If you’re considering a trip to Fuji-Q Highland, you’re probably wondering if this famous amusement park is worth your time or your money. I get it, it’s not the easiest to get to given its somewhat far distance from Tokyo!
Best known for its epic Guinness World Records-certified roller coasters, 50-minute-long walkthrough haunted house (the longest in the world), and Naruto-themed Hidden Leaf Village, Fuji-Q Highland offers some truly unique thrills that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
The roller coasters are what first piqued my interest. After doing tons of research on the rides and planning a 3-night stay at Lake Kawaguchi to explore the Mount Fuji area, I knew I had to pay a visit to Fuji-Q Highland while I was there!
Spoiler alert: it was tons of fun and I’d 100% recommend it to anyone who’s remotely interested in crazy coasters!
In this Fuji-Q Highland guide, we’ll dive into what makes this park a must-visit for adrenaline junkies. I’ll teach you how to get there from Tokyo efficiently and affordably, help you discover the must-ride attractions and “lands”, explain how the park’s ticketing works, and show you how to buy tickets.
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Table of Contents
What Is Fuji-Q Highland Known For?
You might know Fuji-Q Highland first and foremost for its crazy, record-breaking roller coasters. That’s how I knew it as too!
Among its most famous attractions are the Guinness World Records-certified coasters, including the Eejanaika, which offers a unique 4th dimension roller coaster experience, the towering FUJIYAMA, once the tallest and fastest coaster in the world, and Takabisha, known for its drop angle of 121° (which doesn’t even sound possible but it is).
While the roller coasters are certainly a huge draw, they also have a bunch of other experiences that are great for people who might not be so daring.
At Fuji-Q Highland, you’ll find some other immersive experiences like a haunted house walkthrough that takes 50 minutes to get through (insane), a Naruto-themed area, and other family-friendly lands perfect for younger kids too.
And with the park being located so close to the iconic Mount Fuji, almost all of the outdoor rides offer some view of the grand mountain!
Overview Of The Park: Lands, Attractions, Food, and More
Like many other theme parks, Fuji-Q Highland is broken up into different themed areas. Let’s start with a quick overview of the big attractions at the park:
Major Attractions
Eejanaika: Guinness World Records-certified 4th dimension coaster with 14 rotations (plus rotating seats!) that offer a crazy and disorienting experience of flips and twists.
FUJIYAMA: Known as the “King of Coasters,” it was once the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world, offering incredible height and speed with stunning views of Mount Fuji.
Takabisha: Holds the Guinness World Record for the steepest drop on a roller coaster at 121 degrees, providing an intense and heart-pounding experience.
ZOKKON: Born in July 2023, it offers an “exhilarating MAX” experience where you ride a motorcycle-type vehicle, grip the steering wheel, and experience multiple accelerations, steep turns, tunnel runs, and reversals. The ride features LED lights and an audio system for a fully immersive experience.
Tekkotsubanchou – Sky Tower Swinger: This swing attraction boasts the highest specs in Japan for a swing-type ride, with a height exceeding 50 meters and speeds up to 51 km/h.
Tondemina: A super pendulum ride that swings riders back and forth at high speeds, creating a sense of weightlessness and thrilling drops.
Red Tower: A towering drop ride that takes riders to the top before plummeting them back down, delivering an exhilarating free-fall experience.
Nagashimasuka – Shoot the Chute: A rafting attraction where you descend from 18 meters above the ground on a 4-seater circular raft, navigating torrents, hump slides, and whirlpool falls. The ride guarantees a soaking wet experience with water sourced from Mt. Fuji’s springs! The attraction also features the world’s largest pair of gold-plated lucky cats.
Chow Shock Labyrinth: Jikyu General Hospital: Known as the world’s longest and most terrifying haunted house, this haunted house attraction has been completely updated, and new rooms such as the “decayed morgue” and “bloody medical linen room” have appeared to frighten daring guests. The total length of the haunted house is 900m, and on average, it takes 50 whole minutes to complete. For true horror lovers.
Aside from all the roller coasters, here are the park’s other offerings:
Fuji Konoha Hidden Leaf Village
Fuji Konoha Hidden Leaf Village is a Naruto-themed area where you can live out your anime/ninja dreams among your favorite Naruto characters. The village features the Naruto X Boruto Ninja Voltage 3D Shooting Ride and interactive attractions such as ninja training courses, a VR attraction, a ninja museum, and carnival games.
There is a ramen shop and a skewered meats shack in this area as well as a whole Naruto-themed gift shop.
Fujiyama – King of Coasters Tower
The Fujiyama – King of Coasters Tower is an observatory tower centered around one of Fuji-Q Highland’s most famous roller coasters, the Fujiyama (perhaps my favorite ride in the entire park). The Fujiyama Tower allows you to skip the ride and ascend the tower for breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and the surrounding park.
Aside from actually riding the Fujiyama coaster, you can also opt for the Fujiyama – King of Coasters Walk that takes you around the windswept passage, without handrails, where you can see Mt. Fuji in front of you with a harness.
There’s also a slide experience! The Fujiyama King of Coasters Slider allows you to enjoy the exhilaration and thrill of sliding down from the 55m high Fujiyama – King of Coasters.
Thomasland
Thomasland is a cute little area dedicated to the beloved children’s series “Thomas the Tank Engine.” You’ll find about 12 gentle rides and attractions themed around the characters from the show, such as Nia and Animal Coaster (a mini-coaster) and Thomas and Percy’s Fun Ride (a mini-train ride).
Ideal for families with young children, Thomasland provides a safe and entertaining environment (in its own little corner of the park) where little ones can meet their favorite characters, enjoy age-appropriate rides, and engage in interactive play areas.
Lisa and Gaspard Town
Inspired by the French children’s books, Lisa and Gaspard Town offers a picturesque European village setting complete with cafes, shops, and attractions. It’s meant to make you feel like you’re in Paris while in Japan!
There’s a replica of the Eiffel Tower, water fountains and carousels, and charming French-style restaurants.
In terms of attractions, you’ll find Lisa and Gaspard Amazing Mirror and the Eiffel Tower Carousel in this area.
There’s a gift shop selling all kinds of Lisa and Gaspard merch, as well as a mini museum dedicated to the making of the children’s book characters.
Central Park Area
Located in the heart of Fuji-Q Highland, the Central Park Area is a versatile plaza where you can spend your time in a variety of ways. You can sample delicious foods at various food and drink stalls, enjoy seasonal stage events and flea markets, or simply relax on the lawn soaking in those epic Mount Fuji views!
The area also offers exciting attractions like the Fuji Airways ride, a 4D flight simulation offering a ton of different aerial views of Mount Fuji (very similar to Soarin’ at Disney’s California Adventure), and the Tondemina Super Pendulum ride for an extra dose of thrill.
Food Options At The Park
You’re spoiled with choice here! There were so many snack options to choose from. You’ll find things like Taiwanese-style fried chicken, freshly grilled fish on a stick, churros, sweet potato desserts, meat skewers, ice cream, banana treats, and even a 7-Eleven conbini at the park entrance.
Feeling like a real meal? There is no shortage of sit-down-style food courts for real food either. You can choose from pasta dishes, hamburgers, pizza, bowls of ramen, rice plates, etc.
The food is spread out all across the park, so no matter where you are, you’ll never be too far away from food.
I ended up ordering a massive portion of fried chicken on skewers (basically 2 whole chicken breasts I had to eat alone) so I ended up getting too full to try anything else during my visit.
I was eyeing the fish skewers, the grilled sweet potato, the Japanese-style pastas, and the Parisan-inspired sweet treats within the Lily and Gaspard land, though.
Most Memorable Rides At Fuji-Q Highland
Eejanaika
Eejanaika is often compared to Six Flag’s X2, but the consensus is that it’s way scarier than X2. This ride needs to be your top objective if you LOVE roller coasters and that butterflies in your tummy feeling. Eejanaika boasts the highest number of revolutions in the world. The world!
You definitely won’t want to eat right before this one (and if you do, make sure the line is long enough for you to digest).
This 4D coaster has got everything to make your belly turn upside down — sudden rises, sudden descents, sharp turns, sudden accelerations, loop-dee-loops for days, and seats that seem like they spin on their own.
Here’s why it’s a 4D roller coaster— per the website: “During the ride, there are three types of rotation: the seat rotates back and forth […] loops and turns, and turns with a twist.”
The ride goes so fast and it doesn’t feel like it was spinning that much (14 spins) but I guess when you’re on a coaster so extreme, you have no idea what is up from down! The force of this coaster was insane.
It almost felt like I had fake eyelashes on, and that my eyelashes were going to fly off! That’s how much wind was hitting my eyeballs! And the guy that was in front said that his contacts almost fell out of his eye too, haha!
It was over pretty fast, so I’m not sure how they managed to squeeze 14 spins in there, but they did. I can find 95% of roller coasters fun (but not very scary), but even I had to close my eyes at the beginning bc the fall was so steep… and facing the floor!
The guy next to me was a Japanese local so I asked him if this was the scariest ride and he said that it’s the scariest ride in the entire park and he thinks it’s the scariest in all of Japan too. I agree with him. The first drop felt like a fall from bungee jumping (an activity that I’d never do ever again).
This ride was a bit too intense for me, which means it’s a must-ride if you’re a roller coaster lover who wants to meet your match!
FUJIYAMA
FUJIYAMA was by far my favorite ride of the entire park, so much so that I rode it twice! This ride is a golden example of how a roller coaster can be tons of fun without needing a million inversions in it!
Since its inception in 1996, FUJIYAMA has been offering thrill-seekers a unique “bright and fun thrill” with a layout designed to fully enjoy the classic coaster experience without loops or screws.
With 22 million passengers by the end of 2017, its enduring popularity is due to its consistent ability to deliver the exhilarating “fear of returning to the beginning” no matter how many times you ride.
This one was just pure fun and laughs! It’s not too scary and not too boring. It’s JUST right.
Takashiba
Takashiba is a must-ride in the sense that it’s a Guinness Record holding coaster, but the ride itself is pretty tame. This coaster holds the Guinness World Record for the steepest drop on a roller coaster at 121 degrees, but a majority of the fear is from the build-up as you go up (right before you actually drop).
The 121-degree drop is actually quite slow and gentle, and it’s over quite quickly so don’t expect crazy topsy-turvy stomach feelings on this one.
Tekkotsubanchou – Sky Tower Swinger
Tell me why this seemingly-innocent-looking swing ride was SO much scarier than it looked?! I totally underestimated how tall this swing ride was! It happened to be a chilly/windy day too, so I felt like I was going to fly out of those flimsy swing seatbelts with how high up this ride went!
It was only after riding it that I realized this swing attraction boasts the highest specs in Japan for a swing ride… insane! It did have amazing views of the surrounding hillsides and mountains though!
I’d actually say this ride was more stomach-churning than Fujiyama!
Tondemina
A classic must-ride if you’re someone who loves pendulum rides!
Tondemina swings riders back and forth at high speeds, creating a sense of weightlessness and thrilling drops. You get pretty close to being completely upside-down at the peak of the ride, but it never does a full circle. This one was just the right amount of fun and thrill.
Zokkon
This ride was more fun than thrilling. Zokkon simulates a motorcycle ride. It shoots you forward, then ends up going backward, then switches tracks (while you’re in a rave-like party room), and lasts another 25 seconds or so.
It was fun with the exhilarating feeling coming from the fast acceleration, but it’s not going to make you scream at the top of your lungs.
Honest Thoughts: Is Fuji-Q Highland Worth The Time And Money?
I had a lot of fun at Fuji-Q Highland — even as a solo traveler — so imagine how much MORE fun it would have been had I gone with someone!
Despite it being a cold, cloudy, and slightly rainy day, I was still able to ride everything on my list (basically all the outdoor roller coasters) and see some really pretty views of Mount Fuji!
Rides like FUJIYAMA, Eejanaika, and Takashiba had been on my bucket list for quite some time, so getting to experience them for myself and live to tell others about them was 100% worth my time and money!
Honestly, getting to ride roller coasters and eat amusement park food with epic views of Mount Fuji should be worth it alone! Where else in the world would you have such amazing views while riding rides all day long?
And even though I didn’t know who Lily and Gaspard were prior to my visit, nor was I a Naruto fan, these areas were still cute to walk through. I do think the park could use a renovation update (new paint job on some of the rides, in the bathrooms, etc.) but that didn’t impact the amount of fun I had!
Apart from the rides, I think Fuji-Q Highland does a good job of creating a classic amusement park atmosphere, but in its own Japanese way. Specifically with food. There were so many snack options to choose from (freshly grilled fish on a stick, churros, sweet potato desserts, meat skewers, ice cream, banana treats, and even a 7-Eleven conbini at the park entrance). There was also no shortage of sit-down-style food courts for real food either.
Plus, getting to gorge on ramen in a theme park on a chilly day is just so comforting (hoping parks in the US take a page out of their book)!
If you’re on the fence about visiting, I’d highly recommend it. Especially if you have an affinity towards crazy coasters, freakishly-long haunted house walkthroughs, and Naruto!
How Fuji-Q Highland Tickets Work (+ Park Admission Discounts)
How Admission Works: Basically, it’s free to enter the park, walk around, eat the food, and watch people ride the rides. But if you want to ride things or do any of the attractions, you have two choices:
- buy tickets for rides as you go (each ride has a different price ranging from ¥800-¥2000 yen)
- buy a full-day pass which gives you unlimited rides on just about everything — this is the one I did!
| TICKET OPTIONS | FEE |
| Park Admission (No rides included) | ¥0 |
| Free Pass (All rides included) | Adults: ¥6000 and up Middle-aged people: ¥5500 and up Children: ¥4400 and up Seniors: ¥2100 and up |
| Afternoon Pass (Available after 1pm) | Adults: ¥4100 and up |
| Pay-per-ride | Ranges from ¥800 to ¥2000 |
👉 Pro Tip: If you’re staying overnight at a nearby hotel, a lot of them may have discount coupons for Fuji Q Highland, so you may want to NOT buy your ticket in advance and wait to see if there are any coupons. For example, my hotel (Toyoko Inn Fuji Kawaguchiko Ohashi) had a coupon for hotel guests offering the special price of 3 rides for ¥2500.
There’s also the Mt. Fuji Pass which grants you access to 1 attraction/ride at Fuji-Q Highland, which is great if you only care to ride 1-3 rides (1 free ride + pay-as-you-go the others).
Chances are though, if you love roller coasters and want to experience as much of the park as possible, the Free Pass (full-day unlimited rides) is the better option.
There are at least 10 whole thrill rides offered at Fuji-Q Highland (not even counting the creepy and long haunted house), so unless you’re okay with just choosing a handful, you might as well get the Free Pass and ride as many as you can!
How To Buy Advance Tickets To Fuji-Q Highland
You can buy tickets on the day of your visit to the park or purchase them online ahead of time.
Since buying tickets on the actual website required me to create an account and a whole login, I decided to buy my tickets in advance on Klook (same price, much easier user interface). You can buy tickets online from Klook here.
Buy with caution though! If you think there will be rain in the forecast, don’t pre-purchase park tickets. Most of the outdoor rides (most of the roller coasters) shut down for rain. They’ll then reopen for the day once the rain clears.
In this case, it’s better to just opt for the free admission to walk around — at least until the rain clears up and you can actually ride the outdoor rides!
Useful Tips For Visiting Fuji-Q Highland
- To get on rides, they use facial recognition. If you’ve opted for the “free pass” (unlimited rides option), there is no need to show your admission ticket at the rides. Just scan your face and enter!
- If you’re staying overnight at a nearby hotel, a lot of them may have discount coupons for Fuji Q Highland, so you may want to NOT buy your ticket in advance and wait to see if there are any coupons. For example, my hotel (Toyoko Inn) had a coupon offering the deal of 3 rides for 2500 yen.
- If you’re visiting in the winter or spring, you will also want to hold off on buying tickets too far in advance because of the chance of inclement weather. If it rains, none of the outdoor rides will run. On my rainy day visit, I arrived at about 9am but the roller coaster rides didn’t start up until 10:45am when the light rain officially stopped.
- If it does happen to rain on the day of your visit, you could always walk around with the free admission ticket until the rides begin to open. There are ticket booths within the park for you to then upgrade your ticket or purchase rides a la carte.
- Not all the rides open at the same time. Some rides open at 9am, some at 10am, and some are only open from 1pm to 4pm which was odd. Be sure to check the opening times of the rides you’ve been eyeing to make sure they’re open when you’re there.
- You can download the app or stalk the park website for live ride statuses. This is useful if it happens to be a slightly rainy day because to be safe, they’ll close the outdoor rides and coasters when it rains.
- Not many of the amusement park workers speak English. Have a translator app ready if you have questions!
Getting to Fuji-Q Highland from Tokyo
By bus (from Tokyo)
Japan knows that lots of Tokyo visitors have Fuji-Q Highland on their radars, so they’ve created specific expressway bus routes that take you to Fuji-Q Highland from Tokyo. You can also opt for the train (which is the method you’ll likely go with if you have some sort of JR Pass).
You can find out more about how to get to Fuji Q Highland from Tokyo here.
By bus (from nearby train stations)
You can get to the theme park from a bunch of different bus stations in the area surrounding the park. Here are the different stations to catch the bus, where to get off, as well as where exactly they drop you off:
Lake Kawaguchi Tour Bus: Highland Resort Hotel & Spa
Gotemba-Kawaguchiko Station: In front of Fujikyu Highland
Shin-Fuji Station-Mt. Fuji Station: In front of Fujikyu Highland
Shimobe Onsenkyo-Mt. Fuji Station: In front of Fujikyu Highland
Kofu Station-Mt. Fuji Station: In front of Fujikyu Highland
Saiko Minshuku-Mt. Fuji Station: In front of Fujikyu Highland
Ashikawa Agricultural Products Direct Sales Office-Mt. Fuji Station: In front of Fujikyu Highland
Hotel Shuttle
Because this theme park is such a major attraction in the Lake Kawaguchiko / Mount Fuji area, there are lots of Fuji area hotels that offer free shuttles to the park. For example, the hotel I stayed at, Toyoko Inn Fuji Kawaguchiko Ohashi, offered a free by-reservation shuttle to Fuji-Q Highland and other parts of the Fuji area like Gotemba.
Take advantage of this if you’re staying in the area overnight!
Driving Yourself There By Car
Driving yourself to the park is probably the most convenient, but unless you’re comfortable with driving on the right side of the car, chances are you won’t be renting a car in Japan.
For those of you who do drive though, Fuji-Q Highland does have parking fees.
Regular car (weekdays): 1,500 yen
Regular car (Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, busy season): 2,000 yen
Japan Travel Insurance
This is a no-brainer. When traveling internationally, be sure to get yourself some travel insurance.
I’ve heard of too many unfortunate experiences where friends and family have had baggage lost/stolen, hotels canceled, or have had unexpected medical emergencies while traveling where they’ve had to cut their trips short.
True story alert — in 2022, my partner even had his shoulder completely dislocated while surfing in Mexico, resulting in a $950 USD emergency room bill that we had to pay out of pocket for! Not fun… and most definitely not cheap.
Without travel insurance, you would have to pay out of pocket for these mishaps. This is why I get travel insurance for all my international trips now!
One of the best budget-friendly travel insurances for those traveling outside their home country is SafetyWing.
SafetyWing Insurance provides coverage for unexpected illness or injury, including eligible expenses for hospital, doctor or prescription drugs. This means that if you get ill or injured, THEY will cover the medical expenses.
In addition, it provides emergency travel-related benefits such as:
- emergency medical evacuation – very much needed if you like to go hiking or backpacking in the wild.
- travel delay
- lost checked luggage
- adventure sports coverage (add-on) – so you can rappel down waterfalls, cave dive, mountain bike, scuba dive, etc. with peace of mind.
- electronics theft (add-on) – get reimbursed if your laptop, phone, camera or other electronics get stolen.
Click here to price out how much travel insurance would be for your trip.
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You sold me on longest haunted house in the world! This place looks amazing, I’ll be adding it to my itinerary for my trip to Japan next year 🙂
I went to Fuji-Q Highland back in 2001. I remember walking through that haunted house and waving at all the performers. I also remember riding the Birdmen (now an inverted coaster called Lisa & Gaspard’s Voyage Dans La Ciel) flying coaster just days before it was shut down due to an accident. I was super lucky! I want to go back and ride it again.