Suzuka Circuit Theme Park: Spend the Day as an F1 Racer, Live the Dream!
Chubu Entertainment Theme park | 2019.06.12 |
"When I grow up, I want to be a race car driver!"
Are you one of the many children who had this thought growing up?
Maybe you heard it from one (or all!) of your friends?
If you're looking for an outlet where that dream can come true, we'd like to present:
Suzuka Circuit!
It's highly recommended for racing lovers, as a place where all of your Formula 1 dreams can come true.
Strap on your helmet, start the engine, grab the steering wheel...
(For F1 racing, do you still place your hands in the 10 and 2 positions?)
Join the Japankuru team, and step on the gas.
Today we're living that race car driver dream!
Suzuka Circuit was built as the first full-scale standard international racing course in Japan! Completed in 1962, it has a history of almost 60 years of major events. It's famous for hosting the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, along with the "Suzuka 8 Hours", an 8-hour endurance race for motorcyclists. As the venue for these big races, famous professional drivers can also frequently be seen moving around the facilities. In order to simplify the process of bringing in large-scale contestants and racing teams, Suzuka Circuit's hotel was built near the racetrack. Since then, the hotel has become an impressive racing-themed establishment, and things like restaurants and natural hot springs were developed nearby to cater to guests. Now, there's a Formula 1 racing-themed theme park! Even if you just buy tickets to visit the park, the racetrack's proximity means you might just spot a pro racer as well.
Suzuka Circuit
Address: 7992 Ino-cho, Suzuka, Mie
Access: From Shiroko Station, either take a taxi or a Mie Transportation bus.
Official Website (en)
Holding the Little Hands of Future Racing Stars: Circuit Challenger
Although precautions are taken to make the experience safe enough for the average person, it is still an electric car race, and there are rules to keep everyone from hurting themselves or others. While on the track at Circuit Challenger, no photo taking is allowed. But don't worry, an official commemorative photo will be taken during the race. Each driver can take home a perfect snapshot of their heroic driving, as long as they're willing to pay for it.
Continue the Race Off the Track: The Racing Theater
Outside of the main theater are a number of interesting racing-themed exhibits. Various cars sit on display, alongside helmets from previous competitions, and signatures collected from well-known professional racers around the world. There are also rooms of games that give visitors the experience of driving an actual F1 vehicle, from seeing how an actual steering wheel handles, to feeling the wind speed of a racing car.
Experience the Evolution of Vehicle Technology: Acro-X Evolution
Children between the ages of 2 and 8 can join in, but must be accompanied by a companion 13 years or older. Drivers over 9 are free to enjoy the experience on their own or with others!
Try a Different Kind of Racing: Acro Bike
At Suzuka Circuit, though, you'll see some surprisingly young children doing just fine, and balancing without a hitch. The newly launched Acro Bike attraction features mini-motorbikes specially designed just for children, making it pretty easy to leapfrog right over bicycles and get going already! There's a track made just for these motorbikes, with hills to add some extra excitement to the ride.
Children ages five and older can try out Acro Bike. Children under 9 must obtain an "A License" at Kids Bike Training beforehand, however.
Ever Wanted to Steer Through the Sky or the Water Instead? They've Got Attractions for That, Too!
Suzuka Circuit Theme Park has a variety of fun rides! "Adventure Drive" is Japan's first voice-accelerated coaster attraction, for when you want to be loud and silly, and the "Putti Grand Prix" is a less intense kind of race that can be fun for just one person, as well. Tic-Tac Train and Run-Run Balloon are both very cute for kids and adults, and Adven-Boat Frontier is a boating adventure that's fun for the whole family to embark on together. If your group is looking for something off the racetrack, you can always try a different kind of driving!
Break Time!
You can eat your fill of dishes like pork chops and hamburger steaks, but while you're at the pancake shop you can't miss their specialty pancakes. The pancakes are made with high-quality wheat flour produced in Mie Prefecture, and are topped with fragrant Japanese acacia honey. One of their most popular dishes is "Bun Bun's Smile Pancake", a dish with pancakes arranged in the shape of their cute bee mascot, Bun Bun! (You may be thinking "why isn't Bun Bun a bunny?" Well, in Japanese bees say bun bun instead of buzz buzz, so they've got a little honey bee there to sweeten your pancakes.)
The shop's interior is also carefully designed to make it a comfortable space, with fir wood tabletops and floor-to-ceiling windows to let in the sunlight. Grab a sweet snack here and relax and recharge, before heading back out into the park.
Even the Room Designs are More Fun, Staying at the Pro Drivers' Hotel.
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- North Building, Racing Room
This room is designed to represent the world of motorsports, with special headboards, walls decorated with racing shots taken by a world-class photographer, and bucket seat chairs designed in collaboration with German automobile seat manufacturer RECARO. The theme runs throughout the room, and is visible in all of the decorative choices.
- North Building, Racing Room
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- West Building, Kochira Family Room
This room is designed to cater especially to families with young children, meaning not only lots of cute and welcoming design choices, but also safety and convenience considerations. The safety-first concept means that teapots, cups, etc. are stored away high above the reaching hands of young children, but beds are extra-low to prevent injuries from rolling off.
- West Building, Kochira Family Room
Enjoy the Resort's Natural Hot Springs, Delicious Food, and BBQ-Friendly Camping Grounds
Within the Suzuka Circuit Resort is a natural hot spring with hot water coming in from Suzuka, which is open to all hotel guests. If your family just spent the whole day running around with children in an amusement park, melting away the day's fatigue with a soak in the hot spring might be just the ticket.
If camping is more your thing, there's also a camping ground on the premises, a favorite with younger guests. Tents, sleeping bags, and even BBQ equipment can be rented out while you're there. Whether you're visiting from within the city of Suzuka, or halfway across the world, it's easy to enjoy the fun of camping at the circuit.
Theme parks are where we go to live out our dreams, and with race cars being a passion for so many kids, the Suzuka Circuit experience might be a dream come true. We can't all grow up to be Formula 1 racecar drivers, or whatever we dreamed when we were little, but there's no reason not to pretend for a while, and have a good time while you're at it! Plop down in the driver's seat on the Suzuka Circuit racetrack, and race towards a fun time with family and friends.
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- Basic Info
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Name Suzuka Circuit Address 7992 Ino-cho, Suzuka, Mie Station Shiroko Station Website https://www.suzukacircuit.jp/en/