Entries this day: Fujikyu_Highland

Fujikyu Highland

7:38am JST Wednesday 17 March 2004

裕子と富士急ハイランドに行く。今スーパーエクスプレスで大月まで行く。

I can actually read/write all that except for 富士急, which is Fujikyu, as in we're going to Fuji-Q Highland!!

I hope it's open today, but if not, that's cool; I know some fun places to eat and hang out at the next station.

But the reason I'm writing now is the train guy came around and was like, "where's yer ticket, jack (and jill)?" (*) and Yuuko's like, "suica" and we whipped out our suicas (they are plastic cards that have some sort of radio frequency chip thing so the machines can read them without the card actually touching or even being visible (in the human-visible light spectrum) to the machine) and he put them in a little portable reader about the size of a thick credit card. Bang he knew we had gotten on at 川崎 and 武蔵小杉 respectively. I was like, "すげい" when I saw the reader.

(*) I can't begin to explain to Yuuko why this is funny.

9:51am JST Wednesday 17 March 2004

Fuck fuck fuck fuck it's crowded. And fuck fuck fuck I couldn't get my camera out to take a video while on Dodonpa. Awesome awesome awesome that Yuuko and I got to zip WAY WAY ahead in line on Dodonpa because we're only two people, I think.... but there were four seats available on the car that we rode. Could it be that all the peeps in front of us were groups of more than 4? Weird.

I learned how to say "これが　さんかいめです。"

We're in line for Fujiyama now (since 9:50)

12:38pm JST Wednesday 17 March 2004

Just rode Fujiyama. I got a video while on the ride! I haven't verified that it came out well, but I think it did. We're in line for Dodonpa again, and this time the line will take a bit (haha) more than 30 minutes.

After this, lunch.

Today is really sunny so I don't have to use the computer's monitor-light to see what I'm writing.

2:42pm JST Wednesday 17 March 2004

This is a promotional poster of Dodonpa. I'm putting it here to record what I consider a bizarre fashion among some young (and about up to my age) women in Tokyo. I don't know what to call this type of fashion, well I've heard names that people not of that fashion call it, but I don't know what they call themselves (whatever that means)

Well, we would have ridden Dodonpa by now, and I would have had a video, but, as I was in the *front* row of the train, in the launch platform, with my camera *out* and *recording video*, the train didn't go. My camera was still recording, and I had a fear that I would run out of memory before or during the ride (that would suck), so I took a chance and stopped recording, and deleted the video thus far.

And then the train went backwards

oh holy fuckin shit, I'm caught.

I thought.

But, I wasn't caught, and somehow I got (or so I believe) my camera back hidden again before anyone noticed it.

So here we are in the loading platform of Dodonpa, waiting for the engineers to do engineering things, and an estimated wait time of 30 minutes. I pretty much have no idea what they are saying, though I can see one guy reacting to the directions being given over the loud speaker. But it looks like the loudspeaker was just saying, come bring me that key or some shit like that.

I trust that we'll get to ride and I'll have a money video from on the ride afterward.

- - - -

waiting in line for the big D, Yuuko and I claimed pretty significant tiredness from standing in the sun. I can relate.

- - - -

For an instant I wondered if somehow my camera could have *caused* this, but by the physics I understand, no it couldn't.

Noteable: i want to look at the videos I have so far, but I choose not to risk revealing my camera.

2:58pm

They ran one train successfully, and the next train was queued up in the launch gate, but then it came back. Wuh oh.

3:11pm

They've made two more successful launches. And I note that there *is* a camera watching the train, with focus on the front car, well not focus, but facing the front car, so I've got to be more subtle with the camera work. Shit; they will probably be watching carefully. Hmmm. Still gonna go for it.

3:20pm

They just turned the pesky sound effects back on; this is good news.

3:22pm

We're up.

3:48pm JST Wednesday 17 March 2004

Welp. Here's the deal, kids. My camera isn't speedy enough to recording anything of visual value while on Dodonpa.

Basically just a white screen for the entire ride. However(!) when we went through the tunnel, it could sorta pick up on that. So maybe just because it's so bright the camera was freaked. I wonder if it will record properly at night.

4:05pm

Welp, the video on Fujiyama stars my fingers, but we don't have time to re-record it. Going to the haunted house now.

This video was my first attempt at recording a video on a coaster; next time I'll know to move my fingers and possibly see about getting a more stable camera holder. And I would have recorded Yuuko's reaction, which was priceless. She was speechless, wiping tears from her eyes.

4:33pm

Before we arrived at Fuji-Q, I was prepared for them to be closed today; I knew we could have fun in the surrounding area. But, I wasn't as prepared for the haunted house to be unavailable. Tickets have to be purchased hours in advance! What kind of amazing haunted house must this be? I'm *definitely* going to experience it one day.

Got a video of Dodonpa from the top of the hill in the middle of the park.

(and one from the ferris wheel. I combined them to make this video of Dodonpa)

11:47pm JST Wednesday 17 March 2004

Tired tired tired. On the way home 裕子 helped me write the following:

今日裕子とFQHに行った。そこで三つのりものをのった。さいしょにドドンパ
にのったんぜならたくさんあらぶからです。私たちは30分ならんだ。

Yuuko and I went to FQH today. We rode three rides. We rode Dodonpa first because it has a long line. We waited 30 minutes.