Greenland — Attraction in Arao

Not going to lie, this park could use more than just a few coats of paint, but Greenland is the best theme park in Kyushu. You'll need a full day to experience the park, though it's unlikely that you'll get through everything in one day. There is no rhyme or reason to the different parts of the park, and nothing really seems to match. However, that's a part of its charm. From modern steel rollercoasters to traditional haunted house train rides, there is something for all ages and tastes here.

Some attractions will make you laugh at their odd or worn down state (like the jungle area), while others while linger with you long after you leave the park (what exactly is in the log flume tunnel??).

You won't need to know much Japanese to get around, but some attractions, like the Egyptian themed Mystic House or the Mission Control Riddle House, require a knowledge of Japanese language and idioms to enjoy the full experience (or have someone who can translate for the rest of the group!).

I'd personally recommend the 'double feature' theater house, which has on one side the '4D' Crimson Butterfly short film (or it was last time I was there) and the audio-only Dracula simulator (it is so well done and creepy, the language barrier does nothing to detract from the experience).

Also, there are three haunted attractions at the park: the Haunted Hospital, the Haunted Train Ride, and the Haunted School. The hospital was apparently once truly scary but it has been revamped to be kid-friendly, though you can see some elements from the original design still inside. The train ride includes headphones that will narrate a very unfortunate adventure that I did not keep my eyes open for (but apparently very scary). The school is on top of a hill that requires a ski lift to reach (and you'll have to toboggan down to get back to the main area of the park unless you ask very nicely to take the ski lift again). It is several stories tall and you'll have a lot of stairs to walk to enjoy (or not enjoy) the full adventure. There's a test at the end that you'll hopefully pass!

Bring your walking shoes, you'll be going up and down hills trying to get everywhere. Accessibility can be a bit limited, a little common in Japan, so if you have a stroller or wheelchair be prepared to backtrack to get to everywhere you want to go. I'd also suggest bringing your own snacks, since there's a perfectly good convenience store across the street, or just ordering at the in-park McDonalds. Some of the in-park food places are a bit spotty, though the ice cream, fries, and drinks are usually fine.

It doesn't have the glitz, glam, or atmosphere that you'll get from USJ or the Tokyo Disney parks, but if you're in Kyushu it's a good bet...

Today on March 18, 2024 we had a visit to Greenland Park. Impression was spoiled at the end when they didn't allow us to ride Nio roller coaster with the last group, park was preparing to close, meanwhile there were empty seats at Nio rollercoaster and time of closing have not arrived yet, they already did not allow new people to enter, we were waiting till the end of the queue when the last several people were taking seats and there were several empty seats left, so we asked again, we explained that were are tourists and we came from far just to visit this park, only got cold negative reply, they prefer to ride empty seats instead of real people. I felt sad to miss the ride, because I travel all over the world and I usually visit parks to ride rollercoasters. Employees who worked at Nio roller coster at the end of the day on March 18, 2024 were showing no signs of...

The flair of Greenland can be best described by comparing it with the danish amusement park Bakken, even if the park is extremely large in comparision. Like Bakken, the park offers a great selection of amusement rides, shows and restaurants. Unlike Bakken, carnaval games are included in the Free Pass (the all-you-can-ride whistband).

The signature rides are Gao, a roller coaster in form of a gigantic dinosaur and the really gigantic Ferris Wheel Rainbow. Alongside, the park offers a great variety of interesting coasters and flat rides, like Milky Way (an awesome duelling Sit-Down and Stand-Up Coaster) or Ultra Twister.

The park is absolutely worth a visit, if you come to Japan and want to try a typical amusement park or if you are...