Great news for thrill seekers! The largest vertical loop roller coaster in Japan is now open at Himeji Central Park in Hyogo prefecture. The amusement park is about 35 minutes by bus from Himeji Station.
Called the Venus GP, the roller coaster's track boasts a height of 36 metres and a length of 1,040 metres. Due to the vertical loop’s 60-degree drop angle, the cars can reach a maximum speed of 86 kilometres per hour, resulting in a high g-force of 5.2 g. (G-force refers to the pressure you feel on your body when the roller coaster accelerates and you're being pushed back into your seat.)
The Venus GP isn’t exactly a new roller coaster. It was designed by late German engineer Anton Schwarzkopf and debuted in 1996 at Space World, a now-closed theme park in Fukuoka prefecture. The massive steel structure has been preserved since Space World’s closure in January 2018 and is now blessed with a new lease of life at Himeji Central Park.
A regular ticket to the park costs ¥3,600 (primary school students ¥2,000, children aged 3 and older ¥1,200). Plus, there’s an additional fee to ride each of the roller coasters in the park, with prices ranging between ¥700 and ¥1,000. For the Venus GP, however, it will be a whopping ¥1,500.
For more information, check Himeji Central Park’s website.
This article was published on July 7 and updated on July 25.
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