I’m admittedly a total wuss when it comes to roller coasters, and can’t help but give a blood-curdling shriek at every unexpected bend or dip.

However, the screams of excitement and terror – the background noise of any self-respecting theme park – have been strictly banned in Japan, with Fuji-Q Highland amusement park asking visitors to ‘please scream inside your heart’.

In a video released by the park, two high-ranking executives could be seen riding the park’s Fujiyama roller coaster, smartly dressed in business attire and apparently holding their screams deep inside themselves.

You can watch the stunt for yourself below:

The video of the men silently riding the hair-raising roller coaster is a strange one, made all the more surreal by the complete absence of other passengers on the ride. One commenter put it perfectly when they likened the image to ‘an uncle commuting to work with a straight face’.

However, this no-scream policy has reportedly been widely adopted by the majority of Japanese theme parks, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, and is part of a set of reopening guidelines published by the East and West Japan Theme Park Associations at the end of May.

However, perhaps understandably, daredevils weren’t exactly convinced that it was in any way possible to hurtle through the air at breakneck speed without emitting so much as a squeal. Indeed, a Fuji-Q spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal, ‘We received complaints that the theme park association’s request to not make loud noises was impossible and too strict.’

So Fuji-Q decided to prove it to them with this video, setting up the stunt with the two impressively calm executives. Of course, whether or not everybody could keep quite this cool is a different story altogether, but many visitors have been sharing their own determined efforts over social media.

As an example – one person, seen casually folding their arms on the formidably huge Fujiyama – bragged:

I was laughing all the time except here.

For those who confidently believe that they too could ride the mighty Fujiyama without so much as a peep, it’s worth bearing in mind that this is no teacup ride.

Standing at a height of 259ft (79m), Fujiyama was the world’s tallest rollercoaster when it opened in 1996, and also boasted the biggest drop on Earth at 230ft (70m).

For the first year, Fujiyama also held the record for the fastest rollercoaster on the planet, before being overtaken in 1997 by the Tower of Terror ride at Queensland’s Dreamworld.

カメラ向こうか正面向くか迷った末のカメラ目線
FUJIYAMA4回も乗れたしめっちゃ楽しかった！！#真顔チャレンジ pic.twitter.com/dM2qabGp8M

— なおっきー (@ike_naokki) June 29, 2020

#真顔チャレンジ#富士急ハイランド

ここ以外終始気持ち悪いほど笑ってました pic.twitter.com/SBwMQKWgnn

— ゆーゆ〜@壮絶な竹富島ロス (@yadoya_nizato) June 23, 2020

On top of keeping their secret screams locked away within, visitors at Japan’s newly reopened theme parks must also adhere to a number of other – far more standard – safety measures, including face masks, temperature checks, and social distancing.

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