Located in Osaka, Universal Studios Japan is a fantastic day out when you’re visiting the area. Divided into different sections with many rides, attractions, events and food to enjoy, it’s hard to do it all in a day, but this is my guide on how to spend a great day out in the park!
What to do in Universal Studios Japan
There are many areas to explore in Universal Studios, but these are the four I enjoyed the most!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Rides
There are two rides in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: the Flight of the Hippogriff, which is a roller-coaster, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is an immersive adventure that takes you through a sensory 360 world of magic and wonder.
Do
Harry Potter fans will be excited for the chance to choose a wand at Ollivanders and then practice their magic around Hogsmeade! There are designated places where you can wave your interactive wand and watch the magic happen.
You can also catch the Frog Choir performing multiple times a day, and watch a performance by students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang.
Eat
If you’re not hungry, make sure you at least pick up a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. Otherwise, tuck into hearty platters of meat and veg, including the (mostly accurate) Beef Sunday Roast with Treacle Tart to finish.
Super Nintendo World
Rides
Yoshi’s Adventure is a cute ride that takes you on a trek around the Mushroom Kingdom, while Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge puts you straight in the driver’s seat and into an interactive 3D game of Mario Kart.
Do
One of the most fun things to do in Super Mario World is the Power-up Band Key Challenges! Choose your Power-up band before you enter (at an additional cost of ¥3,200/€20) and collect virtual coins and items, face Bowser Jr.’s underlings, and collect the three keys to team up and defeat him in a final showdown.
Eat
Make a detour to Pit Stop Popcorn to pick up your Super Star Popcorn Bucket, refresh yourself with a Hot Apple Tea from Yoshi’s Snack Island, and tuck into a Super Mushroom Pizza Bowl and ? Block Tiramisu at Kinopio’s Café.
Jurassic Park
Rides
If you love dinosaurs, you can’t leave the park without going on Jurassic Park – The Ride, where you will encounter massive dinos while cruising through a prehistoric jungle, then flee a T-Rex on the loose!
The Flying Dinosaur is for the braver visitors, as the flying roller-coaster will dangle you high in the air and swing you in loops around the park. Prepare to scream!
Do
At certain times of the day you can meet dinosaurs! Greet a cute baby in its incubator, a lumbering triceratops, and a scary velociraptor.
Eat
The Discovery Restaurant and Lost World Restaurant offer dinosaur themed meals, but it’s the smoked chicken at Fossil Fuels that you really have to snack on.
Amity Village
Rides
JAWS takes you on a boat tour that takes a turn for the worse when the giant man-eating shark himself shows up. Terrifying!
Do
Take a selfie with the shark himself, strung up and (mostly) harmless, then take a walk to Boardwalk Games to play carnival games for prizes.
Eat
At Boardwalk Snacks you can choose between Bacon & Honey Mustard or Teriyaki Chicken pizza slices (both are DELICIOUS) and wash it down with a Blue Hawaiian JAWS Splash. Finish off with a Cream Soda Swiss Roll at Amity Landing Restaurant.
Other areas include Minion Park, Universal Wonderland, Hollywood, San Francisco, New York, and Waterworld. You can check out all of the rides and attractions at the park here.
Universal Studios Japan Opening Times
Universal Studios Japan is open 356 days a year! Opening hours vary, but generally the park opens from between 08:00 and 09:00 and closes between 19:00 and 22:00. You’ll need to check the opening times for the day you want to go, which you can do on the official website here.
How to get to Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan is accessible from the Universal-City Station. If you’re already in Osaka, you just need to take the Osaka loop line from Shin-Osaka or Umeda/Osaka Station to Nishikujo station, then swap to the Sakurajima line.
To get to the park from Tokyo, you can take the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka Station, then swap to the Osaka loop line from there.
From Kyoto, take the train on the Tokaido-Sanyo Line to Osaka Station, then swap to the Osaka loop line from there.
You can use a JR Pass for all sections of these journeys.
Are the rides suitable for the plus-size?
The big question (excuse the pun) is are the rides at Universal Studios Japan suitable for plus-size people.
In my experience? Not really. Of course, it depends on how big you actually are on whether you’ll be comfortable on the rides, but the best thing about the park is that they provide a seat from each ride in the entrance area for you to check if you fit.
And if you can’t fit on the rides? There is plenty to do otherwise, from shows and parades to games and meet-ups, so it’s still 100% worth visiting the park.
How to buy tickets for Universal Studios Japan
How much is a ticket to Universal Studios Japan?
There are two types of ticket to get for Universal Studios Japan, which can be a little bit confusing at first.
The Studio Pass is the general entry ticket, which you must purchase to enter the park. Prices vary on different dates, but you can expect to pay anywhere between ¥8,600 (€53) to ¥9,900 (€61) for a single adult ticket, and between ¥5,600 (€34) to ¥6,200 (€38) for a single child ticket.
You can then purchase an Express Pass, which gives you quick access to certain attractions and offers multiple combinations for rides. Currently, the best one is Pass 7, which costs around ¥19,800 (€122) depending on the day, and grants you access to the following:
- MarioKart: Koopa’s Challenge (Time-designated)
- Yoshi’s Adventure (Time-designated)
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (Time-designated)
- Flight of the Hippogriff (Time-designated)
- Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem
- The Flying Dinosaur
- Either Hollywood Dream – The Ride or JAWS
To enter Super Mario World, you MUST purchase either an Express Pass that grants access to the area in advance (make sure that you select a pass that includes the MarioKart and/or Yoshi’s Adventure ride), or book a Timed Entry eTicket through the app on the day.
Timed Entry eTickets
You can use Universal Studios’ free app to get Timed Entry eTickets inside the park. It’s a really convenient thing to do, so you can come to an attraction or area at a designated time rather than wait in line for hours and miss out on exploring the rest of the park.
Before you can book anything, you’ll need to scan and register the QR Code on the Studio Pass of each member of your group in the app.
To book a Timed Entry eTicket for an attraction or area
Through the app
Go to ‘Timed Entry eTickets’, select the desired attraction or area, select the park passes of the group members of who you want to get a timed ticket for, and select the desired time. Click ‘GET IT’, then to use the ticket, go to ‘Timed Entry eTickets’, select ‘My Timed Entry eTickets’, and scan the QR code at the attraction or area entrance.
You can also check attraction waiting times, view the map and save your favourites through the app.
Before you enter the park
As mentioned above, some Universal Express Passes include an ‘Area Timed Entry Ticket’. These will guarantee entry to an area at a specific time to reduce wait times.
Hotels near Universal Studios Japan
There are a number of partner hotels that you can stay at to ensure you’re right next to the action, including, among others:
- The Park Front Hotel
- Oriental Hotel Universal City
- Hotel Kintetsu Universal City
- Hotel Keihan Universal Tower
- Liber Hotel
A new Donkey Kong section is coming in Spring 2024! Read more about it here.
Read more about travelling to Japan!