FUJI Q HIGHLAND
Japan
Park News - (6/4/2023) Do-Dodonpa Status Update
(8/3/22) Yukendoit has posted a new video showing off his adventures at Fuji Q Highland, including a look at a new Naruto themed area and the new Fujiyama Slider tower. Check out the video below.
2023 - Dual Launched Motobike Coaster - Rumor - Update - Project Appears To Be Delayed Until 2023
(12/22/21) We still don’t know much about the new coaster planned for Fuji-Q Highland in Japan for the 2022 season, but according to a post on FB, we can see that shipments of the supports for the new ride have started to arrive. While it is hard to tell much at this point, the rumors suggesting that this could be some kind of launched Motobike family coaster, possibly from Intamin, are holding true so far.
(4/5/21) According to the rumor mill Fuji-Q Highland is planning on adding a launched motorbike coaster from Intamin. You can catch a video below that is supposed to be similar to what the Fuji-Q ride will be, with a motorcycle racing theme, and a layout that features two full speed launches with lots of low to the ground twists and turns.
You may notice that text at the start of the animated video lists this as the first motorbike coaster in “Vietnam”, and not for Fuji-Q, and yet the bigger coaster placed next to the new motorbike coaster appears to be a model of the Fujiyama coaster at Fuji-Q, so it is a little odd. RCDB also confirms that the park is planning to open a new unknown coaster for Summer 2022, so something does appear to be coming. Look for the official announcement later this year.
 Do-Dodonpa Status - (6/4/2023) As seen in a post on Twitter from Fuji-Q Highlands the Do-Dodonpa roller coaster is apparently STILL CLOSED. Do-Dodonpa closed in August 2021 after reports came to light about possible rider injuries suffered while riding the intense launch coaster. According to RCDB stats, when the ride first opened in 2001 as just Dodonpa, it features a 172 km/h launch achieved in just 1.8 seconds, but upon the redesign in 2017 when it was renamed Do-Dodonpa and the top hat was replaced by a giant 49m tall loop, the launch speed was also increased to achieve a 180 mk/h launch in just 1.56 seconds.
The subject of the ride’s status arose as construction is now taking place under a section of the roller coaster, but it appears to just be a general enhancement of the ground space in that area and nothing to do with Do-Dodonpa itself.
(11/24/21) In a brief update, it seems that not only is the Do-Dodonpa coaster at Fuji-Q still closed, but in their investigation it seems they are now looking into injuries suffered by guests on various other attractions in the park and not just Do-Dodonpa.
According to this article, in addition to the six injuries with broken bones on Do-Dodonpa, there have been six others with minor injuries, and now adding reports of those injured just in general from experiences on the rides at the park. This includes a woman in her 20’s who rode several things in October who later discovered she had broken a rib, and a woman in her 40s who rode rides in November and reported a compressed lumbar fracture.
(8/25/21) In a strange bit of news it seems Fuji-Q suddenly closed their infamous “Do-Dodonpa” launched roller coaster back on August 12, 2021 to perform a complete inspection. According to a notice posted by the park, this action has been taken after four different injuries have been reported by riders between Dec. 18, 2020 and Aug. 12, 2021. It isn’t known if the injury reports were a coincidence or if it might be something caused by Do-Dodonpa, so an investigation is being called for.
According to a report on Newsweek, the number of injuries may be greater, where some reports are claiming there have been six injuries and not just four. In either case, in 4 of the injuries, it has been reported that the riders experienced broken bones in the spine, in the neck or back. Do-Dodonpa is known for having the most forceful launch on any roller coaster, going from 0 to 112 mph in 1.56 seconds. So with a launch force like that, and now riders experiencing injuries, it is no wonder that the park is taking action now to determine if there is any fault with the ride. Thus far however, initial inspections report that the ride is showing “no signs of abnormality” and everything is operating within specifications. After 20 years of operation, these are the very first reports of any riders experiencing a broken bone during the ride experience in all that time.
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