Once upon a time in London there was a place known as Sega world. It was a really amazing place which I used to visit every time I went into Central London and it would rob me of all of my money. Literally, on one occasion when my wallet was stolen. But when Sega began to lose shit loads of money on badly timed hardware releases, games with astronomical development budgets and bowed out of the console market for good, SEGA world had its life support cut.
Sega world London was no more and arcades became a past time. In Japan however it's a different story. Sega themed arcades are still dotted around the country, as a result of the arcade scene not being completely dead and also Sega also (finally) making Yen as a result of going multi format and bombarding our lives with (mostly) awful Sonic the hedgehog games. And then there is Joypolis, which is like Sega world on crack.
As I sit here and recollect my time at Joypolis I'm trying to remember why I spent hours in this place... OH YES! The queueing. I had spent hundreds of yen on a night pass which granted me a access to all of the attractions and rides. So I had to make sure I got my shitty exchange rates' worth. Which meant queueing constantly. People in Japan do not care whether they have work the next day or not. They will hit clubs and stay out like every night is Friday night. So even on this Wednesday evening at 9pm, the place was packed with people who had no intention of leaving any time soon.
Joypolis is a little more than an arcade. It's an amusement centre with lots of indoor rides and contraptions. I was extremely cautious of going on these after hearing about somebody dying on one of these rides. So I opted for the safest looking option. The Tokyo half-pipe. A ride in which you and a partner get strapped into a skateboard pendulum of death and get swung around at breakneck speeds, with 2 other couples strapped to pendulums in the half-pipe with you. The aim of the game was explained to me, but it was all in Japanese; so I have no idea what you actually have to do. But it involves tilting the skateboard thingy and trying to do so in unison with your partner to make it spin as many degrees as possible...or something...I think. I could be entirely wrong though, given that my friend and I ranked 3rd.
My friend and I also went into a haunted house attraction which was based on the film Sadako 3D, which is pretty much The ring set in a high school. We figured 'Fuck it. Why not!' for shits and giggles. You know what you're in for when you go into this thing, but regardless it was still really fun. My friend and I ended up going in with a bunch of Japanese guys and hilarity ensued until we reached the other side. I won't spoilt the in's and outs of this attraction here. But if you go to Joypolis and it's still there, DO IT! Preferably with a bunch of Japanese people who can't speak a word of English and whom you do not know. Nothing brings gaijin and Japanese people together like a bit of screaming and some running through haunted corridors.
Joypolis is a cool place to visit. Although in retrospect and having read up on Odaiba a great deal more upon my return, there are many more attraction spots in Odaiba than Joypolis which I would have rather spent my time and money at.
I felt compelled to stay and do as much as possible here as I had bought a night pass and wanted to get my money's worth. But I'd actually recommend not buying the night pass, so that you do not feel an obligation to stay for the sake of trying to go on every attraction to exceed the value of it. This way you can just wander around, go on a ride or two and then just leave. Odaiba is full of places worth visiting. I'd rank Joypolis right at the bottom of the list, purely because there's nothing really exclusive about it.
Sega world London was no more and arcades became a past time. In Japan however it's a different story. Sega themed arcades are still dotted around the country, as a result of the arcade scene not being completely dead and also Sega also (finally) making Yen as a result of going multi format and bombarding our lives with (mostly) awful Sonic the hedgehog games. And then there is Joypolis, which is like Sega world on crack.
As I sit here and recollect my time at Joypolis I'm trying to remember why I spent hours in this place... OH YES! The queueing. I had spent hundreds of yen on a night pass which granted me a access to all of the attractions and rides. So I had to make sure I got my shitty exchange rates' worth. Which meant queueing constantly. People in Japan do not care whether they have work the next day or not. They will hit clubs and stay out like every night is Friday night. So even on this Wednesday evening at 9pm, the place was packed with people who had no intention of leaving any time soon.
 |
| Showing my appreciation to the 'hog. LOLLOLLL. Nah, I ♥ him really. |
Joypolis is a little more than an arcade. It's an amusement centre with lots of indoor rides and contraptions. I was extremely cautious of going on these after hearing about somebody dying on one of these rides. So I opted for the safest looking option. The Tokyo half-pipe. A ride in which you and a partner get strapped into a skateboard pendulum of death and get swung around at breakneck speeds, with 2 other couples strapped to pendulums in the half-pipe with you. The aim of the game was explained to me, but it was all in Japanese; so I have no idea what you actually have to do. But it involves tilting the skateboard thingy and trying to do so in unison with your partner to make it spin as many degrees as possible...or something...I think. I could be entirely wrong though, given that my friend and I ranked 3rd.
 |
| The blur in the middle = Actual people in the halfpipe |
My friend and I also went into a haunted house attraction which was based on the film Sadako 3D, which is pretty much The ring set in a high school. We figured 'Fuck it. Why not!' for shits and giggles. You know what you're in for when you go into this thing, but regardless it was still really fun. My friend and I ended up going in with a bunch of Japanese guys and hilarity ensued until we reached the other side. I won't spoilt the in's and outs of this attraction here. But if you go to Joypolis and it's still there, DO IT! Preferably with a bunch of Japanese people who can't speak a word of English and whom you do not know. Nothing brings gaijin and Japanese people together like a bit of screaming and some running through haunted corridors.
Joypolis is a cool place to visit. Although in retrospect and having read up on Odaiba a great deal more upon my return, there are many more attraction spots in Odaiba than Joypolis which I would have rather spent my time and money at.
 |
| MJ's dead, but the speculation of him working on the Sonic 3 soundtrack lives forever |
I felt compelled to stay and do as much as possible here as I had bought a night pass and wanted to get my money's worth. But I'd actually recommend not buying the night pass, so that you do not feel an obligation to stay for the sake of trying to go on every attraction to exceed the value of it. This way you can just wander around, go on a ride or two and then just leave. Odaiba is full of places worth visiting. I'd rank Joypolis right at the bottom of the list, purely because there's nothing really exclusive about it.