster in the world. It was my favorite ride of the day! I had to wait at least 1.5 hours to get on the third roller coaster. This one launched riders at 172km/hour. It was cool! The fourth and final roller coaster was fun as well. It has a 120-degree drop, the steepest roller coaster drop in the world.
I packed my stuff for Mt. Fuji and everything fit into my rented backpack perfectly. I set out to the grocery store to pick up some sushi for dinner. I relaxed for the evening and watched some TV and went to bed early. I wanted to be on the first bus out to the 5th station in the morning
DAY 6:
Fuji-Q Highland day! I had been looking forward to this park ever since I learned about it. This amusement park has four big roller coasters and all have held world records at some point.
I walked back to Kawaguchiko station and took the train one stop over to the theme park. The entrance was right there as I got off the train! A ticket to the park was 5,300yen with a discount coupon I had from the hostel in Tokyo. I was one of the first people in the park and got on the first roller coaster quickly!
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| World's steepest roller coaster: Takabisha |
The first ride was a lot of fun but very jolty. I had to wait about an hour to get on the next roller coaster. It was once the longest and tallest coaster in the world. It was my favorite ride of the day! I had to wait at least 1.5 hours to get on the third roller coaster. This one launched riders at 172km/hour. It was cool! The fourth and final roller coaster was fun as well. It has a 120-degree drop, the steepest roller coaster drop in the world.
The other rides in the park were easy to get on with no wait time as they weren’t main attractions. I, of course, went on everything and had some good laughs.
Things I liked or noticed about the theme park:
• Each ride had separate lockers with a lock and a key for riders. When you get on the ride, you put your stuff in a locker, lock it and take the key. The key was on a wristband. This is a great idea as no one has to worry about his or her things while on the ride.
• Single riders don’t get to move ahead quicker. At other theme parks, they will call out single riders to fill up the coasters. In Japan, that didn’t seem to be the case. If you were a single rider, they left you single and the seat next to you was empty. I wonder why they do it this way.
• One other thing I thought was funny is that all the workers on the rides say a chant and clap their hands along with the chant before sending you off on your way. As you leave, they bow and high five you on the way out. When you return, they welcome you back with applause. It was quite cute!
Things I liked or noticed about the theme park:
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| Workers high-fiving the riders |
• Single riders don’t get to move ahead quicker. At other theme parks, they will call out single riders to fill up the coasters. In Japan, that didn’t seem to be the case. If you were a single rider, they left you single and the seat next to you was empty. I wonder why they do it this way.
• One other thing I thought was funny is that all the workers on the rides say a chant and clap their hands along with the chant before sending you off on your way. As you leave, they bow and high five you on the way out. When you return, they welcome you back with applause. It was quite cute!
I stayed at the park until 2pm at which time I set off in search of Yamarent to pick up my gear for Mt. Fuji. There were no taxis so I decided to walk the 1KM over. The day was hot and humid and I was soaked with sweat by the time I got to the shop. Thankfully it was easy to find.
After getting my gear, Google Maps showed that my guesthouse was just over a kilometer away. I decided to walk. As I was a few minutes away from the hostel, I remembered that K’s Guest House has two locations, one near the lake and one not near the lake. I was at the other hostel. I redirected myself via Google Maps and it showed my guesthouse was another 2KMs away. Damn. Sometimes the joys of traveling aren’t always joyous. I enjoyed the walk and laughed off my mistake. When I finally arrived at my guest house, I was hot and tired.
I packed my stuff for Mt. Fuji and everything fit into my rented backpack perfectly. I set out to the grocery store to pick up some sushi for dinner. I relaxed for the evening and watched some TV and went to bed early. I wanted to be on the first bus out to the 5th station in the morning
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