is a

wooden Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

roller coaster A roller coaster is a type of list of amusement rides, amusement ride employing a form of elevated Railway track, railroad track that carries passengers on a roller coaster train, train through tight turns, steep slopes, and other elements, usua ...

at Kijima Kogen, an

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

Beppu 270px, Beppu City Hall is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of November 30, 2023, the city had a population of 113,045 in 62,702 households, and a population density of 900 persons per km2. The total area of the ci ...

Ōita Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Opening in 1992 (although other sources report that it opened in 1993), Jupiter was the first wooden roller coaster in Japan and the only wooden roller coaster in Japan until White Canyon opened at

Yomiuriland is an amusement park in Inagi, Tokyo, Japan that first opened on 19 March 1964. It is situated on hillsides, and features rides such as roller coasters and water flumes. It is home to Yomiuri Giants Stadium, one of the training fields for th ...

amusement park and White Cyclone opened at

Nagashima Spa Land is an amusement park and vacation resort in Kuwana, Mie, Japan, about 30 km west of Nagoya. It opened in 1966, and features an amusement park with several roller coasters, thrill rides, kiddie rides, a water park (open only in the summer), a ...

amusement park (both in 1994). At over in length, Jupiter is the 7th longest wooden roller coaster in the world.

History

Although Japan has had numerous notable roller coasters—including coasters that have held the record of world's longest, world's fastest, and world's tallest roller coaster—it has had relatively few wooden roller coasters. This resulted from Japanese earthquake engineering regulations that restricted the construction of tall wooden structures. It was not until after these restrictions were modified that Jupiter (and later White Canyon and White Cyclone) could be constructed. Jupiter was built by

Intamin Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing Amusement ride, thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other e ...

out of

Norway spruce ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very clo ...

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

and it cost a total of 2.5 billion

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

to construct. The coaster was also the last to be designed by noted roller coaster designer

Curtis D. Summers Curtis D. Summers (September 17, 1929 – May 11, 1992) was an American engineer and roller coaster designer credited for designing or providing structural engineering on 25 wooden roller coasters around the world. He earned a degree in Archit ...

before his death in 1992 and it was one of only two coasters that he produced with Intamin. The roller coaster Jupiter is also notable for briefly appearing in the 1994

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...

movie, '' Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla''.

Ride experience and theme

While it is reported to be the most popular ride at Kijima Kogen, Jupiter is described by a number of sources as having a rough and somewhat uncomfortable ride experience. Single rides on Jupiter cost 1,300 yen. Outside the ride is an example roller coaster train car, as well as a small "Jupiter"

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

in a

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

motif.

References

{{Intamin Roller coasters in Japan