Universal Studios Japan is one of Japan’s most popular amusement parks. It has all the movie-themed rides that make it fun! It has a Snoopy waterslide, Spiderman, E.T., Jurassic Park, and Back to the Future rides. They also have daily shows and seasonal events, like the light-up parade. The park officially opens at 9am.
Universal Studios is next to the JR train station UniversalCity station. Take the Osaka Loop to Nishikujo station and wait for the JR Yumesaki line in the middle platform. If you are lucky, you may get to board the special Universal Studios decorated train. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to catch the decorated USJ theme train.
I went on the theme park during Spring break and there were just too many people. If you are a Harry Potter fan like me, then the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is a can’t miss. I really recommend to go to Harry Potter World. An imaginary world that made into reality, starting with the Hogwarts Express, Hogsmeade Shop, Ford Anglia, Chocolate Frog, etc. To enjoy the park you must have patience, because before you enter the Harry Potter World you need to get a time pass (you need to get a pass to go back at a specific time to enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter).
Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park – this is a brilliant area of the park. And as I expected the queue times for this attraction was very long (in my case was 4 hours in the morning and 2.5 hours in evening)! I guess every theme park has this issue. If you are visiting Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you must ride the Forbidden Journey though the queue is very long it’s worth it. Also don’t miss to get their famous butterbeer. Butterbeer is a popular wizarding beverage with a very slight alcohol content and a taste “a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch.” The Butterbeer served at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is amber-colored, non-alcoholic, and available in two forms—straight up or frozen. The Butterbeer tasted like cream soda with an extra thick layer of whipped cream on top. It was sweet, bubbly, refreshing, and well worth the fifteen minutes that I stood in line to buy it.
If you are not an avid fan of Harry Potter you may try the Spider-Man ride which won best ride for 11 years or something only to be de-throned by Harry Potter. It’s a strong hydraulics ride, a mini-rollercoaster, a wraparound screen *and* 3D glasses as well. You’ll encounter an all-new kind of excitement!
Jurassic Park is a large scale log-flume, with some animatronic dinosaurs along the way. It looks quite high from the outside. It looks even higher on the inside and is in fact a 25.9 meter drop, which goes very fast. There is barely time for the swear word to leave your mouth before you’ve pretty much reached the bottom and got wet, but if you don’t like getting wet you might want to buy a poncho or try your best to get seats in the middle. I love the sudden drops and adrenaline rushes and the fear of getting soaking wet just makes it all the more enjoyable for me.
Jaws is an on-rails boat ride around Amity bay. There are some real flames and semi-artificial but real-looking explosions along the way, and some sharks as well. They speak in Japanese but it’s quite enjoyable ride.
I also tried the Terminator, I tried because on my research a lot really like it and seems they had fun but for me it’s quite boring. It’s a super-3D movie that makes you reflexively lean back comes up close, and suddenly the hero on screen appears on stage. I only like the ending part.
All Attraction are using Japanese language because their biggest customers are domestic tourists, 90% locals. Arnold Schwarzenegger was speaking Japanese, Spiderman, Shrek, everyone! hehe I just wish they have an English version. If you can’t speak and understand Japanese, do not prioritize the shows.
Those were few that I managed to see, as I only chose those that I am really interested to try. There are also many other things to see there, a lot of which predictable involve places to shop or place to take photos.
Tips: Spring break really isn’t a time you should consider. Avoid holiday break for the students. It’s soooo crowded unless you’re like me and biting the bullet in exchange for the cherry blossoms, in that case, good luck! The best way to enjoy USJ is to get express passes.
charventurous 