Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Japan | A Complete Guide and Tips

Universal Studios Japan Overview

Universal Studios Japan (ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン) is a theme park that you must not miss if you are visiting Osaka. USJ is my second Universal Studios visit. Check out the full review for Universal Studios Singapore in this post. Amusement park is like a little oasis that you can visit for an entire day to get away from the real world. What I love the most is that the park has various characters themed areas for everybody, children and adult alike. Here is the review of the theme zones and tips for visiting Universal Studios Japan.

How to Go to Universal Studios Japan and Opening Hours

The ticket for Universal Studios can be bought on the spot or you can buy the ticket online. The ticket for Universal Studios costs 7,800 yen per person and 5,400 yen for a child ticket. The theme park opens as early as 10 am, so make sure you are there early. When you are inside, you can go to the zone that you are interested in first. The entire park will close at 7 pm in June and July 2020 adhering to the rule of social distancing measurement.

To visit the park, you can take the Yumesaki train line and alight at Universal-City station.If you stay in downtown Osaka or Namba you can take the Hanshin Namba Line from Osaka Namba station then exchange at Nishikujo Station to take the Yumesaki Line. On the other hand, if you are travelling in a group, you can also hire a private car transfer from your hotel in Osaka to Universal Studios. If you want to get the longer pass and stay overnight at Universal Studios Japan, I would recommend The Park Front Hotel at Universal Studio which is  located at a very close proximity to the theme park.

WHAT TO WEAR TO THE PARK 

Tips for visiting Universal Studios Japan

The Universal Studios has a single rider queue which is actually faster queue than the regular one. Single rider queue means you will be seated with another group on a ride if there's a one or two empty seat left. This also means that if you go with your friend (two or three of you), you can be separated with your friends during the ride. On the other hand, if you don't want to queue for too long and want to save time, I will suggest that you take the single rider queue instead.

Besides that, for popular rides like the Harry Potter or Jurrasic Park, there is a timed entry ticket which you can get. It tells you what time do you need to be in the queue. So, you can play the other rides then come back again later.

One thing I notice about USJ, is that playing dress up is a huge thing. So, don't be shy and wear your favourite character's merchandise. There are so many people dressing up in Harry Potter robes, Sailormoon outfits, and even wearing the Minion merchandise. There is also a parade at night called Universal Spectacle Night Parade after dawn where you can see the light up vehicles with all of your favourite characters. Don't miss it!

The Themed Areas in Universal Studios Osaka

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
My favourite area and obvisouly the one that I visited first. You will be greeted by The Weasley's Ford Anglia and Hogwarts Express that will lead you to Hogsmeade. In this area, expect to find Hogsmeade, The Hogwarts Castle, also popular rides namely the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff.

In Hogsmeade, there are several shops selling the wizarding equipments like Olivander's, Dervish and Banges, Zonko's Joke Shop, Three Broomsticks, and Honeydukes. In this area you can also buy the infamous beterbeer. If you buy the wand in Olivander's you can try the wand attraction where you can cast a spell. The toilet here also a themed one which is the Moaning Myrtle toilet from the second book. I went back again to this area at night to see the illuminated Hogwarts Castle.

Amity Village
In Amity Village, you can try the Jaws Ride. Where you took the boat and role playing as if you're encountering a shark. This ride is full of splashing water too so wear your jacket if possible and be aware of your camera.

Jurassic Park
There are two most anticipated rides here which are Jurassic Park The Ride and the Flying Dinosaur. One is a water ride, so be ready to get splashed, the other one is a very thrilling ride. I only saw the end part and I thought it wasn't that high, but the beginning part of ride is super high #instantregret. Nevertheless, it was definitely a must try.

WHAT TO WEAR TO THE PARK 

Minion Park
Minon lovers rejoice, there are Minion Ride, street show, and play land where there are stalls with min game. I also noticed that the Minion popcorn bucket is a hot selling item here.

Hollywood Zone
It's where you can find the attractive street show filled with singing and dancing performance, Sesame Street 4D Movie magic and Shrek 4D adventure. One of my favourite restaurant here is Mel's Drive In. It brings back nostalgic moment of the American Diner in the 50s. Don't forget to try its outdoor roller coaster too.

New York and San Fransisco
New York is dominated by the Spiderman 4D Ride and Terminator 2 3D Show. The area is also adorned with buildings and shops resembling the city ambience.

Universal Wonderland
This is where children can have so much fun with their favourite character like Snoopy, Hello Kitty, and Sesame Street. Nevertheless, I had fun in this area too, even though I visited it when the park almost closes.

Sometimes there is certain event that happens only for a limited time only like the Universal Cool Japan. It brings the famous anime in Japan to theme park. There was Detective Conan, Final fantasy, and Sailormoon which were all my favourite. Both Sailormoon and Final Fantasy is a 4D Ride so it is super fun and there was limited edition merchandise too!

Overall I really love the Universal Studios Japan Osaka as it has a value for money and I recommend it for everyone who is visiting Osaka. A lot of the rides have the 3D or 4D equipped technology so it is so worth it. The theme park is always coming up with exciting future ideas like the the upcoming Nintendo World area filled with Super Mario characters and many more. Make sure you keep an eye. Have you ever been to a Universal Studio? If yes, in which country?



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tags:japan,travel