Universal Studios Japan, Features, and Tips
One of the most visited theme parks in Japan is Universal Studios Japan which can be found in Osaka. Busy and I together with our friends went here for a day and explored it. So, here is our experience, some features of the park, and some tips that we can share to maximize your day.
Universal Studios Japan is sometimes abbreviated to USJ.
Quick Links
- Where to buy tickets?
- Getting here
- The Map
- The Attractions
- Tips for USJ
- Happy and Busy Travels’ Smileys
Where to Buy Tickets?
You can buy tickets in the park through these ticket booths. Regular day passes and express passes can be availed here.
PARK TIP! Buy Tickets in advance!
However, it is better if you have a ticket in advance to make sure that you have a ticket for your preferred day. Especially for the express pass, it usually runs out fast. Like us, we didn’t have the opportunity to buy one even online. We should’ve bought our express pass a month before our visit.
You can buy tickets in advance from the Universal Studios Japan website, or through Klook which has usually lower prices.
Klook.com
Once you buy tickets online, you just have to scan the QR code given to you through your email or by the Klook app.
PARK TIP! Buy Express Pass!
Also, If you have an excess budget for an express pass, go and buy express passes because it will let you save time in falling in line. Waiting time in lines can go up to two to three hours for just one ride, especially on a peak day. You can also get an express pass by clicking on the pictures above from Klook.
Getting to Universal Studious Japan
You can get here by private transfers, buses, or by train which is the most famous way of getting here. If you are going here via train, just ride the JR Yumesaki Line and go down to Universal-City Station.
Travel Time and Cost
Private transfers via car – 18 to 20 minutes – $100
Train – 20 to 30 minutes – $3
Bus – 20 minutes – $8
Usually, tourists use the train as the main transportation to get here because it is the cheapest. But if you want to
Klook.com
After riding the train, me and my friends arrived at Universal Studios Japan.
Of course, we had to take our pictures in front of the entrance and the spinning globe. There are two main entrances and this icon is located in the middle of the entrances.
PARK TIP!
As soon as you enter the park, open the Universal Studios Japan App and register your tickets for a timed entry into Super Nintendo World. This is because entering the Super Nintendo World has limited capacity and entering the area has a schedule.
Other guests go directly to the area to reserve their slot, but you do not have to run to do it.
The Map
Here is the map, so save this for reference. You can also see this in the app.
The Attractions
There are a lot of attractions in the park and it is divided into 8 main parts.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
One of the most visited and must-try attractions in the park is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There are two rides here, Flight of the Hippogriff, and the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
We went to this area even though it was a bit far from the entrance because we wanted to be there first.
The construction of the place is amazing, it was like we were really in the movie Harry Potter!
The snow on the roof made it even better, it looked really dripping and looked real!
Hogwarts Express is also here with all of the sound and smoke effects!
We immediately fall in line at The Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Ride. There is a little bit of a line but the park just opened so the line is short.
This is one of the most thrilling rides in the park, so we left our bags at the lockers.
PARK NOTE!
If the ride is tagged as “thrilling” bags are left in lockers before riding. This is applicable to all of the thrilling rides.
After the ride, some of our friends tried the Butterbeer, and we just took a few pictures of the castle.
There are souvenir stores in the area, and there is even a wand store.
We wanted to explore the area more, but of course, we were in a limited time and we did not have an express pass, so we thought of lining up on the next ride. The Flight of the Hippogriff, but the waiting time is 2 hours, so we just went on our way and looked for other rides.
Jurassic Park
This is the next area that we went to because we wanted to ride all of the thrilling rides in the park. There are two rides in this area, The Flying Dinosaur, and the Jurassic Park – The Ride.
There are nets around the area because the ride here is one of the most thrilling rides and some of the clothing items of the riders might “fly away” from the ride.
The Jurassic Park – The Ride is out of service during our visit and has been like that for some time.
The Flying Dinosaur is on my top list of rides to try here, so we went inside and tried it. We spent 30 minutes in line, which is not that bad considering that sometimes the line takes around 2 hours.
Unfortunately, we can’t use our action camera even though it is strapped around us. But this ride is wonderful! It made us feel like we were flying like a dinosaur because we were strapped into the chair face down first.
Super Nintendo World
This is one of the newly opened areas in the park so, people would want to see this. There are three rides and one attraction here namely Yoshi’s Adventure, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, and Power-Up Band Key Challenges.
PARK NOTE! You can’t get inside the area if you do not have a timed entry. As mentioned in our tip earlier, as soon as you get inside Universal Studios Japan, open the app and apply for a timed entry in this area.
PARK TIP! Try to enter the area even before your scheduled time, because sometimes they will let you in especially if the area is not that crowded.
We were excited to see the area so even though we were just at the entrance, we already took various pictures. Before going inside Super Nintendo World, there is a photo opportunity area, so we fall in line and have our pictures taken here. We had this printed and taken home.
We passed through a tunnel and we arrived in the Super Nintendo World!!!! It’s so pretty! The weather is also cooperating, there is no rain and it is not too cloudy. I was like back in my childhood playing Super Mario games on my PlayStation or my computer.
There are a lot of photo-taking opportunity areas here which also include the main characters from the game. But there is a long line too.
So, we just took pictures of the area with us. After all, we are in our Super Mario and Princess Peach Costume.
There is a lot of merchandise sold here too! So if you are looking for souvenirs, go ahead and buy them here. Our friend loved the merchandise so he bought the Koopa’s headgear.
We wanted to try all of the rides here, so we tried Yoshi’s Adventure first.
While in line, we took the time to take some of our pictures since we were in line for two hours! It was really a lot!
Then, we finally get to ride! We hopped on this Yoshi and we toured Super Nintendo World.
We saw different characters in Super Nintendo World while comfortably sitting on Yoshi.
The ride is cute and best for kids, but for us, it is a waste of time. We really should get the express pass.
Next, we went to Koopa’s Castle and fell in line for the Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge.
As soon as we entered the castle, Koopa greeted us.
Koopa is really fond of himself, just look at this frame, there are a lot of Koopa pictures inside the castle.
Even though there is also a long line here, we enjoyed the scenic areas with Koopa’s things.
There are Ghosts along the way, plus some “villain-y” things.
Finally, we reached the ride. We were given hats that we immediately wore, then when we sat on the ride we placed the eyeglasses on the hat, then started the ride. We were on a Mario Kart race but we also had to defend ourselves during the ride.
This ride is good and better than Yoshi’s Adventure.
Waterworld
This is the Waterworld area, wherein shows are made.
After riding Koopa’s Challenge, we decided to go out of Super Nintendo World because we were a little bit tired and hungry. So, when we were out, we saw that there was an upcoming show so we went inside Waterworld.
The show was amazing! A lot of action has been done in a small area.
Hollywood Area
This is the first area that people will see upon entering Universal Studios Japan, the Hollywood Area. There are three rides in the area, Sadako’s Curse: Dark Horror Ride, Hollywood Dream – The Ride: Backdrop, and the Hollywood Dream – The Ride.
We had lunch first to regain our energy since it was already 2 PM and we hadn’t eaten anything. While walking through Hollywood Area we saw Studio Stars Restaurant, so we went inside and ordered our food.
They serve American dishes like burgers and fries, and they accept cash or credit cards. The food was alright and was served fast.
After eating we went up right away to our next ride, Sadako’s Curse Dark Horror Ride. This is a unique ride here since Sadako is a Japanese horror film.
We were instructed to leave our things in the locker, then headed straight to the line. We were in line for almost an hour but it was worth it! The ride is an indoor roller coaster and in dark, so we had the ambiance of a horror movie plus we do not know what will come next.
We wanted to ride the Hollywood Dream rides but the line takes around 2 hours, so we opted to choose a different area for our next ride.
The Hollywood Area made us feel like we were really in Los Angeles and in Universal Studios.
Most of the shops are also located here, plus a lot of shows are also held here.
Also, if you are a Hello Kitty fan like me, the Hello Kitty Design Studio can be found here. I wanted to explore this one but we had limited time so I just took a picture in front and checked out the items for sale.
New York
The New York area is right beside the Holywood area, which has one ride.
We went and rode The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man 4K3D.
We get to sit on this car-like chair and we experience riding a car that is being saved by Spider-Man. The ride is good but we suggest taking this ride before other thrilling rides so you can enjoy this a lot.
After the ride, we walked and appreciated the area at night. It looks good!
Amity Village
This is one of the small areas in USJ, the Amity Village. Its main attractions are the Boardwalk Games and the ride, Jaws.
We really wanted to try this ride but we ran out of time.
Minion Park
This is one of the areas that I wanted to visit because I love the Minions. There are four rides in this area, Banana Cabana, Space Killer, Freeze Ray Sliders, and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
We were here when it started to get dark, so we were really in a hurry to try everything else. The pressure to try and see everything in USJ is in!
Here is Delicious Me, which is a restaurant that I wanted to try. Maybe next time when I come back.
Here is a cute mini-game, the Super Silly Space Killer.
The Funstore looked like really fun! The Minions are even hanging out outside the window.
Here is one of the rides, the Freeze Ray Sliders, this is a kiddie ride.
Then, here is the Despicable Me: Minon Mayhem which is a ride that will train you to become a Minion.
The line is long again, but there are a lot of Minion-inspired pictures along the line which kept us entertained.
We went inside the house of Gru and saw the different items in the Despicable Me Movie like this Rhynocarous chair and the tomb.
Universal Wonderland
This area is eye candy, especially for kids (or me haha). There are 18 rides here which are all for kids.
It was already dark when we arrived but I am still glad we get to visit the area before the park closes in an hour. Hello Kitty flowers greeted us as soon as we entered the park.
This is the Hello Kitty’s Cupcake Dream Ride which are cupcakes that spin.
Hello Kitty’s Ribbon Collection
Our last destination in the park is Hello Kitty’s Ribbon Collection. Of course, I saved the best for last. This is also located in the Universal Wonderland area but I want to give it its own section.
We were in line, but the line was short but takes a little longer to move since this is an exclusive experience with Hello Kitty. It’s okay since there is a lot of Hello Kitty couture that we can see while waiting.
Their garbage bin is even in Hello Kitty! Gorgeous!
Then, we were called and we went inside the Hello Kitty Gallery. Oh my gosh! I was in Hello Kitty fashion heaven!
There are dresses that I tried on, and I think they suit me haha.
Couches are also Hello Kitty-themed!
My favorite dress of all time can be also seen here. I have been wanting to see this one, so now that I have seen this, my dream of wearing this is the only thing on my list. Haha
Then in the next room, there is a giant Hello Kitty shoe slide together with the Hello Kitty shoe collection.
I love the shoes! I hope I have the same collection.
Oh my! I also love that they have everything in Hello Kitty, like this mirror.
The ribbons are all here too!
After a little wait, we were called because it was our time to meet and take a picture with Hello Kitty.
I finally had my time with Hello Kitty, I met her and took a photo with her.
Of course, all of us took a photo with Hello Kitty!
This is the area where we had our pictures printed. All of the guests can have their pictures with Hello Kitty printed here.
That is the last attraction that we went to because the park is closing in a few minutes. We tried to run and fall in line for the Hollywood ride, but it was already closed when we got there.
Tips for your visit to Universal Studious Japan
- Buy tickets in advance through their website or through Klook.
- Get an express pass to skip the lines.
- Download the USJ app because this is very helpful for your visit. You can use the map, check out the waiting time in lines, or even check the upcoming shows.
- Write a list of rides that you want to try in USJ so you can ride them first. You can also like or click the heart button in the USJ app so you can add them to your “Favorites” list.
- Book your express pass months before your visit because it runs out fast.
- As soon as you arrive at Universal Studios Japan, open the app and register your tickets for a timed entry into Super Nintendo World.
- Try to enter Super Nintendo World earlier than your scheduled time ( 30 min to 1 hour) because they will probably let you in.
- Allocate two days for USJ. This is just a tip if you have a day to spare because we only saw 50% of the park.
Happy and Busy’s Smileys for Universal Studios Japan
Overall, we love the park! We hope we can come back and spend two days in the park with an express pass and try all of the rides and attractions.
Location
Ambiance
Value for money
Fun
More exciting tourist spot reviews are at https://happyandbusytravels.com/category/landmarks/ so do not forget to check it out!
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