I travelled to Japan last month and these are some tips i’ve learnt and thought it could help
Japan airlines has the most upto date information on travel in and out of Japan (Smart Traveller was not as updated)
Don Quijote is amazing, if you are looking for gifts or random products, they are all around Japan
**Universal Studios Osaka**
* If you are planning on going to Super Mario World, there are tickets you get inside the park that gives you a specific time you are allowed to go in there, you only get 1 hour and its 1 pass per day (although once you are in they don’t check how long you have been in there for)
* If you are after a power watch, dont line up at the first stall, there is one right outside the entrance after you walk past the first one that had no line.
* Bring snacks, you will find even waiting for a snack is a 45-1hr wait, lines are VERY long.
* I had 1 day at Universal thinking I could do the whole park, unfortunately due to the wait in line (for everything) I didnt finish and I was there from open to close. longest wait for a ride was 2 hours, average wait time is 30-1hour per ride, invest in an express pass if you are going for 1 day.
Bring comfy shoes, if you are not used to being on your feet there isn’t as many places to sit anymore, a lot of the benches had been pulled out.
Everyone still wears masks even outdoors, there is no rule against not wearing a mask outdoors but out of respect wear one, or you will find you will be one of the only ones without one.
If you are a smoker there is designated smoking sections (sometimes hard to find) but look in cafes you will find a few have smoking sections but its not advertised.
International Airport in Osaka doesnt really have any food outlets apart from FamilyMart (if open) and a coffee shop, so make sure you eat before you head there otherwise you might find yourself hungry.
Hope some of these tips help and enjoy your trip to Japan, it is an amazing country.
2 comments
Thanks for the tips!
I will being going to Japan in May 2023 for a month, I’m very excited about it.
I’m currently preparing and planning the trip and I am wondering what a good balance would be between activities and rest/slow days. What is your experience with this?
Thanks for these insights. I’ll be in Japan for 6 weeks in April-May 2023 while my husband is joining me for the first 2 of them. A week in Tokyo and another in Osaka before he heads back (after which I move on to Kyoto for a week and then back to Tokyo). We decided, even as huge Nintendo fans, not to bother with Universal Studios because the pricing is just insane in Canadian dollars. Plus, the lineups/waiting eats into time we could enjoy visiting other places like Himeji, Kobe, Hiroshima, Nara, etc.
Once the Donkey Kong area opens (I think 2024 but not 100% sure), perhaps it would be more worthwhile to us to visit USJ, but theme parks aren’t really a priority personally.