TheThemeParkGuy

DisneySea is the best theme park in the world. There might be people who would argue with me about that, but I will defend my position of 2008: this is it! It’s the peak of theme park history. The One. The Best. The park was originally planned for California, but later scrapped and built right next to the incredibly busy Tokyo Disneyland Park. Let me tell you my reasons for calling it the best theme park in the world: • Mount Prometheus: an awesomely...

This one is my favorite Universal Studios theme park so far: the incredibly friendly Japanese staff, the slaphappy Japanese visitors and the entire feel of this park, inaugurated in 2001, are terrific. Everything is a bit more meticulous and advanced than in the American Universal theme parks. You will find here: • Jurassic Park - The Ride: a wild flume ride through Jurassic Park jungle packed with vegetarian dinosaurs (appearing first) and meat-eaters (surfacing...

I have never seen visitors as happy as in this theme park. The Japanese really embrace their Disneyland and have made it the busiest theme park on earth. This overwhelming passion everywhere will make you forgive a 100-minute queue for a 3-minute Fantasyland ride. Japan’s amazing Disneyland comprises updated and predominantly better versions of all the popular rides in the two American Disney parks.
Particularly outstanding: 'Winnie the Pooh’s Honey Hunt',...

This Japanese classic is a bearable bus ride away from Tokyo, at the foot of Mount Fuji, which serves as a great backdrop for DisneySea, as well. Don't miss riding 'Eejanaika', if you dare. These rare 4th Dimension roller coasters are the wildest and most intense rides on earth to date. Riding it feels like being thrown into a massive, uncontrolled accident. Imagine skydiving and having a meteor shoot into your parachute. Or being suddenly grabbed and then ...

Visited 2014. Sprawling amusement park-cum-aquarium leisure island. Doesn't charge entrance fees. Appeared deserted on my weekday visit, restaurants empty; (chargeable) rides, aquariums and animal exhibits feel a bit dated; overall somewhat clinical, but the usual, first-rate Japanese hospitality makes up for it...

Visited 2014. This is Japan's equivalent to America's Cedar Point. A huge collection of gargantuan thrill rides, with trees, benches and burgers in between. Includes rides that I haven't seen elsewhere. It's soulless, but certainly a worthy mecca for thrill seekers. ...

Visited 2016. Massive, sprawling gardens, a 30-minute train ride from central Fukuoka. Contains a water park, a children's playground and an animal petting farm, among others. Very deserted on a Monday. Probably hard to maintain...

Visited 2016. Oceanarium that looks a bit like the residence of a James Bond villain from the 60s. Highlights: a huge shark tank and giant squid plush toys in the souvenir shop!...

Visited 2016. Small funfair-style amusement park with one major roller coaster. Was closed when I went there on a Monday...

Visited 2016. Amusement park up in the green hills south-west of Fukuyama. Has everything necessary to be called an amusement park – Ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousels, water park – but lacks soul, heart, identity and beauty. Not a hit...

Visited 2018. Hello Kitty-powered children's entertainment zone inside Sapporo-Chitose airport in Hokkaido (prior to check-in). Enchanting to pass through, even for adults without kids, since it infuses an element of lightness and playfulness rarely found at other airports...

Visited 2018. Amusement park by the bay, equipped with Ferris wheel, coaster, flume ride and various other people movers cramped on top of each other in a tiny space. Yokohama is a perfectly charming city, so this works here. Reminded me a bit of Grona Lund in Stockholm, Sweden. ...

Visited 2018. Tucked away indoor petting zoo by the mountain lake where you can cuddle cats, pigs, monkeys, snakes and even kangaroos to death. The animals enjoy a relatively pleasant Japanese lifestyle, while the visitors leave with smiles on their hard-working faces. This really works well!...

Visited 2018. Small aquarium adjacent to the infinitely more fun Petting Zoo. ...

I have seen my fair share of Japanese gardens, but this tiny temple-cum-garden topped it all. Open daily 8am-5pm. Entrance fee $3/person. No tourists here, chances are that you'll have the garden all to yourself. This 100-year-old landscaping masterpiece tops even the beauty of surrounding nature. (later for pics: lame TP landscaping + genuine cultural experience)...

Visited 2020. Made me understand that a) Ramen noodles are half-Chinese, half-Japanese'; b) never judge an attraction by the ground floor – the highlight of this 'museum' is the romantically themed noodle town in the basement...