长岛温泉乐园的过山车，三重县，日本 Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie prefecture, Japan (© Japanese amateur photographer/Getty Images)

长岛温泉乐园的过山车，三重县，日本 Roller coaster in Nagashima Spa Land, Mie prefecture, Japan (© Japanese amateur photographer/Getty Images)

系好安全带！ Buckle up!

国际过山车日

从单轨到虚拟现实体验，几个世纪以来，过山车一直在为人们带来各种感官刺激。今天是国际过山车日，这是一个完美的借口，可以潜入这些标志性景点的曲折蜿蜒之中。这些游乐设施的起源可以追溯到17世纪的俄罗斯，当时有一种名为“俄罗斯山脉”的木制滑梯，是季节性的娱乐活动设施。然而，我们所熟知的第一个过山车是19世纪初在法国巴黎建造的，它被称为“贝尔维尔俄罗斯山”，其特点是轮式手推车牢牢地固定在轨道上。快进到20世纪，游乐设施飞速发展，并且首次出现了环形过山车。

图为长岛温泉乐园的木质和钢质混合式过山车——日本“白鲸”。这只巨兽曾被称为“白色旋风”，在2019年进行了改造。游乐设施的木质轨道被钢质轨道所取代，它的蜕变不仅加快了速度，将其推向了新的高度，还引入了空中倒转。因此，如果你刚好在日本逗留，请勇敢地乘坐“白鲸”，扣好安全带，冒险一试，然后沉浸在过山车带来的刺激中。

International Roller Coaster Day

From single rails to virtual reality, roller coasters have been thrilling people for centuries. Their origins can be traced back to 17th-century Russia, where wooden slides—'Russian Mountains'—provided seasonal entertainment. The first roller coaster was built in early 19th-century Paris, France. Called 'Les Montagnes Russes à Belleville,' it featured wheeled carts securely attached to tracks. By the 1900s, coasters were looping the loop for the first time.

Pictured here is a hybrid coaster that combines wood and steel—Hakugei, the White Whale of Japan in Nagashima Spa Land. Once known as White Cyclone, this beast underwent a transformation in 2019. The ride's wooden track was replaced with steel. Its metamorphosis not only revved up its velocity and propelled it to new heights but also introduced gravity-defying inversions. So, if you find yourself in Japan, brave the Hakugei—buckle up and take the plunge, and emerge with a tale as epic as the ride itself.