Universal Studios Japan

For once, we find ourselves in one of Japan’s most popular spots: Universal Studios Japan (or simply “USJ”).

I was honestly quite reluctant to visit this theme park. What I had heard about it was mostly stories of multi-hour queues and outrageously expensive express passes. In some videos, we could even see groups of visitors running towards their favorite ride as soon as the gates opened. I didn’t really understand the hype and was quite happy not to feed the tourist machine. But over time and with some targeted lobbying, I eventually started considering a visit.

Buying tickets is rather tedious. First, we have to get a basic entry ticket. Then we add an “express” pass (optional), which gives shorter waiting times for a selected set of attractions, chosen from around thirty possible combinations. After that, we still have to pick a time slot for each of the rides included. Finally, we pay — a quite significant amount — knowing that the tickets are non-exchangeable and non-refundable. Demand visibly exceeds supply…

Anyways, we have just spent the night in one of the hotels next to the entrance, and we are now ready to visit the park. We go through the bag check and enter around 10am. We deliberately picked a weekday in mid-January, which is supposed to be the low season, in order to avoid the crowds as much as possible. There are still quite a few people just past the gates, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming. The early-morning rush is already far ahead of us (the park opened at 9am), nobody is running. The many park employees are smiling and welcoming.

We start by walking through the Hollywood area. In front of one of the hangars, a staff member waves at us: here is an attraction themed around Detective Conan. We wait about fifteen minutes, pick up a pair of polarized glasses and sit down for a show that mixes 3D cinema and live theatre. Nice.

We then move on to the New York area, with its carefully crafted sets, restaurants and cafés. We take a short break by the central pond and continue towards Minion Park. Everything here is brightly coloured, just like in the animated films. We run into mascots of Gru and a few Minions, happily posing for photos with their fans. At the back of the area, we queue for about ten minutes for Minion Mayhem before realizing that we actually have an express ticket for it. We walk out, re-enter through the correct line this time and yes, it really is “express”. We are seated in less than five minutes. The ride is well done and a lot of fun.

Afterwards, we try Villain-Con Minion Blast, where we shoot at virtual targets from a moving walkway. There is no wait at all. Back outside, we take a short break in the San Francisco area with a hot tea. We then cross the impressive Jurassic Park zone, with its lush vegetation and a roller coaster running right above the walkways. We regularly hear the roar of the cars racing past and the screams of the passengers. It is very entertaining, from the safety of the ground.

Next comes Super Nintendo World, the newest area of the park (it opened 5 years ago). It is also the one that feels the most cramped. The sets faithfully recreate the iconic elements from the video games, but the small size of the area and its funnel-like layout do not help. Especially given how popular it is.

We continue on to Amity Village, a recreation of the fishing village from Jaws. Here, the shark has been caught and now sits in the main square like a fishing trophy. We have lunch on one of the piers, then share a chocolate Churritos (a 50cm churro).

After that, we head to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I think this is my favorite area. It is busy, but the sets are great and the “magical” atmosphere kind of works. We stop by Ollivanders, the wand shop, then enjoy a butterbeer (non-alcoholic) at the Hog’s Head pub. We head to Hogwarts for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (via the express line). It is seriously intense, much more than I expected. We are strapped to the end of a robotic arm that swings us around in every direction, taking us alternately through physical sets and in front of giant screens that create the illusion of flying over the film’s iconic locations. It is quite impressive.

We calm down in the quieter Universal Wonderland area with a ride on Hello Kitty’s Cupcake Dream. Back in Hollywood at sunset, we watch the Sing On Tour concert: in a proper theatre, the characters from the movie Sing perform one song each. Most of it is playback, but the costumed performers are full of energy and it works well.

We return one last time to Super Nintendo World to use our final two express rides: Mario Kart Koopa’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure. The first one feels a bit weird and chaotic. The second is a gentle ride in small vehicles above the area. We then head back towards the park entrance and leave a little after 7pm.

All in all, my impression of the park is rather positive, given the circumstances: little to no waiting time (thanks to the expensive fast passes) and little to no feeling of being in a crowd (thanks to the low season). Without these conditions, the experience would probably be quite unbearable and frustrating. More generally, the park staff are numerous and attentive, there are attractions for all tastes, and it is simply pleasant to explore the different themed areas, both during the day and after dark. In any case, we covered a lot of ground and still have to make our way back to Kyoto… I wouldn’t do this every day!