Originally Posted by
RichardInSF
I see no one has posted about Fuji-Q Highland, so I will. It's a coaster-type park with the kind of rides that take up too much real estate to be in Tokyo. If it's a clear day (not so common) there are decent views of Mt. Fuji. It makes a decent day trip from Tokyo.
There are SEGA Joyopolis and other types of arcades all over Japan. Particularly amazing are the huge multiplayer games, some clearly with tens of thousands of moving parts. These machines are generally found on the upper floors, so don't let yourself be limited when you just see the "New UFO Catchers" on the ground floor.
I've never been to Fuji-Q, but the
haunted hospital looks really cool. Definitely on my list for next trip.
As for Joypolis, I went to both Tokyo branches back in 2000 (I think one has since closed), and the absolute highlight was the Blair Witch Project haunted house. Of course it is no longer there, but there is a people-watching analogue to the haunted hospital above. My friend and I were required to hold a rope along with two reluctant Japanese teen-aged girls. Each time something jumped out, they were genuinely terrified. At one point I noticed one of the girls passed a scary dude creeping up behind us so I motioned for him to wait and tapped her on the shoulder so she'd turn around and see him... they were freaked out, in tears, and at one point one was cowering in the corner. I guess looking back it might have been a bit traumatic for them, but I've never seen anyone react that way to something so obviously fake. Oh, and I also picked up two cool Joypolis ceramic cups, one with Sonic on it, that I still use today.