is a steel roller coaster located at Nagashima Spa Land amusement park in Mie Prefecture, Japan. Built by D. H. Morgan Manufacturing, Steel Dragon opened to the public on August 1, 2000. It takes its name from Chinese astrology and zodiac calendars in which the year 2000 represents the dragon. It broke several world records upon its debut, becoming the longest roller coaster in the world with a track length of , as well as the tallest and fastest among complete-circuit coasters. It remains the longest, and with a maximum speed of nearly , it is among the fastest featuring a traditional lift hill. History In November 1999, Nagashima Spa Land announced that they would be building Steel Dragon 2000. It would be the second giga coaster to be built, following Millennium Force at Cedar Point. Steel Dragon 2000 officially opened to the general public on August 1, 2000. The ride originally featured trains built by Morgan. In 2013, Steel Dragon 2000 received new trains from Bolliger & Mabillard. Layout Out of the station, the track makes a right hand turn onto the lift hill. Due to the length of the lift hill, it utilizes two chains with separate motors. At the crest of the lift hill, the track plummets down a drop to the ground, before passing over a tall airtime hill. After this hill, the track rises over a tall hill before dropping to the right into a pair of helixes, the first one being clockwise and the second being counterclockwise. Following the second helix, the track maneuvers through the supports of the first helix and third hill and makes a left turn into the midcourse brakes, which start the return trip. The return trip consists of a series of airtime hills, running parallel to the outbound track, before hitting the final brake run next to the base of the lift hill. From the brake run, trains pass through the transfer track and storage area before making a sweeping left turn to return to the station. Design The building of Steel Dragon 2000 required far more steel than other coasters for earthquake protection. This put the cost of the coaster at over US$50 million. The ride includes two tunnels. Records Fifth tallest steel roller coaster in the world at tall. It is behind Kingda Ka, Top Thrill Dragster, Red Force and Fury 325. Fifth longest roller coaster drop