Ikoma Skyland 13th September 2017

Day eleven of our trip began with a multi-stage journey to Ikoma Skyland from our start point at Shin-Ōsaka Station. The routing required a short hop on the subway, a somewhat longer stretch on a private railway, a five minute walk, and two connecting cable car routes that eventually terminated at Ikoma-Sanjō Station at the park entrance. In times past this trek was made regularly by enthusiasts seeking to access four unique roller coasters, including a 1979 Jet Coaster, a 1980 Shuttle Loop, a Mad Mouse of similar vintage, and a Togo Ultra Twister. Sadly all of these rides reached the end of their service life and were retired between 2005 and 2012, leaving the park with no coasters at all. Our visit was triggered by the addition of a figure eight spinning coaster, though the place is well worth a visit even for those who don't believe in credit whoring, as it has both an interesting collection of flat rides and a spectacular view of downtown Osaka.

We began our visit with the Cycle Monorail at the edge of the park. There was a lift hill mechanism at the start of the course raising the car approximately ten feet, though anyone who believes that makes it a coaster should promptly defenestrate themselves; it is only there to reduce the amount of effort required to pedal. Out of sheer curiosity we decided to see how far momentum would carry us, and I can confirm that we made it almost five feet before coming to an unceremonious halt. Following this we pedalled slowly around the rest of the course, stopping every few seconds to take photographs. Our vantage point allowed us to see a black-coloured steel structure that looked at first glance like it might actually be a coaster, but our excitement was short-lived; it turned out to be the Tokotoko Tentomushi, a 160 metre long ladybird-themed monorail leading to the nearby car park.

Our second stop was at the brand new Spinning Coaster (#2382), the first ride of its type in Japan. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the train hadn't been fitted with seat belts to supplement the standard lap bars, though even still the load and check process for four adults still managed to take almost two minutes. In due course we were dispatched for two laps of the course lasting no more than thirty seconds, the shortest cycle I've come across on a figure eight spinning coaster. On the plus side, there was plenty of spinning to be had, though that could easily have been triggered by the fact that we only loaded two people in each car. On the negative side, a longer programme would have made the ¥400 (~€3) ticket price seem like better value for money.

One of the more interesting attractions in the park is an elaborate haunted house located in the south-eastern corner of the park. Hell's Gate has been constructed inside a unassuming rectangular building, though the only portion visible without the aid of Google Earth features an elaborate facade with slanted clay roof tiles and a string of akachōchin suspended from the second floor. Photographs were not permitted inside unfortunately, limiting what I can say about the experience, but it was along the same lines as the traditional walkthroughs at Nagashima Spa Land and Toshimaen.

We made our way back to the centre of the park and Pukapuka Panda, a suspended monorail ride with an oval shaped layout that enclosed the coaster, the Swinging Bears, the Hot Air Flight balloon ride, and a cup and saucer attraction labelled as Tea Cups on the map but Coffee Cup on the ride signage. The riding position was pretty much ideal for would be photographers, and a comparatively low speed gave us plenty of chances to capture our targets. With that done we headed to the Flying Tower, a locally built thirty metre high version of the classic plane ride found at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Legendia. The four planes were considerably more elaborate than the European versions, with biplane wings and propellers, but this was countered by a weaker ride experience limited by horizontal cables which greatly restricted swinging.

Our final port of call was at the Ikoma White House, a crooked house attraction themed (rather appropriately) after 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The entrance room featured a mock American flag, a crest on the wall, several portraits, and a small placard listing it as having been built in 1986. The subsequent rooms were more generic, though there were some interesting scenes in the mix, including a realistic moving subway car effect that I've not come across elsewhere. The route also included a rotating barrel, a hall of mirrors, and a few token haunted house and dark ride elements thrown in for good measure.