Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009 –

At the Rotary orientation back in Minnesota we were told we would each experience a rollercoaster of sorts during our year abroad. I’m just surprised I’ve already experienced mine! Don’t worry, I’m not talking about an emotional rollercoaster. Today we went to Fuji Q Highland Amusement Park, the largest amusement park in Japan. It’s famous throughout the country for it’s gigantic roller coasters, including the past Guinness World Record rollercoaster for highest and longest drop. 73 meters high, and a 71.5 meter fall.

Fujiyama (literally Fuji Mountain) was our first ride of the day and I can’t compare it to anything in the states. Not only was it gigantic but it was also almost double or triple as long as most of the coasters back home. Truly amazing. The rest of the day was spent on other fun rides, including one coaster that sent you on a straight out track at 173 kilometers per hour, that’s about 107 mph!

Dinner was a fun Japanese all you can eat buffet. It was both sushi and Yakiniku – thinly sliced meats cooked over a grill right in the middle of your table.

On our drive home we stopped for a nighttime view of Mt. Fuji. To give you an idea of where I am in comparison to the Mountain I took a picture of this tiny 3D map. The lake on the right is 山中湖 (Yamanakako). We soon headed back home where we set off a large pack of Hanabi fireworks that Ayano had bought for us. My first roadblock did come up today however. Matsuba-San got a call on her cell phone to tell us that my host father, Doctor Sato (PS I found out he’s a dentist) had a heart attack and/or some sort of pulmonary issue arise last night and has spent the day in Intensive Care, meaning I will not be able to stay at his house when I arrive in Nakagawa. Therefore I will be sent to some hotel for a while instead. Ok I’ll admit I’m a little nervous about the prospect of being on my own, especially trying to get to school and around town. I suppose this is merely my first bump on the Rotary Roller Coaster. I hope it’s as exhilarating as Fujiyama…

No comments:

Post a Comment