Universal Studios Japan: Everything tourists need to know

If you’re planning a trip to Japan and want to make sure you eat all the good food (one of my favorite things to do when I’m there), check out our list of must-try foods if you visit Japan.

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Universal Studios Japan Location

Universal Studios Japan is located in Osaka, Japan. That’s about an hour by train from Kyoto and 2.5 hours from Tokyo.

If you are staying in Osaka, it’s really easy to get to.

You take the railway and transfer to the JR Yumesaki Line, which brings you straight to Universal-City. That line was rerouted, upgraded, and renamed when Universal Studios Japan opened, making it super easy for travelers.

Universal Studios Japan Tickets

You can easily buy Universal Studios Japan tickets on the USJ website before you go to Japan. We bought them directly through the website, but you can also purchase through Viator or Get Your Guide, if you’re in the US.

Express Passes open 60 days in advance, so if you know when you’re going, mark that day on your calendar to make sure you get tickets. If you only need a day pass, you can buy it up until the night before.

You purchase tickets for a specific day and prices can vary based on the day you choose.

Keep in mind that the ticket is being charged in yen, not in your own country’s currency. So, if you’re not using a travel credit card that waives currency exchange fees, you may be charged a fee from your credit card.

You’ll receive your ticket in an email with a QR code that will be scanned at the park’s entrance.

There is Wi-Fi at Universal Studios Japan, but I personally suggest that you take a screenshot of the QR code and have it ready at the park’s entrance. That way, you don’t have to worry about not being able to access the Wi-Fi.

My mom actually printed her email and had them scan the paper at the entrance. That works, just make sure you’re printing on high-quality and not fast draft. Fast draft can distort barcodes and QR codes, making them difficult for scanners.

Admission tickets include access to everywhere in the park, but they don’t guarantee access to Super Nintendo World. Since it’s still so popular, it gets very crowded. If it reaches capacity, you can’t get in.

So, you have three options. You can either run to Super Nintendo World first, open the USJ app and request a free timed entry if there are any available, or you can purchase a Universal Studios Japan Express Pass with a guaranteed timed entry.

Universal Studios Japan Express Passes

When you book your entrance ticket, called the Studio Pass, you can purchase an Express Pass. Many influencers will encourage you to do this because there is a very popular affiliate company that these influencers use. They earn a commission if you buy the Express Pass through them, so it’s in their best interest to push this.

The Express Pass guarantees you easier access to many of the park’s popular rides.

There are a bunch of different Express Pass options with passes for 4 to 8 rides. This lets you access a separate line rather than the main line at the ride’s entrance. Some of the passes have timed entries to help regulate crowds and some rides let you enter at any time.

We saw 140 minute wait times on some of the rides, so an Express Pass is really valuable if you’re planning on riding those rides.

There were a couple Express Pass options with rides in Super Nintendo World. Those passes guarantee a timed entry into the area. Without that, you’re not guaranteed that you’ll get into Super Nintendo World.

Since my brother knew the only thing his kids really wanted to do was to visit Super Nintendo World, he decided to buy the Express Pass. I wanted to make sure that I got in too, since it was much more appealing to me than Harry Potter and Minions, which are also at the park, so I bought the same pass as him.

But, when we were walking around, we went to Super Nintendo World before our timed entry, just to see what it was like from the outside. And, it was open entry at that time. So, we were able to walk right in.

I immediately texted my brothers to let them know. My one brother ran right over. So, Super Nintendo World access is rare, but not impossible obviously.

When we got in, we were able to walk around. We looked at the rides and the wait times were wild. Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge was a 110 minute wait. Mine Cart Madness, which is in Donkey Kong Country, was a 140 minute wait.

The first was part of our Express Pass and the latter was part of my other brother’s, so if you do wanna ride those rides, we highly suggest the Express Pass. Instead of those long wait times, we only waited about 25 minutes. But if you only wanted to enter Super Nintendo World, I don’t think the pass is necessary.

Things To Know Before You Go

USJ App

There’s a USJ app, which you’ll want to download before you visit. You’ll need it if you want to request a free timed entry to Super Nintendo World and to collect virtual coins and play games if you buy a Power-Up Band (more about that later).

You can also use it to check wait times while you’re in the park and access the park map (although you can do that from the USJ website).

Lockers

There are lockers both within and outside of Universal Studios Japan. The ones outside are large enough to accommodate suitcases, if you’re traveling with one. There are smaller lockers inside to store backpacks.

Some rides, like the roller coasters, that don’t allow you to ride with loose items have refundable lockers before you enter the queue to store your items when you’re on the ride.

Weather & What To Wear

We went in July during Japan’s much-talked-about heatwave. The majority of the park is outdoors, with little shade unless you’re on certain ride queues that offer covering. There were large fans around the park, which offered some relief.

There was also staff wearing bags containing salt tablets and handing those out to visitors. You could add them to your water bottles to help with hydration. And, of course, there are water fountains near the bathrooms and traditional Japanese vending machines selling drinks so you could stay hydrated.

So, you want to dress appropriately for the weather.

We recommend shorts and a t-shirt or tank top. There’s no dress code at USJ; however, Japan is a pretty modest country, so we suggest against wearing anything low cut or crop tops, just out of respect.

Definitely wear sneakers as you’ll be walking around most of the day. Even with waiting on long lines, we walked over 15,000 steps that day.

Don’t forget to wear sunscreen and sunglasses too.

Most people brought some sort of handheld fans or a sun umbrella. Cooling towels were popular too, and we saw a ton of people wearing neck cooling tubes/ice rings (which are super popular in Japan, but not very common in the US).

Pete and I both also wore wrist sweatbands (I got one cheap at Daiso) so that we could wet them throughout the day. That really helped.

Power-Up Bands

When you’re in Super Nintendo World, you have the opportunity to buy a Power-Up Band, a silicone wristband that you wear in order to run around collecting virtual coins (just like in the Super Mario games), hit Question Blocks throughout the land, play interactive mini games, and unlock an extra Bowser Jr. challenge. I promise all that makes more sense once you’re inside the park.

The standard character bands cost ¥4,900 (about $31) and the limited-edition fifth anniversary band is ¥5,900 (about $37). My cousin bought the anniversary band and we (her, me, and Pete) all shared it. We took turns hitting the Question Blocks and collecting virtual coins.

We all had fun with it, but I’m honestly glad the three of us split it. Even though we spent a lot of time inside Super Nintendo World, it wasn’t enough to justify the cost of three of them.

One of my brothers bought one for each of his sons. For them, it was worth it to have their own so they could collect their own virtual coins, complete the mini games, and keep track of their own progress.

If you do buy the bands at USJ, you can use them at any Universal Studios park that has a Super Nintendo World, including Epic Universe in Orlando. And, vice versa. If you bought the Power-Up Band in Florida, you can use it in Japan. You just need each park’s mobile app to access the data.

Universal Studios Japan Rides

Universal Studios Japan has about 30 rides across its 10 themed areas.

My absolute favorite was Space Fantasy – The Ride. It’s the first ride you see when you get into the park. When we saw it, it was a 25 minute wait (although, in hindsight, I realize it was one of our Express Pass rides and we could’ve just walked on). I didn’t know until the ride started that it was an indoor, in the dark, roller coaster. It was awesome. I haven’t ridden a roller coaster in a very long time, so that was a lot of fun.

There are two huge roller coasters in Universal Studios Japan: The Flying Dinosaur in Jurassic Park and Hollywood Dream – The Ride. We had Express Passes for one of those, but since we were more interested in exploring and checking out the park rather than rides, we actually didn’t ride them.

The last remaining JAWS ride is there. It’s just as corny and cheesy as you remember. But, there is something about the animation of Japanese people that just makes a ride spectacular.

We also really liked Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, which is an IMAX-like ride where you sit in a cart that moves you around while you watch projections on a screen.

There are a ton of rides for little kids too, like Hello Kitty’s Cupcake Dream, Snoopy’s Flying Ace Adventure, and Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast, so it really is a family-friendly park.

Universal Studios Japan Shows

We really liked the Detective Conan 4-D Live Show, despite it being fully in Japanese and having no idea what was happening.

That’s not the only 4-D show at the park. There’s also Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic and Shrek’s 4-D Adventure.

And then there are regular shows, like SING on Tour and Universal Monsters Live: Rock and Roll Show, the latter of which I really wanted to see, but the timing just didn’t work out.

And honestly, that’s the thing. There are a lot of shows, but with very limited schedules, like my brother’s top choice, WaterWorld, which only had three shows all day. So, you really have to plan your day around the show times if you want to see them.

Universal Studios Japan Food & Drinks

You’re not allowed to bring in outside food and drink, with the exception of a water bottle. Fun fact, my dad brought in a bottle and they actually made him drink a sip before entering the park to make sure it was, in fact, water.

The park doesn’t offer reentry, so if you’re planning on staying all day, plan to eat at the park.

There are a ton of stands around selling small snacks like turkey legs and churritos (which we ate two of). There are also a bunch of sit-down restaurants around the park.

If you want to eat at Toad’s Cafe (known as Kinopio’s Café) in Super Nintendo World, you need a reservation, but everything else is a first-come, first-served basis.

For lunch, we ate pizza at Louie’s NY Pizza Parlor, which claims to be authentic but comes with a side of steak fries, so you can guess how authentic it tasted. For dinner, we had burgers at Mel’s Drive-In.

What was actually really fun about Mel’s Drive-In is that it served a Crunchy Taco Burger Meal for ¥2,100, which came with fries and a drink. But, if you ordered after 4 pm, you could get a double patty for the same price. We got to the restaurant at 3:52 pm, so we waited eight minutes before ordering, then split the double patty burger.

Mel’s Drive-In isn’t the only shop that offered double food after 4 pm. We saw a kiosk selling double popcorn and another selling a double order of fries, both for regular price.

Right now, there’s a night festival promotion happening at USJ. So, the sit-down restaurants and some of the kiosks are selling a special light up cup for ¥1,200. That comes with a soft drink plus a voucher for another soft drink. You only have until 6 pm to buy the cup, but you can use the voucher as long as the restaurants are open.

Since we were staying late for the Universal Summer Matsuri Nights: Neon Glow Up, I got the cup. It was fun to turn on at night and it added a little whimsy to my day.

Universal Studios Japan Photo Ops

When we walked into the park, we almost immediately bumped into Felix the Cat, who I absolutely love. So of course, we had to stop and take a photo with him. He was the only character that we saw walking around like that.

There are a few paid photo opportunities around the park, with characters like Donkey Kong, Snoopy, Minions, Mario & Luigi, and Princess Peach, plus the Hogwarts Express. These are all paid services and you’re not allowed to take your own photos.

Most people skip these. Honestly, I always skip these.

But, we accidentally stumbled upon one at Hello Kitty’s Ribbon Collection. We walked through, not knowing what we were walking into. We went through Hello Kitty’s dress collection, a high heel-shaped slide, and her bow collection.

At the end, we met Hello Kitty.

The story is that she’s shooting for a magazine, but she invites you in and takes a few photos with you, which you can buy at the end.

I wasn’t going to buy them because they were ¥4,000 and that just sounded like more money than I would want to spend on a photo. But, my cousin was super kind and bought them for me. They came in a Hello Kitty folder frame, and it’s the best memory.

So, maybe, if you’re like me, stop skipping the paid photo ops.

Universal Studios Japan Birthday Sticker & Perk

We went to Universal Studios Japan in July, which happened to be Pete’s birthday month. If it’s your birthday month, you can head to guest services when you enter the park and get a free happy birthday sticker.

Of course I had Pete do that.

I had heard that everyone working at the park will wish you a happy birthday if you have the sticker. What I didn’t know, though, was the absolute joy that it would bring us.

Remember how I said the staff was amazing? This was part of it.

Everyone who saw the sticker would wave, say happy birthday, and just smile at Pete. Even Felix the Cat made a heart with his hands where Pete’s sticker was, then waved his paws with such joy.

Every time we waited on a line, someone would say happy birthday. Whenever we stopped to ask staff where a bathroom was, they would pause to say happy birthday. Even at the end of the night, “Happy birthday.”

They wished him happy birthday with such happiness, such love, that you got the feeling that they really meant it, that it wasn’t just something they were forced to do because it was in their job description. It was absolutely the best part of the entire park for us. And it was free.

Universal Citywalk Osaka

When you walk from the train station to Universal Studios Japan, you walk through Universal Citywalk Osaka. It’s a tourist destination filled with lots of chain restaurants and a little shopping.

You’ll find popular Japanese restaurant chains like 551 HORAI, Mos Burger, and Sushiro, which is conveyor belt sushi. There’s also a LAWSON because, well, IYKYK.

You’ll also find American restaurant chains, like Red Lobster and Shake Shack, and shopping (there’s a Gap Factory Outlet there).

When we walked through before entering Universal Studios Japan, we noticed a large Minions display that a lot of kids were playing on (because the display was shooting water and it was hot out). But, other than that, there aren’t many, if any, spots that scream Universal Studios.

If you’ve been to Disney Springs in Orlando, you know that the entire space is basically just Disney-lite. Lots of families who don’t want to pay the high prices for Disney World will go to Disney Springs. Of course, it’s not the same experience because there aren’t any rides, but it does give people some time with Mickey Mouse.

You don’t get a similar experience from Universal Citywalk Osaka, so don’t plan on taking your kids there as a substitute for entering the park. But, if you’re looking for somewhere to eat when you exit, this might be a good option.

Although honestly, everything we ate in the park was a reasonable price for theme park food. Like I said before, the double burger with fries and a drink was ¥2,100, which is about $13.50. Pete and I split that for dinner, so that’s $7 a person. Super cheap.

Is Universal Studios Japan Worth It?

When we first planned our Japan trip, I was the least excited about Universal Studios Japan. I bought tickets to spend the day with my family, but wasn’t that excited about USJ.

But after spending the day there, I’m so glad I went. From eating churros to meeting Hello Kitty, I had such a fun time. Tickets weren’t that expensive (I paid ¥10,900, which is about $69), so it was worth it.

I do sort of regret paying for the Express Pass because we just didn’t use it to its maximum potential. If I ever went back, I’d skip that (especially because it cost $131 and it didn’t bring that much value to my day).

If your goal is to ride lots of rides, it’s worth it. Or if your goal is to guarantee entry into Super Nintendo World, it’s worth it too. But if you just want to enjoy the park, take lots of photos, and make memories, probably not.

And, if your goal is to make memories, go during your birthday month. Or go with someone during their birthday month. Seriously, all the “Happy Birthday” greetings Pete got made us smile all day long and really made the entire experience so nice.