The moment we stepped off the bus, revisiting this familiar place stirred up certain emotions. Perhaps the only thing unchanged at Fuji‑Q Highland was Mount Fuji standing behind us.
Upon arrival, we found out the park closed at 20:00 that day. We immediately changed our return train tickets at the station. Trains departing between 19:00‑20:23 were all fully booked, so we settled for the 17:33 service.
(Photo: Last‑minute supplies can be picked up at the convenience store by the main gate)
Walking past the convenience store, the roars of machinery and visitors’ screams rose from the roller‑coasters behind it. Entering the main gate of Fuji‑Q Highland, boutique shops and restaurants lined both sides, somewhat reminiscent of Disney’s Main Street.
(Photo: Keep walking straight past the main entrance)
(Photo: Plenty of shops, yet no rides in sight)
At this point, I suspect most visitors shared my question — where is the ticket booth?
The ticketing counters lay further behind these shops. We bought walk‑up tickets and completed facial recognition registration for our first‑time entry.
(Photo: Facial‑recognition gate; signage makes it straightforward)
(Photo: Individual ride price list, ranging from 500 to 2000 YEN)
Here we were. I half‑wanted to try Fujiyama again. After all, it had not fazed me much eighteen years ago, yet the kids worried I might not cope.
“Dad, don’t even think about coming along!”
The two teenagers bolted toward Fujiyama and left us behind. Our party of four instantly split into two groups: the thrill‑seeking youth squad and the laid‑back middle‑aged squad.
The youth squad went on Fujiyama, rode Eejanaika twice, plus the Giant Frisbee, swing ride and rotating flying machine… Though they gave up Zokkon and Takabisha due to huge crowds, their one‑day pass still delivered good value.
(Photo: Naruto‑themed zone)
(Photo: Unfortunately I have not watched Naruto)
Our group picked milder attractions: the Ninja Training Ground in the Naruto area, the Phantom Theatre, and Lisa and Gaspard’s Sky Journey. Queues for these were relatively short. The compact two‑person roller‑coaster “Sky Journey” delivered zip‑line‑like speed and was great fun.
Besides that, each of us had one must‑see attraction. My wife wanted to revisit the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear. She told me she had been too terrified to take it all in years ago and was eager for another “tour”. My personal priority was Attack on Titan. Both experiences were fascinating but quite time‑consuming, and I will elaborate on them below.
The Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear is a long‑established 50‑minute haunted‑house attraction. These days, timed reservation tickets are required and sell out quickly. Right after entering the park, we headed straight for the dedicated ticket vending machine and secured a 3:00 PM slot for the three of us — my wife, our daughter and me — to venture into this simulated hospital. A family of four would have been ideal, but our son had no interest in haunted houses and could not be persuaded. He would spend those fifty minutes enjoying simpler Naruto‑themed rides on his own.
(Photo: Vending machine for timed tickets to the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear)
(Photo: Time‑slots available for the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear; supplies are limited)
(Photo: Photo taken past 3:00 PM. All time‑slots for the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear were sold out, so book early if you wish to experience it.)
This 50‑minute “adventure” had seen some revisions over the years. The iconic long corridor lit by red lights with zombies in pursuit remained — which led to the comical scene of our family sprinting before any zombies even appeared. Roughly seven or eight live actors took part throughout the course. Funny enough, entering a haunted house yet dreading real‑life performers felt a little contradictory.
(Photo: Our daughter stays calm in such settings; she said it was not especially frightening.)
More stair‑climbing segments had been added, and an elevator sequence seemed newly introduced. The much‑anticipated final chainsaw‑wielding big boss appeared to have “retired”. Overall, however, the experience held up well, for the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear remains the originator of live‑actor haunted houses.
Now for my highlight: Attack on Titan — The Battle of Liberio
(Photo: My favourite attraction, not to be missed!)
Attack on Titan opens later than park opening time, generally at 11:30. Arriving early to queue is strongly recommended. Waiting times often exceed 100 minutes — long enough to complete three or four ordinary rides. As a big Attack on Titan fan, I considered it unmissable.
(Photo: We waited nearly two hours. Meanwhile the teenagers had finished two or three rides. Thankfully I convinced them not to join this queue.)
It is a 4‑D experience recreating the Battle of Liberio. You simulate dashing through night skies using ODM gear. Scenes depict Eren clashing against the Beast, Jaw and Cart Titans with spectacular visuals. To me, it was well worth “dedicate your heart”. (Apologies to Erwin fans; he does not feature in this segment.)
(Photo: As an Attack on Titan fan, I give it 100 out of 100!)
(Photo: Besides the four major roller‑coasters, many other rides only require 15‑20 minutes of waiting.)
(Photo: Takabisha — 60‑minute wait; they ended up skipping it.)
(Photo: ZOKKON — 120‑minute wait, the park’s most popular ride. In hindsight, we should have bought Screaming Priority passes for them.)
(Photo: Ferris wheel — the only ride all four of us enjoyed together.)
Our day at Fuji‑Q Highland saw us split up, reunite, then separate again after the haunted house, concluding with the Ferris wheel. Though we could not try every attraction we wanted, it was still a worthwhile trip.
As a dutiful third‑rate blogger, I tried calculating whether our one‑day passes represented good value:
One‑day pass: 7900 YEN
Attractions ridden: Attack on Titan 2000 + Ninja Shooting 1500 + Phantom Academy 1000 + Ferris wheel 800 + Lisa and Gaspard 800 = 6100 YEN
By this calculation, my wife and I “lost” 7900‑6100 yen per ticket, totalling 1800 × 2 = 3600 YEN for both of us.
That said, the one‑day pass granted a 4000‑YEN discount for the Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear. All things considered, the one‑day pass was still reasonably cost‑effective.
(Photo: The bus scheduled to arrive at the park entrance at 17:33 finally got there at 18:00, departing from Kawaguchiko.)
On our return trip, my wife asked me to look up good restaurants in Shinjuku online, yet I never got round to it. The Sunday return journey from Fuji‑Q to Shinjuku suffered an extra two‑hour traffic jam. By the time we reached Shinjuku, most shops were likely closed, so we would just eat whatever we could find.
(Photo: Severe holiday‑return traffic congestion, somewhat expected. Fortunately, direct highway buses are equipped with restrooms, so heavy traffic is less stressful. The driver even took advantage of the standstill to leave his seat and use the toilet.)
(Photo: Screenshot taken at 8:00 PM; still quite some distance left.)
(Photo: Arrived in Shinjuku — exactly 10:00 PM.)
This Tokyo trip has already included two physically demanding theme‑park days. The toughest outings are behind us. Tomorrow we head fully indoors, bound for Toyosu!
Tokyo Planner Diary 2026 - To be continued
Next chapter: Lost in TeamLab Planets Tokyo
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