The Full Experience
Despite its record-breaking reputation, this thrill ride does not rely on speed and acceleration alone to stimulate riders. Dodonpa's team of designers and engineers made sure to include just as much psychological torture as physical thrill.
The name of the ride stems from the deep, ominous drumming sound that flows from the speakers as passengers wait in line to board the train. This repetitive percussive music is created by taiko drums, an old traditional Japanese drum that was used to demonstrate power and influence in pre-modern Japanese villages. These drums were supposedly used in warfare to rally troops and scare off the enemy with their thundering sound, and it serves a similar purpose today. The drums add to the tension and excitement as riders wait to board the ride. Often, riders will chant along with the drum sound, which plays three consecutive beats represented by the sounds Do-don-pa.
Finally, passengers board the ride, and the train moves them from the loading station to the launch pad, where it waits, allowing time for the compressed air to build up. When it is ready, a voice in Japanese runs through a checklist and begins the countdown to launch. Riders are given three seconds to mentally prepare themselves before the train is launched at its record-breaking acceleration. To keep riders on their toes, designers added a false start feature, so occasionally riders will experience a "failed" launch, signaled by loud ringing alarms, followed by a surprise "accidental" launch. Less than 2 seconds later, they're flying by a blurry Mount Fuji at 106.9 mph before banking into a wide-radius curve, turning riders sideways so that they see the park grounds to their right and the sky to their left. This is immediately followed by a 90° vertical 17-story climb, and a hairpin turn at the peak that shoots riders straight down the backside for a 90° vertical 17-story free fall.
The ride uses 4 trains with 4 cars each and 2 seats side by side in each car, giving a total of 8 seats per train. Each train is meant to represent a different member of the family: father, mother, sister, and baby. Painted with a set of terrified eyes at the front and a mouth that stretches open into a giant scream so that teeth line the entire vehicle like bumpers, these trains look forever regretful to be riding the cold steel tracks of Dodonpa
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Famous quotes containing the words full and/or experience:
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—Thomas Ernest Hulme (1883–1917)
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