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TAKO, Chiba -- A bamboo roller coaster that was set up at a festival site here attracted throngs of children and adults alike who enjoyed the ride for the first time in a while after a coronavirus pandemic-triggered hiatus.

The bamboo coaster was installed on June 12 at the hydrangea festival in the town of Tako, Chiba Prefecture, held for the first time in three years. The one-day attraction dates back to 1985, when locals created the ride in conjunction with the annual festival after being inspired by the opening of Tokyo Disneyland in the same prefecture two years before, using bamboo they cut down and assembled.

As the festival had been canceled over the past couple of years due to the pandemic, children were overjoyed at this year's ride more than ever.

Passengers on the ride take a sleigh that slides down a 50-meter-long slope made of bamboo from a height of 5 meters. Once the ride is over, a group of 10 local residents pull the sleigh back up to the starting point using ropes. When the coaster started swiftly rolling along the slope, rattling sounds, screams and shouts of joy were heard from the riders.

Arata Hirayama, 9, a fourth grader from the prefectural city of Tomisato, tried the ride along with his friend. "It was fast," he said, with a smile. His father Tomoaki, 43, commented, "I had fun taking a ride here when I was a child, so I wanted my son to have the same experience and thank those who built this."

Members of the town's juvenile counselors liaison council and the local children's association liaison council cut down around 300 bamboo trees in the town in May and assembled them the day before the festival. The coaster was initially around half the size it is today, but it gradually became larger after gaining a good reputation.

Shuichi Katsumata, 47, who runs a construction business in the town and heads the local juvenile counselor liaison council, said, "It was hard to prepare the coaster and the assembling work caused my back to ache, but I'm happy to see children smiling. We'd like to continue the ride next year and beyond."

(Japanese original by Tadakazu Nakamura, Narita Bureau)

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