Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan or USJ, as it’s known locally, is located in Osaka. It is smaller than the Disney parks but just as popular, and for any Harry Potter fan it’s a must!
USJ is split into sections or worlds (check out the map here): Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, Minion Park, Jurassic Park, Waterworld, Amity Village, Universal Wonderland and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Super Nintendo World is due to open ‘before the Olympics 2020’.
USJ has a variety of rides for all ages as well as stage and street shows. Some of the rides are story based and are in Japanese. We enjoyed them just as much, however, if you don’t know the stories (Backdraft, Water World, Despicable Me, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Shrek and Terminator) it may be worthwhile watching them before hand!
Check out the timing for the Water World show, it is definitely worth seeing, even if you have not seen the movie. Sitting in the ‘splash zone’ at the front will ensure that you get wet, particularly if you happen to be three red headed foreigner boys!! They were picked on to get extra wet and they loved it! Although they were glad they had their ski jacks on; warm and waterproof!
There are fantastic opportunities to meet and greet characters for photo opportunities. At some spots (like Jaws and Spiderman) there are official photographers that will take photos you can purchase later, however, you are not obliged to purchase and can still line up and take your own photos.
If you are into big roller coasters then the Hollywood dream ride is a must. The Jurasic Park Flying Dinosaur is a step up again. Imagine being strapped to a chair, having nothing below your feet and being flung face first towards the ground and then up in the air and twisting around. Sound fun?! Then this ride is for you, although I’d recommend tying long hair back or you won’t see a thing! They also have elastics to help secure your shoes to your feet if you are wearing slip ons.
If you are after something for the little ones then Universal Wonderland is the place to visit with flying Snoopy and Hello Kitty cupcake rides, Elmo’s driving, slides, water park it goes on and on! This world you can reserve the time for your ride using the Yoyakunori system.
Harry Potter World
If you or your kids are into Harry Potter then they will love it! Have a butter beer in Hogsmeade, enjoy a meal in The Three Broomsticks, buy a chocolate frog at Honeydukes, and of course choose a wand at Ollivander’s.
Harry Potter World entry can be restricted on busy days and entry only permitted if you have a specific entry ticket. Most express tickets, which are purchased in addition to general entry, include timed entry to Harry Potter world. Free timed entry tickets can also be collected from machines inside the park. To get these tickets you will need to arrive early and run to the ticket machines when the gates open. On quieter days entry into Harry Potter world is not restricted and you can come and go as you please.
We are all Harry Potter fans and we loved Harry Potter world, it brought the wizarding world to life and we can’t wait to go back again. We’d recommend queuing up to enter Ollivanders. One child from each group is selected to have a wand especially chosen for them with some super cool effects. Our 12yo was lucky to be selected and he loved it as you can see from the awe on his face! You then have an opportunity to purchase the wand afterwards.
The kids all selected an interactive wand from Ollivanders. The wands interact with objects throughout Hogsmeade. The kids are guided by staff in learning to cast spells to open doors, levitate objects and make it snow!
Food
There are many places to eat around the park and many of the restaurants are themed. We loved the pizzas at Louis’ N.Y. Pizza parlour and the feast and butter beer at The Three Broomsticks was awesome!
Evening Events
Evenings there is a night parade or in winter it is an illumination of Hogwarts Castle! We went in winter and had an awesome view of Hogwarts in the warmth of the The Three Broomsticks with butter beer and pumpkin juice!
Special events
Universal Cool Japan is an annual event specific to Universal Studios Japan, that showcases Japan’s most popular entertainment franchises. Cool Japan 2020 (Jan 21st to June 28th) features Attack on Titan, Detective Conan and Lupin the Third. Detective Conan Escape requires an additional ticket (Japanese) ¥2980 or ¥7255 for a pair ticket, to guarantee that you are together, the escape experience is in groups of four. Tickets can also be bought on Klook. Monster Hunter Walk is open from March 20th to Aug 30th and requires an additional ticket (Japanese).
Tickets
General Admission tickets
Tickets can be bought in Japan at the gate, from Lawson stores, green ticket windows at JR stations and hotels. General admission tickets can be bought in advance through USJ official ticket sellers (English) or through the USJ site (Japanese). The Japanese USJ site offers additional tickets such as one and a half day tickets, twilight tickets, birthday tickets (if you join Club Universal and your birthday is in the month of or the month after entry) however this is in Japanese only, and requires some information to be entered in katakana or hiragana, a Japanese address and does not accept some foreign credit cards.
General admission 1 or 2 day tickets
Adults 12 years and over : from ¥7800 / ¥15400 depending on day and season (check price calendar)
Children 4-11 years: from ¥5400 / ¥10500
Tickets available online from the USJ website are available three months in advance.
Tickets through sites such as JTB travel and Klook are available approx 2-3 months in advance.
Express Pass tickets
A variety of express passes can be purchased and the varieties will depend on the current park themes (during Cool Japan, one or two of those rides may be included). This page explains the different passes. The express tickets are bought in addition to the park entry tickets and are more expensive. Please note the express tickets DO NOT include general entry, you need to buy this as well. The express tickets can be bought in Japan at the gate, at Lawson stores, hotels and green windows at JR stations or online in advance from some of the official sellers (English), or the USJ website (Japanese only and as mentioned before this site requires some information in katakana or hiragana, a Japanese address and does not accept some foreign credit cards).
Express tickets
Universal Express Pass 7: ¥10800 (all ages). Entry to Harry Potter World and reduced entry time to 7 of the most popular attractions
Universal Express Pass 4: ¥7800 (all ages). Entry to Harry Potter World and reduced entry time to 4 of the most popular attractions (which attraction depends on which ticket you purchase).
Tickets through USJ site and sites such as JTB travel and Klook are available approx 2 months in advance. On the USJ site you will then be able to choose times for entry to Harry Potter World and some of the rides, see this example (Japanese only).
To check availability of express tickets check out this page (you’ll need google translate).
So is the express pass worthwhile? There are two advantages of the express pass. The first is that it will guarantee you entry to Harry Potter World. On busy days, entry to Harry Potter world is restricted and without an Express ticket (4 or 7) there is a rush to the timed ticket entry booths in the centre of the park. Check out park maps for the location of these machines, or just follow the rush of people!
The other huge advantage of the express pass is the fast pass onto some of the other rides. How many express rides depends on the express ticket purchased.
Early In ticket
This ticket allows entry to the park 15 minutes before gates open which will allow you to get first ride or get to Harry Potter free timed entry before others on busy days. However, I have read mixed review about this and some reports that there was no advantage.
One or Two days?
USJ is smaller than the Disneyland parks and you should be able to see everything in a day, however, if you like to take your time and as the park grows with Nintendo world, you may prefer to take two days.
When to go
Check out crowd predictors to find quieter days to visit. Generally avoid weekends and Japan public or school holidays.
We went mid week in January on a day when the crowds were minimal and there was no restriction on entry to Harry Potter world. We had bought express passes and even though they were not needed for Harry Potter world we were still glad we had them. We would have been very disappointed if we had come and were not being able to enter! We appreciated the express pass to skip to the front of the line, even though the cues weren’t very long on the day we went, it saved time and meant that we could fit more into our day and explore the park at a relaxed pace.
How to get here
USJ is a 5 minute walk from Universal City Station on the JR Yumesaki Line. There are direct trains from Osaka station to Universal City Station.
There is also a ferry called “Captain Line” that runs between USJ and Osaka Aquarium which costs ¥700 one way and only takes 10 minutes.
Useful info and links
Single Rider: Some rides allow single riders to skip to the front of the queue. This works well if you don’t mind not sitting together or if the rest of your family does not want to do this ride. We did this for the flying dinosaur and skipped right to the front of the queue.
Child Switch: If you have a child that is not tall enough for the ride, see a crew member and they will give you a switch ticket so that when one rider has finished the ride, the other can then go to the front of the line rather than having to queue up again.
Child services and can be viewed here.
Height and ride restrictions
Closed attractions
Opening Hours and events schedule
Park maps
Crowd predictors
For more information
Official USJ site
Japan Weekly Magazine Events schedule
Japan Guide