Japan has had more rides planned and canceled for it than pretty much any other section of Epcot, especially World Showcase. This week we're looking at the canceled plans for a Bullet Train themed simulator in the pavilion.
This ride technically would have been a simulator, but it would share many similarities with the Cicrclevision films of Epcot. The train would have some movement, but nothing like on the level of Star Tours or Body Wars. The main goal of this attraction would have been to showcase the beautiful landscapes of Japan's countryside.
The best modern equivalent would be a standing version of the Hogwarts Express at Universal Orlando Resort. The main difference would be that this ride would not move. The windows would even be pretty much the exact same technology later used by Universal.
This ride was canceled for similar reasons to most canceled Epcot Center attractions, problems with sponsorship deals. No sponsor was ever strongly attached to this project, but it is believed that FujiFilm was interested in sponsoring it. If this was the case, Kodak would have objected like they did with the Mt. Fuji roller coaster.
This would have been an interesting ride and it would have been interesting to see it play out. Disney did not do a lot of screen-based rides when this was planned, and it would have been interesting to see in practice.
Thanks for reading. If you missed any previous articles be sure to check here and consider signing up for our email newsletter below. Be sure to come back in two weeks, as we take a one-week hiatus for Halloween week, for our next entry in this series, The Rhine River Cruise.
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