Universal Studios Japan is a must-visit if you happen to be in Osaka. No ifs or buts, this theme park is worth every penny regardless if you’re an adult or a kid. It’s part of the Osaka Bay Area that includes Tempozan Harbor Village which includes equally iconic landmarks such as the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, Tempozan Marketplace, and the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan which I talked about just recently.
Ideally, you want to get here once you’re done visiting Tempozan Harbor Village as there are two ferry rides you can take from that area. The first is the Captain Line which I wrote about in my review of Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. This is a paid ferry that goes directly to Universal City Port and there are packages at the aquarium’s ticket entrance where it’s included.
The other option is the free ferry that you can take at the Tempozan Ferry Landing (Chikko Side) which is just a short walk from Tempozan Park though a little farther away from the aquarium. While this option is free, it only gets you close to Universal Studios and not to its entrance. You’ll have to actually walk a couple of minutes to get to Sakurajima Station and then take a train to Universal City Station (first stop) which is closest to the Universal Studios Japan main entrance/exit.
One Day at Universal Studios Japan with Minions, Harry Potter and Mario
After exiting Universal City Station, this is what you’ll be seeing. The buildings here are part of Universal CityWalk Osaka and most of these are actually hotels. From here, it’s only a couple minutes walk to eventually get to the Universal Studios Arch Gate.
Here you can see the path leading up to the Arch Gate. Now I said earlier that it’s a short walk to get to that area and that was technically true. The thing is though, there are plenty of shops here that might take up a lot of your time (and money!) if you’re not careful.
Case in point would be the Universal Studios Store which is where you’ll find a plethora of Universal Studios and Nintendo merchandise. So for those who’ve been living under a rock, Universal Studios has a collaboration with the beloved Japanese video game studio to bring the latter’s IPs to life in the form of movies (e.g. the most recent Super Mario Galaxy Movie), merch, and park rides. As of now though, this collaboration only covers three locations and Universal Studios Japan is the only one outside of the US that has it.
Due to the Nintendo collaboration, the Universal Studios Store here features a lot of characters from the various IPs associated with the developer/console maker. The most prominent though would be those from the Super Mario series which I have very fond memories of. I was actually very tempted to get the Bob-omb and Shy Guy plushies as souvenirs but then realized that you can buy these online (though admittedly at a much more expensive price).
Of course, there are also souvenir items here from Universal Studios’ own IPs. The most prominent probably are the ones from the Harry Potter series. I was able to snap some shots of the food items (cookies, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans) but there are also plushies here if those are what you prefer.
The Park Front Hotel was the last hotel I came across before crossing the overpass leading to the Arch Gate. I’m not quite sure but I think this is one of the more expensive of the hotels here due to how close it is to Universal Studios. From where I’m taking this shot, it’s actually just a minute or two to the theme park.
Regardless of the time of year, Universal Studios Japan is going to be full of people. I’ve read somewhere that this is one of the busiest theme parks in the world and I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. As you can see in the image, the path heading towards the Arch Gate is quite busy with a healthy mix of locals and foreign tourists.
If you haven’t yet, you could get a meal or have something to drink first at the establishments at the Universal CityWalk side. Some of the establishments you can find here include Hard Rock Cafe, Red Lobster, Mos Burger, and Sushiro just to name a few. Now there are plenty of dining establishments inside Universal Studios but they might be a little crowded so I think getting/taking your food and/or drinks here might be a good idea.
Past the Arch Gate is perhaps one of the most photographed areas here in Universal Studios Japan: the Universal Globe. Here you can see just how busy this area is from the people taking selfies and photos with the iconic Globe as the background. Of course I ended up taking a picture here as well!
Right next to the Universal Globe are the Coin Lockers. Now I didn’t use these since I had no issues carrying my stuff. That said, you might want to consider using one especially if you’re carrying a lot of things around.
Universal Studios Japan occupies a large area and you really don’t want to be lugging stuff while walking around here.
So this is the entrance to Universal Studios Japan and it’s one of the first bottlenecks in the theme park. A lot of this has to do with the fact that there are just too many visitors here regardless of the season. Also, it’s important to note that there are no on-site ticket booths here so you will need to book tickets in advance either on the official Universal Studios Japan website or on platforms like Klook.
Price-wise, admission here is going to be a lot more expensive compared to your typical shrine or temple visit. A whole day Studio Pass will cost 8900JPY for a single adult. Due to how large Universal Studios Japan is though, it’s actually more advisable to get either the 1.5 Day or 2 Day Studio Pass instead for 13900JPY and 16300JPY respectively.
Let me tell you, a single day just won’t be enough to explore this place.
Just a short distance from the entrance gates I came across the first park map (at least the first one I noticed). As this is a theme park, it has a number of areas with themes that reference Universal Studio’s most popular IPs (with one being the Nintendo collaboration). Right now, I’m in the Hollywood Area which actually has plenty of rides, souvenir shops, and restaurants.
When I visited, there was a collaboration with the massively popular Spy X Family anime that featured rides as well as themed food and merch. A section of the Hollywood Area which typically houses the Space Fantasy: The Ride was converted to a VR coaster experience featuring the voices of the characters from the anime. Outside the building where the ride is, you’ll find a stall called Anya’s Snack Stand selling themed food as well as the entrance to the Space Fantasy Store that was selling the Spy X Family merch at that time.
So this is a much more detailed Universal Studios Japan guide map found in front of an area called Gramercy Park. The map lists down the themed areas as well as the notable rides, landmarks, and attractions you’ll find here at Universal Studios Japan. Take note though that this typically won’t include seasonal events and collaborations (like Spy X Family earlier).
Still, it’s lowkey a great way to get a better idea of the lay of the park so definitely snap a picture just in case you might need it.
Following the path to the right of the guide map, I found myself at an area with a view of the Lagoon. In Japanese, the name of the area translates to something like Lagoon-side Terrace. This is actually one of the best places to rest here with the benches being really comfortable to sit on.
After checking out the Lagoon-side Terrace, I went back to the Hollywood Area to get to an area with plenty of Snoopy themed rides called Wonderland. Now speaking of rides, access to all of these (park-wide and not just the Snoopy themed ones) are actually included with any of the Studio Passes. That said, you will still need to line up for these rides and that might take a while depending on their popularity.
You can opt to get a Universal Express Pass to skip the lines though this can end up being even more expensive.
I then decided to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter next and to get there, I had to backtrack and pass by this landmark called the Stone Gateway. This is a sort of roundabout that also connects Wonderland, Hollywood, and the Jaws area. So one thing you’ll notice in the succeeding pictures is how absolutely packed the Harry Potter themed area is.
This is what I meant when I said that this place was absolutely packed! Now, do I think it’s as packed as the approach to Kiyomizu dera? Looking back, it’s actually better.
I think this has to do with the fact that the area is much larger and so people aren’t squeezed tightly together. Still, this is something that you might want to consider when planning your visit here.
Next on my list of areas to check out was of course, Super Nintendo World! Before I could get there though, I’d need to backtrack out of the Harry Potter area and go through Jurassic Park and Waterworld. Along the way, I also decided to get some Bone-in Sausage because at that point I had actually been walking around for some time.
I initially thought nothing when I reached Super Nintendo World but that quickly changed as I saw how it was set up. Entering the area was a genuinely jaw-dropping moment. It genuinely felt like I stepped inside a level of Super Mario.
There were warp pipes, Fire Piranha Plants, Thwomps, and cute Goombas that really reminded me of afternoons spent playing these games by myself and with friends.
This area is definitely a hit for kids regardless if they play Nintendo video games or not. Heck, even adults who don’t play video games will probably end up enjoying the visuals and vibes here. Like with the Harry Potter area though, this is going to be an extremely crowded area due to how popular the Super Mario franchise is.
That said, I think visiting here is going to still be more than worth it especially since Universal Studios Japan is quite literally the only place outside of the United States where you can experience this.
Like with a lot of the other areas, Super Nintendo World also features souvenir shops and dining establishments. Again though, expect for there to be plenty of people here. It’s one reason why I decided to buy and eat the Bone-in Sausage (from earlier) in advance.
Of course this wouldn’t be a Nintendo experience without taking pictures with the face of the brand. Now it’s not really a must to have your picture taken with this Italian plumber. That said, I really wanted a selfie with the guy but there were just too many people in front of me so I decided to turn to his trusted friend and ally instead.
After failing to get pictures together with arguably the greatest video game character of all time, I went inside one of the buildings and lined up for the Yoshi’s Adventure ride. This is a relatively slow-paced ride which will take you on a tour of Super Mario Land’s (one of the two main sub-areas in Super Nintendo World) Mushroom Kingdom behind Yoshi. It’s not a roller coaster but it’s still pretty interesting and is also much more kid friendly.
This is what the Yoshi’s Adventure ride and coasters look like. Again, this was really great although not necessarily the best the theme park has to offer. Looking back though, I still would have lined up for this as the lines moved relatively fast even with there being plenty of people before and after me.
Speaking of Yoshi, here are a couple of Baby Yoshis relaxing in their natural environment. These little guys honestly looked like they were having the time of their lives and I guess that might also apply to the other visitors I saw here.
Earlier I wrote about Super Mario Land being one of the two sub-areas here in Super Nintendo World. The other one is Donkey Kong Country and it actually has a much more adventure-y vibe going on. Of course, the theme of this sub-area is from another of Nintendo’s most popular IPs: Donkey Kong.
If Super Mario World had the chill Yoshi’s Adventures, Donkey Kong Country has Mine Cart Madness. As its name implies, this ride looks absolutely bonkers and if not for the long lines I might have given it a try. Sadly, there were still plenty of areas I hadn’t explored (and rides I planned to line up for) at this point so I just snapped pics of people having the time of their lives while riding it.
I’m really not a big fan of the Donkey Kong video games so I didn’t stay long here. I will say though that this sub-area was a lot less interactive than Super Mario Land so I probably did the right thing.
I left behind Super Nintendo World with a heavy heart but was also looking forward to seeing the rest of Universal Studios Japan. On my way to Minion Park, I found myself back at the Wonderland area where I saw the Hello Kitty Design Studio building as well as a glimpse of the Hollywood Dream – The Ride roller coaster.
While it was a long way from the Wonderland Area to Minion Park, the walk was definitely worth it. This was perhaps the most fun and chaotic area of Universal Studios Japan and it’s all thanks to Gru’s adorable yellow underlings. The two notable attractions/activities available in this area are Minion Mayhem and Minion Blast.
Just a walking distance from Minion Park is the San Francisco Area. This is meant to look like San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown though it does end up getting overshadowed by the Minion Park from earlier and the Jurassic Park area which is just a short distance from here. And from where I’m standing, I can actually see the Flying Dinosaur ride from the Jurassic Park area.
Earlier I talked about missing out on Mine Cart Madness because I was planning to go on another ride. When I took this picture I was getting close to that ride. Of course, what I was talking about is Jurassic Park The Ride.
It’s easily one of Universal Studios Japan’s most iconic rides and it was honestly worth lining up for.
Here you’ll see one of the boats going to the ride’s end point. If you look closely, the boats are actually on rails which sort of makes them similar to a coaster. I also noticed that the passengers all seemed to have enjoyed the ride so that actually made me excited for my turn.
Well, that excitement was somewhat dampened by the rather long lines to get on the ride. Again, this is to be expected and if you’re planning to get on this but don’t want the hassle of lining up then you should get one of the Express Passes that covers this specific ride. Anyway, I did still end up getting on a boat though it was admittedly already a bit late.
So this is the official start of the ride and I was more than excited at this point. I wasn’t able to take pics of them but there were animatronic dinosaurs all along the route the ride (either on the water or on the river/stream’s banks) took. The first one that I encountered was a large Brontosaurus which actually surprised me since I wasn’t expecting it because of the low visibility (it was at night after all).
For roughly the first half of the ride it was relatively chill but then once you get inside and up the facility the thrill really ramps up. Now I’m not going to spoil the ride but its climax was honestly something that I didn’t expect. If I were to describe what I experienced it would be that it felt like I was in one of the chase scenes in the original movie.
With the Jurassic Park ride finished, it was now time (unfortunately!) to leave Universal Studios Japan. This was without a doubt one of the most modern tourist experiences I’ve had on this trip to Kyoto and Osaka. The skeptic in me would like to say that the theme park is just one big tourist trap but I think it’s actually more than that.
The areas like Super Nintendo World were genuinely interesting and the rides were actually worth lining up for. Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, you’re going to love it here.That being said, there are obviously some things that could make or break the Universal Studios Japan experience for you. I wasn’t too concerned with the price of admission but it can be quite expensive.
On top of this, the crowd can be a little too much. And unlike the seasonal shrines and temples, you can always expect for there to be a crowd here. More importantly, crowds can affect queues to rides and so you can expect to wait longer if it’s popular.Despite these egregious drawbacks, I still am of the opinion that Universal Studios Japan is a must-visit location.
There’s an energy to this theme park that I think not many landmarks and attractions in Japan have. If you have the budget then I’d definitely recommend adding a visit to this theme park to your itinerary. Ideally you want a 2 Day Studio Pass but if you’re early then a 1 Day Studio Pass should suffice.Will you include Universal Studios Japan in your next Japan trip?
If yes then we’d like to hear about your thoughts on why you’re including it down in the comments section!
