What to expect at Tokyo DisneySea. What to expect at Universal Studios Japan. Even walking down CityWalk on my way into the park, I was feeling that sense of anticipation rising up inside me and the entrance to the park call you onward.
After passing the Hard Rock Cafe we took a brief detour into all the merchandise stores, I didn’t intend to purchase any items just yet, but curiosity got the best of me.
My Trip to Universal Studios Japan and Tokyo DisneySea
Universal Studios Japan
I saw more Mario merchandise than I care to admit before entering the park. Nintendo plushes was taking up all of the shelves at the Universal Studios Store. This is dangerous for your wallet when you see all that stuff before you even get inside.
There was an entire Harry Potter section too, with Wizarding World souvenirs like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. After walking through there, I thought about how they had all that and decided to go in the areas themselves first and make a mental note to return. Good thing I did because then I had a better idea of what I really wanted!
And right there at the entrance is The Park Front Hotel.
If you’re doing multiple days this would be ridiculously convenient. We walked straight from CityWalk, past the huge guitar outside of the Hard Rock, until we reached the real gates. Even though we were pretty early on the day of our arrival, the entrance area was already packed!
I was smiling because there were quite a few people already in their Harry Potter robes. There was a locker building nearby that is pretty hard to miss. We didn’t need one, but it is good to know they’re right there if you are carrying stuff you don’t want to lug around all day.
After entering the gates, you enter this iconic Hollywood boulevard lined with themed stores on either side and a glass canopy over your head. I immediately picked up a park map so that I could start planning our route.
There is a lot to see in the park. I didn’t want to waste time wandering around trying to figure it all out only to end up having to backtrack. As we walked, the Hollywood Dream coaster looped over head and I heard people screaming away up there.
Our energy levels were still high so we made a beeline for the Wizarding World (saving the big rides for later).
entering Harry Potter world was dreamlike. It looks just like the movies (Hogsmeade village with all the snow-covered roofs), then you make one turn and there is the castle looming above you. And I’ll admit it, I teared up seeing it for real.
First we rode Flight of the Hippogriff because the wait wasn’t long at all. It’s a nice warm-up coaster that is not crazy intense, but fun and beautiful to look at. The other big hit for me was Super Nintendo World.
From the moment you walk in, the entire area…
With the warp pipes, question blocks, and Bowser’s castle, felt like I had walked straight into the games I used to play as a kid. There’s a photo opportunity where you can meet Mario. The line wasn’t too bad, though it did take a while.
It was totally worth it. The new Donkey Kong Mine Cart area was really crowded, so we bypassed that one entirely, along with Yoshi’s Adventure, which had a reasonable queue time. By this point, we were actualy pretty beat.
Of course there’s also the Minion Park area, which has some huge statues. I’m happy to say Jurassic Park still holds up. They do a great job of sticking to the theme in that entire jungle and waterfall area.
We got drenched on the water ride… Which was nice since it was a hot day.
In the evening, after circling back to do Jaws, it was already getting dark and the park began to look entirely different. At night the globe fountain at the entrance lights up really nicely and everything just has a different feeling. If you’ve got the energy, stay till close, I would definitely recommend this.
Mels Drive-In USJ
We eventually settled for lunch at Mel’s Drive-In, right there on the main boulevard. There was classic neon outside and vintage cars parked outside. I had already walked by three times before the retro American diner look finally pulled me in.
It wasn’t very long until we got our table. The queue inside was pretty long, which shows how popular this place is. Inside was as you would expect: old school diner vibes, checkered floors, booth seating.
Given how packed it was, it was all a little chaotic, but that’s theme park dining for you.
They have mobile ordering through QR code and I wish I should of known about that before waiting in the regular line for ten minutes. Live and learn. Menu screens above the counter displayed BBQ burgers and other American classics.
After a long wait (finally) sitting at one of those shiny vinyl booths, I looked up and saw they have vinyl records decorating the walls and little jukeboxes on every table. They were very dedicated to the theme, and although I was mostly hungry at this point, I liked it anyway.
The mobile menu on my phone scrolled through the options and the prices… Wow, they’re theme park prices. A Classic Cheeseburger is ¥1,850 and you’ll be adding up quickly with drinks and sides.
If I’m going to pay that much, I’m getting some bacon, so it was time for a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger.
It arrived in a branded box, all wrapped up like a gift, and as soon as I unwrapped it, this thing was genuinely massive. All of its layers were visible from the side. There was plenty of BBQ bacon cheeseburger, and it tasted pretty good, nothing revolutionary, but solid and filling.
I’ve definitely had worse for theme park food. It did the job and I left full, which is all I really needed.
Disney Sea
Everything felt different from the second I entered the Tokyo DisneySea entrance plaza and gazed upon the AquaSphere fountain. There is just something about it that is more detailed and elegant than any other theme park I’ve visited. In fact, we stood for a good couple of minutes just taking everything in before venturing anywhere.
The first area that we visited was Mediterranean Harbor. The detail in those Venetian-style buildings is honestly ridiculous. As someone who likes looking at fancy wall decorations and stone archways, the kind of stuff you’d probably walk right by, I had to stop and admire them!
But really, I’m glad we didn’t hurry through this place, it’s the kind of little detail that makes DisneySea so special.
The entire park is dominated by Mount Prometheus, which you can see from pretty much anywhere. It adds such a dramatic backdrop to the harbor waterfront, making all of your photos look ten times better than they should.
They also re-created early 1900s New York in American Waterfront, and that place’s architecture is just as obsessive as the Med area. They’ve got these gorgeous details on all the buildings… Ornate trim, mansard roofs, and then you turn a corner and there’s Tower of Terror right there.
The brick tower of the Hotel Hightower is so genuinely creepy. That’s the vibe they were going for. It’s a fantastic ride (which we did later), but even just looking at the building from the outside is worth it.
S. Columbia (an ocean liner) docked at the harbor is. We visited it later in the day to take a rest from waiting in line; you’re able to go inside and explore! It was also full of little touches of atmosphere.
There was a lovely fresco decorating one part of the Mediterranean fortress area, an overly fancy lobby inside Tower of Terror, the peacock tiling, and the calm duck swimming in the harbor. The faux weathered ruins even felt like they had aged for hundreds of years. DisneySea goes all-in on its theme in a way that is honestly bordering on obsessive, but it’s meant as the greatest compliment.
Then we’re whisked away into another world (this time the Lost River Delta), with its jungle pathways and decaying temples.
It’s all just so tiring in the best possible way as each section is like its own destination that you don’t ever want to leave behind. Speaking of souvenirs… Half the reason people go to DisneySea is for the snacks and stuff there.
So here’s a whole paragraph just for them.
And they also have those shell-shaped containers that I got one of. We also got a churro once that came in a proper DisneySea wrapper, though I don’t know if it tasted better or worse than usual.
It was fine. But was it worth the line? I am not sure.
The Duffy-friend plushies is everywhere and totally adorable! You don’t even need to know what the characters look like to go in there. I almost got one, but I didn’t.
We stayed until after dark and it was totally worth it. It changed the park entirely. At night, the Caravan Carousel inside that dome was so beautiful I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.
The lit-up ruins at Arabian Coast were also incredibly cool.
This place also transforms into something else entirely at night. The exterior domes light up, and if you head inside Triton’s Kingdom you are transported into a sea cavern. It’s pretty much designed for little kids (the play area inside), but we wandered in there just because the atmosphere was so well done.
We did circle back around one last time before departure to check out the AquaSphere all lit up at night. After dark, somehow it looks even better than in the daytime. And yes, I took a LOT of pictures, sorry, not sorry.
But if you can only do one… what would you pick? If you’re a massive Harry Potter/Nintendo fan, go with Universal Studios Japan, those two sections are worth the price of admission by themselves. If you want to wander in a place that’s beautiful and full of attention to detail/atmosphere, go to DisneySea.
Between the two, personally, I’m glad I got to experience both. They really scratch very different itches. Universal was straight-up nostalgia fun, and DisneySea was a walk-through a person’s ridiculously grand daydream.
Have you visited either of these parks? Are you trying to figure out which one to go to? I’d love to know what appeals to you most.
