After leaving Kyoto, I returned to Osaka. As for Osaka, although it’s the second-largest city in Japan, its level of development feels somewhat less advanced than Shanghai’s. Since I’m not particularly interested in urban tourism anyway, I chose Universal Studios as my main destination in Osaka. There are only five Universal Studios parks worldwide, and this was my second visit; the first was five years ago in Singapore. Back then, there were only four Universal Studios parks, but now Beijing has been added. Universal Studios Japan is about twice the size of Singapore’s, but it’s still not huge, and many of the attractions inside are designed for young children.
Compared to Singapore, this park adds areas like Harry Potter, Super Mario, and Spider-Man, but lacks Transformers, The Mummy, and Madagascar. It also features some uniquely Japanese elements, such as Detective Conan, Hello Kitty, One Piece, Gintama, and Doraemon. However, one drawback compared to Singapore is that all the attractions are in Japanese, so don’t expect to understand anything… Just go with the flow…
I visited on a weekday, which is definitely not peak season. The number of visitors throughout the day wasn’t very high. After skipping rides meant for very young kids and those that were too intense, I managed to experience almost all the remaining attractions and left by 3 p.m., even grabbing a big lobster meal at the Red Lobster just outside the gate.
The first attraction I headed to was Jurassic Park, which includes both a roller coaster and a river rafting ride. I skipped the roller coaster voluntarily, but the rafting ride was fine—perfect for seniors~~~
After entering the park, remember to grab a timed entry ticket for Super Nintendo World via the app. This area is truly magical, featuring characters that look exactly like those from Super Mario on the Switch—and they even move! Unfortunately, it was raining heavily when I visited. On a sunny day, the photos would have looked amazing and incredibly lifelike. As for the attractions inside, the lines were extremely long, and I heard the rides themselves are pretty boring, so I decided to skip them.
Doraemon is said to be a thrilling 4D roller coaster attraction that requires you to store your bags. This area represents Universal Studios Japan’s tradition of rotating themed experiences, and the Doraemon zone has likely closed by now.
I caught the tail end of the parade and happened to see Pikachu.
The New York area, found in every Universal park.
In The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the castle and train look exactly like they do in the movies, making it perfect for photos. The main attraction here is slightly thrilling—it simulates riding a broomstick in a Quidditch match—and the effects are truly impressive.
I also watched WaterWorld, an show featured at every Universal park. The only difference here is that it’s performed in Japanese~~
Overall, Universal Studios Japan is excellent. It’s easily accessible by public transport, the staff are very friendly, and there’s a wide variety of food options. Aside from potential language barriers, it probably has far fewer crowds than the Beijing park~~
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