When talking about amusement parks, what usually comes into people’s minds are the brands that have been able to gain international success. These brands are the likes of Universal Studios and Disney. They have proven their worth through their great service and amazing rides and attractions but that doesn’t mean that these particular brands are the only amusement parks worth checking out. Japan happens to have a strong contender in this department and it is the famous Yomiuriland which can be found in Inagi, Tokyo.
An Overview of the Yomiuriland in Japan
Yomiuriland isn’t an amusement park that is new in Japan. It has actually been there since the year of 1964. You have probably heard of it because it is also the home of the Yomiuri Giant, which is a professional Japanese baseball team.The area where Yomiuriland stands used to be used as the primary training ground for the team, but they eventually relocated to a more modern facility once the Tokyo Dome was fully constructed.
Contrary to popular assumption, Yomiuriland is actually the largest amusement park in Tokyo despite the presence of a Disneyland and a Universal Studio. This claim is backed up by the fact that this amusement park has more than 43 attractions that cater to both kids as well as people of all ages. You can find your classic amusement park attractions here like roller coasters, pools, and Ferris wheels as well as other unique attractions that are exclusive to Yomiuriland.
Sadly, there aren’t any passes that give you access to all their attractions but they do offer substantial packages that are still a bang for your buck. Like most amusement parks, they tickets have categories which create the discrepancies in the prices which these tickets or passes are sold at. There are generally 3 types of passes you can available of which are namely the One day pass, Hiyoko pass, and simple entrance fee.
The One day pass entitles you to gain entrance to the amusement park as well as access to the sea lion show and 37 attractions of your liking. The Hiyoko pass also grants the pass holder entrance to the amusement park and the sea lion show as well as 21 rides and attractions of their liking. The package for simply paying for the entrance fee is offered for the chaperones who are there, not to enjoy, but to take care of the kids or elderly they are with. However, they do have the option of paying for the attractions and rides you want to go on separately so just because you only paid for the entrance fee, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t enjoy any amenities there anymore.
These 3 packages are sold at different prices depending on the age of the ticket or pass holder. They characterize an adult as a person whose age ranges from 18 to 64. If you qualify as an adult, the One day pass would be available to you for a price of 5400 yen. The Hiyoko pass would be available to you for 3800 yen and the entrance fee alone would cost you 1800 yen. Those in middle school or high school get their One day passes for 4300 yen, Hiyoko passes for 3300 yen, and their entrance fees would cost them 1500 yen. For those who are at age 3 until those who are in elementary school, the One day pass would be sold to them for 3800 yen, the Hiyoko pass for 3000 yen, and their entrance fee would cost 1000 yen. Senior citizens also get discounted rates which is why they can get their One day passes for 4500 yen, Hiyoko passes for 3300 yen, and their entrance fees would only cost them 800 yen.
If you are a foreigner, you can avail of more discounts for these tickets. All you need to qualify for their discounted rates is your passport with you as proof. One passport can cover up to five tickets so maximize it. For adults, the One-day pass rate would drop to 4900 yen, Hiyoko pass would drop to 3400 yen, and their entrance fee down to 1500 yen. For those in middle to high school, the One day pass would cost 3900 yen, the Hiyoko pass would cost 3000 yen, and their entrance fee would cost 1200 yen. Senior citizens get it for the same price as middle and high schoolers with the exception of their entrance fee because the senior citizen entrance fee with the discount brought about by the passport would cost only 600 yen. Those who are at age 3 until elementary can get their One day pass at a discounted rate of 3500 yen, their Hiyoko pass for 2800 yen and their entrance fee for 800 yen.
Tokyo, in general, is known to have their rainy season during the months of June until July. They usually aren’t strong rains though so it would still be possible for you to enjoy the amusement park during these months. Of course, you always have the option of going on the cooler and drier months in Tokyo like from late October until mid-April to be in the type of weather you would want when in an amusement park.
All the Attractions in Yomiuriland like the Wai, Bandit, Gondola, and Firefly Events in the Evening
As mentioned above, there are a lot of rides to be enjoyed in Yomiuriland. The rides will always be available like the Bandit, which is the most popular roller coaster in this amusement park, and the gondola sky shuttle, which serves as a way to get in and out of Yomiuriland because it is connected to the Keio-Yomiuriland Station. A one-way ticket on this gondola would cost 300 yen and a roundtrip ticket would cost 500 yen.
There are also certain events and attractions that you can only enjoy during a specific time of the year due to the weather and scheduling of the management. A perfect example of such an attraction is the Pool WAI. This resort pool attraction is made up of 5 swimming pools and complemented by 3 slides for all the aquatic fun. However, it is only open from July until September so if you want to enjoy this attraction, plan your trip accordingly.
Another scheduled attraction on a time limit is the Jewellumination which is a lights or illumination show produced by Motoko Ishii. He is a master at lighting designs and from October 12, 2017 (Thursday) until February 18, 2018 (Sunday), you can enjoy his work in Yomiuriland. You should see this attraction on a Ferris wheel to fully appreciate the art that is created by organized lighting. You don’t get that in every amusement park you go to in the world.
There is also the unique attraction known as the Yomiuriland Firefly Evening, wherein people come together at night to bask in the beauty of fireflies lighting up a certain area. This is also one of those attractions that are only available during a certain period and in this case, this attraction is open during the month of June and only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. You will need to pay 300 yen to get into this event but it will be worth the money considering that you will be witnessing something you don’t see every day.
Another thing that should draw you into Yomiuriland is their initiative to keep things fresh and expand. This can be seen in their latest addition to the park which is the “Goodjoba!!”. This area in the amusement park looks like a mall but inside, you will find all kinds of interactive and entertaining attractions for you and the kids you are with. Examples of the rides and attractions to find here are the Custom garage where you can inspect and test run a car that you made yourself. Another would be the rafting ride that is called Splash U.F.O. which is a ride whose theme is being a “Nissin Yakisoba U.F.O.”.
There isn’t a full-time staff worker that can speak English but that shouldn’t make it hard to navigate the vicinity because they have aids for this. They offer English maps with directions to aid you in case you get lost or confused. Prior to even reaching Yomiuriland, you can already get a copy of the English map on their website so feel free to have one in hand so that when you get to the park, you can get to all the fun immediately.
Getting to Yomiuriland Using Stations like the Yomiuriland Mae Station
You don't need car to get to this amusement park. One way of getting to Yomiuriland has been mentioned above and that it is via the gondola that allows you to bask in the beautiful cherry trees in this part of Tokyo or taking bus. That gondola is connected to the Keio-Yomiuriland Station which is on the Keio Line. If you are traveling via Odakyu Line, you’ll want to get to the Yomiuriland-Mae Station.
Either of these stations is reachable within minutes if you are coming from nearby stations. It is a 20-minute ride if you are coming from the Hashimoto Station, a 25-minute ride if you are coming from Shinjuku, a 40-minute ride if you are coming from Ikebukuro, and so on. If you are coming from the Narita airport, be warned that the travel time to the destination stations is estimated to be at 120 minutes to plan your travels accordingly. Once you reach either the Keio-Yomiuriland Station or the Yomiuriland-Mae Station, you’ll want the earlier ride on the Odakyu bus that will take you directly to the Yomiuriland amusement park.
Generally, the park is open from 10 AM to 8:30 PM. It is only on Sundays and special days that they open an hour earlier than usual. To be updated with these opening schedules, just check their website because all the information you’ll need can be found there. Even the dates of the upcoming events and new attractions are listed there so maximize the existence of this website to make your trip here as smooth as possible for you and your friends.
Considering all the things that you experience when you go there, it shouldn’t be hard to realize that it is a great deal. All the attractions are listed on the site and since the passes have limits to their number of rides and attractions you gain access to, it would be wise to check them out prior to your trip here to list down what you want to try out as well as the rides you can skip. You don’t lose anything from planning these details in advance anyway because if you go there and decide to ride an attraction that wasn’t on your list, all you have to do is pay an extra fee of about 300 yen for the experience. Every yen would definitely worth it because of all the fun and excitement you’ll get in return.