Universal Studios Japan

Osaka, Japan

“One of the most complete theme parks on Earth”

When talking about movie-themed amusement parks, Universal is one of the first things that comes to my mind. That’s no coincidence: Universal has created stunning theme parks all over the globe. The company possesses world-famous movie franchises and they’re not scared to push the limits of theme park attractions. As a result, Universal theme parks always guarantee a great experience. But what happens if you combine Universal quality with Japanese efficiency and friendliness? We travelled to Universal Studios Japan to find out.

ROLLER COASTERS

During our 2023 trip, Universal Studios Japan offered a total of four roller coasters and three of them can’t be found at any other Universal park. The first one is called Sadako’s Curse – Dark Horror Ride. This ride is a temporarily overlay of Space Fantasy – The Ride, a Mack spinning coaster which has been operational at the park since 2010. The actual coaster experience isn’t that intense, but Space Fantasy was very impressive thanks to its stunning theming and beautiful music. The ride simulated a magical journey to outer space and it blew my mind in every possible way. Despite its height of 19 metres and a track length of less than 600 meters, Space Fantasy became one of my favourite roller coasters on Earth. Unfortunately, Sadako’s Curse eliminated most of the ride’s strengths, as it takes place in total darkness. So Universal… please please please bring back Space Fantasy!

Hollywood Dream – The Ride is another unique ride. This miniature B&M mega coaster was constructed next to the park’s main street and it even soars over the entry plaza. It’s kind of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit of Japan, but better. Hollywood Dream offers a fabulous ride, especially because of the great on-ride music system. For all those Swifties out there: it’s perfectly possible to ride Hollywood Dream while listening to Shake It Off, so that’s pretty awesome. The most disorienting ride is delivered by the red train, which runs backwards. This experience is called Backdrop and it was introduced in 2013. This was originally planned as a short-term thing, but Backdrop has been operational ever since. By the way… There’s only one backward-facing train, so lines for Backdrop get rather long.

Japan offers quite a few super-intense roller coasters. Most of these thrill machines can be found at Nagashima Spa Land or Fuji-Q Highland, but thrill seekers aren’t forgotten at Universal Studios Japan either. Flying Dinosaur is a B&M flying coaster and it undoubtedly counts as one of the nation’s craziest rides. Especially the coaster’s second and third inversion deliver incredible g-forces, so it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. Unfortunately, The Flying Dinosaur’s theming is rather lackluster. The queue and station look very simple and quite a lot of tropical vegetation had to be removed to accommodate the huge coaster.

DARK RIDES

Universal theme parks are known for their screen-based attractions, with or without 3D glasses. That isn’t any different here in Osaka: this park offers Japanese versions of multiple Universal classics. I rediscovered Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and I saw Spider-Man in his amazing 3D ride. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is one of my favourite rides at Universal Studios Japan, but I didn’t understand a word of it since it’s in Japanese. Everything else is nearly identical to the version in Orlando and that’s a good thing. I’m still impressed by that final scene. Be advised, though, that Spider-Man will be removed from Universal Studios Japan at the start of 2024. It’s expected that this dark ride will be replaced by a large-scale Pokémon addition.

Whoever talks about Universal theme parks, talks about Harry Potter. Universal Studios Japan added The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2014 and it has been a smash hit ever since. The Japanese absolutely adore this area and queues get ridiculously long. Even on a regular weekday, the wait time for Forbidden Journey reached the 2-hour mark and shops/restaurants were filled to the brim. Talking about Forbidden Journey: this might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m not overly fond of this ride. Despite its spectacular transportation system, it seriously lacks detailing and some scenes look unfinished. The ride is identical to its American counterparts, so I would just skip it in Japan if the queue seems too long.

Super Nintendo World is currently under construction at multiple Universal resorts around the world, but Universal Studios Japan got the world premiere in 2021. This brand-new themed land is aesthetically pleasing, to say the least. The area’s centerpiece is a mountainous landscape in true Super Mario style. If you’ve ever played one of the video games, you’ll surely recognize those sparkling golden coins and those flesh-eating flowers. Every corner is filled with hidden details and you may even trigger some effects with a Power-Up Band, which obviously has a quite hefty price tag. Actually, the whole area is designed as some kind of money-making machine, with loads of specific merchandising and signature snacks. That’s why it’s easy to spend a fortune at Super Nintendo World, but the two major attractions can be enjoyed without an extra charge.

Yoshi’s Adventure is a child-friendly ride with simple scenes and a short dark ride section. It’s kind of interactive, as passengers are required to search for three eggs along the route. Yoshi’s Adventure is fun and younger audiences will absolutely adore it, but be advised that the ride is very short. So honestly, it’s not worth a wait of more than 20 minutes. Fortunately, the area’s other ride is considerably more impressive. Mario Kart – Koopa’s Challenge is Universal’s newest blockbuster attraction and it doesn’t fail to impress. This dark ride features well-themed show scenes and enhances them with augmented reality. Riders wear AR glasses and modern projections bring the Mario Kart world to life (literally) right before your eyes. And as if that isn’t enough, Koopa’s Challenge also features an interactive gameplay through the individual steering wheel that’s placed in front of you. Long story short: this attraction combines a lot of different elements and that’s why the experience is quite overwhelming during a first ride. We managed to ride it twice and the second time was definitely better, since we knew better what to do. By the way: be sure to check the single rider queue. The regular wait time rarely dropped below the 90-minute mark, but as single riders we managed to board within 30 to 40 minutes.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Universal Studios Japan still features Jaws, so don’t miss this classic attraction. It’s especially fun if your boat is filled with screaming Japanese school girls, by the way. Another legendary Universal ride is Jurassic Park River Adventure. This huge attraction simulates a visit to the world’s most famous dinosaur theme park and it’s one of the most immersive experiences Universal ever created. The ride is undergoing maintenance until the autumn of 2024, so it may even be upgraded to the Jurassic World version that’s currently operating at Universal Studios Hollywood.

There’s also a good amount of kiddie and family rides in an area called Universal Wonderland. This may be considered as the Japanese alternative to Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure. Theming is based on franchises like Snoopy, Hello Kitty and Sesame Street.

BEAT THE CROWDS

Universal Studios Japan attracted more than 12 million people in 2022, which made it the third most visited theme park on Earth. As a result, the park is often packed. However, I’d definitely recommend a visit, even if you hate big crowds. Ride capacity at Universal Studios Japan is very high. Besides, the park has Universal Express, which allows you to pay for shorter queues. Be sure to buy your Express passes well in advance, as they sell out quite frequently. Also, single rider lines can definitely help you to avoid the longest waits. Most major attractions offer single rider options and the park even provides an estimated wait time for these single rider lines. In our experience, actual wait times were almost always shorter than the displayed wait.

WORTH A VISIT?

Universal Studios Japan is one of Asia’s must do theme parks: Mario Kart, Hollywood Dream and Spider-Man are awesome rides and theming is top-notch. Besides, the overall atmosphere is simply breathtaking and the park has some great entertainment offerings. During our two days at the park, we rode some world-class attractions and we met some of the friendliest, most efficient theme park staff in the world. Universal Studios Japan is probably the best Universal theme park in the world, so I’d definitely recommend a trip to Osaka.

What’s your opinion on Super Nintendo World? Can you handle Flying Dinosaur’s intensity? Do you think that Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit should’ve actually been a B&M like the one here in Japan? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.