Japan 08/25 – Yokohama Cosmo World, Cup Noodle Museum + Hanayashiki
Jumped on a train to Yokohama the next morning for a bit of a revenge run.
Day 12 – Yokohama Cosmo World – The Revenge
2018, Yokohama. Both the coasters in the main complex were closed for ‘the track being wet’ and the park were being shady about if and when they would reopen.
We only managed to nab the banana coaster over the road and then, 5 miles up the road rode Wet Bandit, an attraction that laughed in the face of wet track. Spitey place.
Thankfully #1 Diving Coaster Vanish was running this time, in 40°C, so finally got to tick it off the list.
The signature diving moment doesn’t really amount to much on board, particularly with dodgy restraints, it’s just visually spectacular.
The part you don’t often get to see – exit of the vanish, above a street.
What I didn’t expect is Giovanala hyper levels of prolonged crushing positive forces in the final helix, so that added a bit of character to the ride. Wasn’t paying twice out of principle though.
Also on top of the central building is the #2 Spinning Coaster, which was poor.
It took about 3 hairpins into the second, lower set of hairpins before the spin was unlocked, the latest I’ve ever known this happen, by which point I had assumed it was one of these that just doesn’t spin at all.
Didn’t spin much after that anyway, so it’s just janky and rubbish.
Creds complete, still not a fan of the place.
Cup Noodle Museum
Over the road is the cup noodle museum, not to be confused with the ramen museum. Yes, they have both.
Entrance to the museum itself was cheap and easy, though it had some convoluted time slot system for the ‘make your own cup noodle’ activity that it’s likely more famous for. Upon inspection, this seemed massively overcrowded and unpleasant. You can do the exact same thing and far more intimately at Yomiuriland, next to the cup noodle rapids ride, so I’d recommend that instead.
Museum starts with this. Yep, that’s a lot of noodles.
Then there’s a cinema bit that talks about the history of the guy who invented them.
It’s all done in a slightly jarring, curated fashion that leaves a lot of questions unanswered and seemingly wants to paint the image of this mythical, untouchable figure.
But they also have him as an animated character getting up to shenanigans so it’s quite endearing.
Then you see his house.
Then there’s some pretentious abstract stuff.
He helped invent space noodles at the age of 90, so that’s cool I guess.
Then it ends. It was ok.
Asakusa
Another tourist trap.
Famed for decorative temples contrasting against modern skyscrapers. And there’s a massive market full of souvenir rubbish.
Out the back of it though is
Hanayashiki
Turns out this place can, in a way, rip you off if you come in the evening. They stop doing a paid entry with pay per ride option and instead offer a ‘cheaper’ wristband deal. But this deal still costs more than paid entry and a couple of pay per rides would usually, which was a bit of a spite for my specific requirements.
Forced me to do the trash ghost train Thriller Car at least, which was trash.
Then Japan’s oldest #3 Roller Coaster had a bit of a sweaty queue, so only got to do it once anyway.
Trains are great, cushy and open.
And it gets pretty violent. Great setting again, dipping up and down, in and out of the old buildings that surround the perimeter.
The climax is a particularly wild drop through another building and then airtimes you into the station, which is also the only brake section, at high speed.
Good bit of Togo history, goes out on a bang.
Headed over to the Tokyo Skytree for shopping reasons, not Skytree reasons.
There it is anyway.