Universal Studio Japan is one of the biggest theme parks in the land of the rising sun. Many tourists will make a trip to Disney Sea and/or Disneyland in Tokyo and then to the USJ in Osaka. So how was my experience at the USJ? Let’s take a look…
We visited Universal Studio Japan in March this year. We arrived as early as we could (to be honest, we really wanted to be there when the park opens, but that was a tad difficult haha) and took the train with Ron, Harry, Hermione and friends…
Once we arrived, some of my friends bought bento and convenience store foods at Lawson before going into the park. Because of course, the food in USJ would cost a whole lot more just because. And also because Japanese convenience store food is actually pretty awesome!
I’m sure you can find more information about the park elsewhere, so I thought I’ll just let my pictures do the talking. Here are some of the things you would encounter when at the USJ…
We were there few weeks before Easter and so there was an area transformed into an Easter Celebration Wonderland, a weird and wonderful mix of Snoopy, Hello Kitty, and Sesame Street. Probably geared for the younger crowd, my friends weren’t really interested to even check out the area! LOL.
We then walked to the Cool Japan section. Cool Japan is I guess what you call a pop-up area created to showcase how cool Japan is to the world (and to the Japanese fans).
One of the coolest attractions (and one you don’t have to queue for) is a high cracked wall where you could see a huge titan lurking in between. For those Japanese manga or anime fans, you would recognise this from Attack on Titans (Shingeki no Kyojin / 進撃の巨人).
The titan’s eyes actually moved ever so slowly making it look more life-like. Many people took photos in front of the wall, and some also queued up for a photo opportunity to pretend to be eaten by a titan. We did that too!
For the locals and those who are interested in the Harajuku kawaii culture, the most exciting thing about Cool Japan would be the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu section.
I love Kyary, and all my friends know it. So I was super excited to see some of her music video craziness came to life in front of me. I didn’t ride the attraction due to 2-hour+ queue and I was a bit scared of roller coasters, oops. But I did take photos around the area!
Anyways, apart from all the fun things happening around USJ, we obviously took time to eat the over-priced food. They were pretty yummy actually. Like this yakisoba-pan that I had. Or the hotdogs…
But when in theme parks, of course you have to take the opportunity to buy themed food! We bought a minion bun (just a normal niku-man packaged adorably) which looked oh so cute, and tasted alright too.
Apart from food, the other thing I like to do at theme parks (especially in Japan) is to people watch. When we were there, there were so many (A LOT) of different groups of girls – and sometimes guys – dressing up as minions! Seriously, Japanese girls love to go to theme parks dressed up as the same character / style. It is totally a thing. Couples too, poor dudes.
Oh yeah, there were also a few Harry Potters and wizards lurking around!
We queued up for a few rides and before we knew it, the sky turned a little darker already!
We started making our way home, whilst admiring the neon lights that started to light up as the day turned into night.
How gorgeous was it!? Yes, I’d argue that USJ looks more beautiful at night – plus, some of the early crowds have gone home, leaving the theme park sliiiightly quieter.
My verdict is this: It’s not worth the ¥7200 entrance fee to go into a park without parades (on the day we were there) and where you have to queue up for about 1.5 hours for almost every single ride. If you’re a huge Harry Potter fan and can’t go to the US Universal Studio any time soon, do go. If you love queueing up for hours for a 15-minute ride, this is the perfect place for you! For everyone else, stick with Disney in Tokyo.
To add to my frustrations, when you visit Tokyo Disney, you can grab fast passes for different rides and return at the allocated times, free of charge. For USJ though, you will actually need to pre-pay these fast passes, and they will cost you an extra ¥3000 or more depending on which package you choose. Yes, as if the ticket price is not exuberant enough already, why not pay more just so you won’t queue for 2 hours?! We didn’t get the fast passes, so the question is should you? Yes, go for it if you have the money to spare and love going on rides. For the rest of us, let’s queue… or just don’t go to USJ.
(Would I have changed my verdict if it was cheaper? Probably, because we did pay a premium for a rather lacklustre experience.)
At the end of the day, I had an enjoyable time and I will be posting about my Harry Potter adventure which was just ah-may-zing because I’m a huge fan. But I believe that there is a way to make theme parks more enjoyable, and currently, USJ is dealing with the issue pretty poorly.
Universal Studio Japan is located conveniently in Osaka. If you wish to go, definitely plan to arrive when the park opens and stay until night time when the lights make everything a little more magical. Cool Japan only lasts until 26 June 2016, so if that’s your reason for going, rush to USJ soon!