Top 4 Rollercoaster Rides at Fuji-Q Highland Theme Park in Japan

Fuji Q Highland Theme Park is a great family theme park located in Yamanashi, Japan. It's famous for holding several Guinness World Records and having a fantastic view of famous Japanese landmark, volcano and tallest mountain in Japan, Mt. Fuji.

Although there are also children's rides at Fuji Q, such as Thomas Land, this article focuses on the theme park's rollercoasters, rating them by wait time, length and thrill level, listing them in order of how scary they are.

This article focuses on rollercoasters only because there were other rides at Fuji Q Highland Theme Park which provided a different kind of fear - rides involving dangling upside-down or swinging such as PaniClock weren't so much thrilling as stomach-churning, and personally held a different kind of experience.

As a huge rollercoaster fan, I'm going to talk about the main rollercoasters and which ones I found the scariest.

Fujiyama holds the Guinness World Record in the tallest rollercoaster in the world at 79 metres, or 259 feet. It's a fun, fast rollercoaster that I recommend beginning your day at Fuji Q with. It sets the mood for an exciting day, but leaves room for scarier coasters. Don't forget to keep your arms high in the air!

Dodonpa uses the power of compressed air to launch its trains. It's basically really, really fast - 172km (107 miles) an hour, to be exact. You climb into the seats on Dodonpa expecting it to be fast, but it's even more speedy than you originally think.

Whilst waiting in the queue, you don't hear anyone scream as it zooms off - this isn't because it isn't thrilling, but because any sound is pretty much sucked from your throat as you're hurtled along at top speed. It was a great ride, but because it was so fast it seemed to be over super quickly. It's a great experience, though.

Takabisha was probably my favourite ride at Fuji Q for several reasons. Firstly, it holds the Guinness world record in the steepest curved drop (120 degrees). Secondly, the ride is in two parts, making it feel a little longer and that it was worth the wait in the queue.

The first part of the ride is in darkness, sending you on a thrilling ride where you don't know whether you're about to go up, down or upside-down before coming to the slow, anticipation-building climb up to the steep drop.

The ride actually stopped at the top, giving you a few seconds of panic before you zoom down the 120 degree angle drop. Karl Pilkington actually rode this ride in An Idiot Abroad. It's just as fun as it looks!

Eejanaika holds the Guinness World Record of the most spins in a single ride. It's a stomach-turning rollercoaster which had me shrieking from beginning until end. The thrill was exhilirating; it was definitely the scariest ride of all at Fuji-Q.

The wait was long, as is to be expected with one of the most popular and infamous rides in the park. The waiting time was around two to three hours, but if you get there early you may be able to skip some of the queues. I'd suggest riding the rest of the rides and ending with this one, however, as it's definitely scarier than the rest. The fun didn't last that long, though - it was over in what felt like about twenty seconds, which was one of the few downsides to this ride.

Although this was the most thrilling ride, I think either Dodonpa or Takabisha are still my favourites.

Whether you're a group of friends, a couple or a family with children, Fuji Q Highlands is a must-see theme park for anyone visiting Japan. Be sure to check out the scary rides whilst you're there (but take care of the height and age restrictions if you're going with kids).

As well as rollercoasters, there are other types of rides too such as the famous Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear, PaniClock, and various seasonal events. Are there any more rides at Fuji Q you enjoyed that weren't mentioned here? Tell us about them in the comment section below.