Recently returned from a two-and-a-half week Asia trip (Tokyo, Kyoto, USJ, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore). Our main goal was to visit every Disney park in the world (already had CA, FL, and Paris) and threw in the trip to Universal Studios Japan because why not?
As a plus-size woman (5’6, 280lbs, US size 22ish) I was most nervous about USJ and read everything I could. There’s plenty out there about who did or did not fit on certain attractions, and seeing as we are all built differently, there are of course no guarantees until you’re on the ride.
That being said, here are a few tips I learned from our two days at USJ that I hadn’t seen before:
1) Try the test seats in different positions. DO NOT be embarrassed! Everyone we met was INCREDIBLY kind and gracious. If you don’t fit at first, try sitting slightly differently. Scooting around and figuring out what worked for me was key.
2) They do not have the modified seats like we do in the US, so be prepared. For example, I fit on the modified seats on Harry Potter here in Orlando without issue, but that was not an option in Osaka.
3) Talk to your travel buddies and prepare them. There were a few rides where I just couldn’t get the right angle to pull the restraints down more, even though I knew they could close further. Once a USJ team member pushed the bar down for me, but others were more hesitant. I asked my friend to just quickly help push the bar down before he got on, which was much easier for everyone involved, and worked without a hitch!
4) If you want to purchase the Express Pass but are nervous you won’t be able to use all of it if you don’t fit, BUY IT! We purchased the full pass from the Japanese site and if I couldn’t fit on a ride, the team members let us know we’d be able to exchange it for a different attraction. For example, I didn’t fit on Hollywood Dream. Since I had an express pass for both the normal and backward versions, my friend and I took that and used it for both of us to get a second ride on Jaws instead.
Hope this helps someone else who was as nervous as I was feel a little more at ease. Happy to answer any other questions should anyone have them 🙂
by niicolaa