originally posted on 11/3/2023
All Photos: Courtesy of Intamin. View full-sized image.
Fuji-Q Highland (Fujiyoshida, Japan) is no stranger to notable rides. While the park opened in 1961, its first coaster, Giant Coaster, put the park on the map in 1966. Guinness World Records listed it as the longest roller coaster in the world.
More records followed. In the 1980s, Moonsault Scramble claimed to be the world’s tallest (at the time), standing 230 feet. However, as typical with shuttle coasters, riders don’t climb the entire height, so argue that as you wish.
Both of those coasters have been removed, but Fujiyama opened in 1996 as the “King of Coasters.” At 259 feet, it was the tallest in the world. This TOGO installation continues to operate.
There were other notable rides. Dodonpa opened in 2001 as the fastest coaster in the world — the S&S Thrust Air coaster launched riders to 108 mph. In 2016, the top hat element was replaced with a loop, and the launch was increased to 111 mph — and renamed Do-Dodonpa. Currently, the ride is standing but not operating. In 2011 Takabisha, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, opened with the steepest drop in the world, along with seven inversions.
With such a history, any coaster opening at Fuji-Q has a certain degree of “big shoes to fill.”
In a park with some highly regarded thrill machines, Zokkon will be Fuji-Q Highland’s only launched roller coaster until Do-Dodonpa eventually reopens.
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Enter Zokkon. This new-for-2023 creation from Intamin is something unlike any other coasters that have come before.
As the park has other rides that go upside down, Zokkon does not. But it does a whole bunch of other cool stuff. It features four launches, backward track and a reverse point with a speed hump. The launches come with tunnels with nifty, cosmic lighting too.
Lighting on the trains is not entirely unlike some other recent Intamin installations, and it plays a big role in the loading area as well.
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View full-sized image.
And speaking of lighting, the trains feature snazzy lighting and onboard audio. Intamin seems to be getting its vehicle design down to a science. While the lighting may be reminiscent of Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure (Orlando, Florida), the feel of the vehicle will be closer to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. It’s a motorcycle style with handlebars but without the “straddle.”
Another thing in common with a popular Intamin coaster in recent years are motorcycle-style ride vehicles, albeit without the side cars of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
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View full-sized image.
The ride delivers its thrills in three acts, with the middle portion traveling backward following the reverse spike. As riders rush through the tunnel backward (along with a boosted launch), a section of switch track places trains on a different section of the ride. The backward section snakes and curves like the first act, and once again riders enter a tunnel, a third, this one elevated. Here, a switch track moves into place for a final act of high-speed curves and a fourth launch. Top speed is 45 mph.
Zokkon’s reverse spike stands before the park’s Eejanaika — a rare 4th Dimension coaster from S&S Worldwide.
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It’s quite the installation. Zokkon is reportedly a ¥4,500,000,000 (approximately $30 million) investment for the park.
The track length comes remarkably close to the 4,000-foot mark.
“A ride of this length with some extra thrill makes it even more exciting,” said Sascha Czibulka, executive vice president of Intamin. “With the backward section, the spike and the low-to-the-ground elements making the ride feel faster, a good and well-balanced mix was found to make this a fun and action-packed coaster.”
Low-to-the-ground maneuvers and aerial curves are a highlight of Zokkon’s nearly-4,000 feet of track.
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View full-sized image.
Take a ride:
Until Do-Dodonpa reopens, Zokkon gives Fuji-Q Highland six coasters.
Regardless of the true meaning of zokkon, Fuji-Q Highland’s most recent coaster installation brings smiles to the faces of its riders.
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Capturing the meaning of the Japanese translation of zokkon can range from “looking forward to it” to “head over heels” to “from the heart.” Visitors riding the coaster might just say they all apply.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News
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