[TRIP REPORT] USJ Osaka September 20, 2023 – First timers

Hey everyone,

My husband, a friend, and I visited Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka for the first time last September 20, 2023.

In this trip report, I would like to share the preparations I made, the schedule strategy, and our actual day experience.

FYI – long post.

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**Ticket Booking:**

Two months ahead of our visit, we secured our tickets through the official USJ website. We opted for a Day Pass and the Express Pass 4, which gave us access to the following attractions:

15:10 – 15:40 Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (includes Area Timed Entry)

17:20 – 17:50 Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge (includes Area Timed Entry)

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem

The Amazing Spiderman: The Ride

**One Piece Premier Show 2023:**

Booking this show via the Japanese website was a bit tricky as it didn’t accept my foreign credit card. Fortunately, a Japanese proxy came to our rescue. Our seats were in Block I, Row 15, and I have to say, these seats offered fantastic views.

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**Planning resources:**

These YouTube videos helped me a lot in my research and planning:

[https://youtu.be/Z6ljDxBMViA?si=v6NG0qYS7HfpLnPi](https://youtu.be/Z6ljDxBMViA?si=v6NG0qYS7HfpLnPi)

[https://youtu.be/wT9e6PYLQts?si=HfB\_DLYeOsxtpFUS](https://youtu.be/wT9e6PYLQts?si=HfB_DLYeOsxtpFUS)

[https://youtu.be/XlBOiw1ZxOU?si=4RyqokpM0gFmF8zN](https://youtu.be/XlBOiw1ZxOU?si=4RyqokpM0gFmF8zN)

[https://youtu.be/Kk-X7U6VGkk?si=i4\_tmsxyvYL0entO](https://youtu.be/Kk-X7U6VGkk?si=i4_tmsxyvYL0entO)

**Our Must-Do Attractions (in no particular order):**

The Flying Dinosaur – Jurassic Park (has a single-rider queue)

Hollywood Dream: The Ride – Hollywood (has a single-rider queue)

Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge – Super Nintendo World

The Amazing Spiderman: The Ride – New York

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem – Minion Park

Jaws – Amity Village (has a single-rider queue)

Jujutsu Kaisen: The Real 4-D – Hollywood

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**Closed Attractions/Rides for September 2023:**

Unfortunately, we missed out on these attractions due to their closure during our visit:

Shrek’s 4-D Adventure

Space Fantasy – The Ride

Jurassic Park – The Ride

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**Our schedule strategy:**

**Morning**

Upon entry to the park, scout for attraction-timed entry tickets (if it’s available)

Jurassic Park

The Flying Dinosaur: The Ride (8AM Timeslot)

If already busy: Single Rider

Minion Park

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (9AM timeslot)

Express Pass acquired

New York

The Amazing Spiderman: The Ride (10AM Timeslot)

Express Pass acquired

Hollywood

Jujutsu Kaisen: The Real 4-D (11AM Timeslot)

Early Lunch (around 11:30)

**Afternoon:**

Hollywood

Hollywood Dream: The Ride (12PM Timeslot)

If super busy: Single Rider

New York

No Limit Parade (13PM)

No Limit Parade Spot:

(1) Hollywood: Near Studios Star Restaurant next to Gramercy Park

(2) New York: In front of Spiderman

Amity Village

JAWS (14PM Timeslot)

If long queue: Single Rider (prefer not)

Harry Potter

14:50 Timed Entry

15:10-15:40: Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey (EP)

Flight of the Hippogriff (if too busy, skip)

Hogsmeade – butterbeer/snacks

Super Nintendo World

17:00 Timed Entry

17:20-17:50 Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge

Yoshi’s Adventure

**Evening**

Early Dinner – Jurrasic Park Food court

Waterworld

One Piece Premier Show (18:45 to 20:00)

Gate opens at 18:15 – aim to be there at 18:30 max

Hollywood

Hollywood Dream: The Ride (Backdrop) (Last ride before closing)

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**The actual day:**

We were staying near Osaka Honmachi Station and reached the park by 07:45. It took us around 30 minutes to get to the park via public transportation. The day was sweltering, with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius.

Around 08:00, they were letting people into the park.

**Morning:**

As soon as we entered the park, our first stop was the Flying Dinosaur. There was no wait, and we absolutely loved the ride, 9/10.

Afterward, we made our way to Amity Village and went to JAWS. The ride was a blast, 8/10.

We intentionally saved our Express Pass for Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and The Amazing Spiderman: The Ride when the lines got busier, typically over a 30-minute wait.

Next stop was Jujutsu Kaisen: The Real 4-D. We had a brief wait of about 15-20 minutes, but as fans of the series, we had fun for sure, 8/10.

As the queue for The Amazing Spiderman: The Ride started to get longer, it was the perfect moment to cash in our Express Pass. To our pleasant surprise, there was no waiting time, and we found this ride incredibly enjoyable, 9/10.

After that, we went to the Minion Park for the Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. Once again, our Express Pass came in handy to bypass a lengthy queue. It was a humorous experience, especially when Gru spoke in Japanese (Kansai-ben), 8/10.

**Afternoon:**

For lunch, around 11:30, we went to the Tokyo Jujutsu High Dining Hall, conveniently located near Minion Park. We were seated immediately and even managed to snap a photo with Gojo-sensei. The food was not only delicious but also aesthetically pleasing, though it leaned on the expensive side.

Following lunch, we scouted out our spot to watch the No Limit Parade, scheduled for 13:00. It was about 12:30, and people were already securing their spots along the parade route. We chose the Hollywood area near Studios Star Restaurant next to Gramercy Park, a recommendation for a prime viewing location.

I’d like to commend the USJ staff for their endurance in the scorching heat as they performed with smiles on their faces during the parade.

After the parade, we entered The Wizarding World of Harry Potter since there was no area-timed entry required on this day for this area. We savored some butterbeer and explored the shops while keeping an eye on queue times for Hollywood Dream: The Ride and Hollywood Dream: The Ride (Backdrop). By this time, the lines for these rides had grown to around 80-100 minutes, and the single-rider queue was also quite busy (also around 80-100 minutes).

After wandering around The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we headed to the front area to check out some shops and monitor the queue for Hollywood Dream: The Ride and Hollywood Dream: The Ride Backdrop. These queues had reached around 100-110 minutes, and the single rider line had the same queue times.

Around 15:00, we returned to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter as it was time for our next express pass, which was for Harry Potter & the Forbidden Journey. While the waiting times were slightly longer, the attraction itself was fantastic, although it might leave you a bit dizzy, 8/10.

We then explored the various shops in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. At almost 17:00, we headed to Super Nintendo World. This area turned out to be smaller than expected but retained the cool, true-to-photo appearance. It was also quite crowded. After some exploration, we finally used our last express pass for Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge. While we had to wait for a bit, the ride proved to be a lot of fun. I recommend trying it at least twice, as during your first run, you’ll still be getting the hang of the controls, resulting in lower scores. On a second go, it becomes much more enjoyable – 8/0.

**Evening:**

Following our Super Nintendo World adventure, we made our way to the Jurassic Park Food Court, which served One Piece-themed food. To be honest, my favorite was Zoro’s matcha warabi mochi dessert.

Around 18:00, we headed to the Waterworld, and this is where my little mishap occurred. I forgot to exchange our QR codes for physical tickets for the One Piece Premier Show. The staff directed us to the front gate. We had to hustle our way from the Waterworld to the front gate, which proved to be a challenge as the streets were blocked by zombies due to the Halloween event. Nonetheless, we made it to our seats just before the show’s start at 18:45.

Please note that the show was entirely in Japanese (this time without subtitles). Fortunately, I was able to understand around 70-80% of the show due to my extensive experience of watching anime in Japanese with English subtitles. My husband, who isn’t an anime enthusiast, even nodded off at some point during the show – but he said that his favorite character was Sanji.

The show concluded around 20:00, and it was evident that it wasn’t a low-budget production.

Afterward, we attempted to check out Hollywood Dream: The Ride and Hollywood Dream: The Ride Backdrop, but the queues were already closed due to waiting times still hovering around 80 minutes (park closes at 21:00). We decided to forego these rides and instead visited the shops before finally heading back to our hotel.

Attractions we skipped due to long waiting times included Hollywood Dream: The Ride, Hollywood Dream: The Ride Backdrop, Yoshi’s Adventure, and Flight of the Hippogriff.

Overall Impression:

This was my first time visiting a Universal Studios park, and it was undeniably a day filled with fun. It’s disappointing that we couldn’t experience Space Fantasy: The Ride and Jurassic Park: The Ride due to their closures, but we hope to catch them on a future visit.

Is one day enough for USJ? The answer is yes, but if I were to do it again, I might consider allocating 1.5 days to ensure we can explore everything the park has to offer. One thing is certain: I’m definitely looking forward to coming back!