Universal Studios Japan 2018
My first visit to Universal Studios Japan was way back in March 2007. It was a short visit, because my family and I were on a packaged tour, meaning that we did not spend the entire day at the park given the other parts of the itinerary. Coupled with the notoriously long lines at all the rides, and the fact that it was probably some kind of school holiday then, I only managed to cover a measly 4 rides that day. USJ in 2007 was very different from the park as it is 11 years later, without most of the attractions that are now drawing most of the crowds. The movie Despicable Me did not even exist yet, and the Wizarding World was probably in the infant stages of planning. With so much more to see and do now, I knew that I had to come back some day.
Before going into detailed comments about all the rides and attractions, here are some general tips:
Regular Admission Tickets
As all other blogs and articles would suggest, it is definitely a good idea to purchase your entrance tickets in advance, unless you are sure that your visit will be on an off-peak day (but you never really know) and you arrive early. Look out for crowd calendars online to have a sense of how packed the park could get during your visit.
Universal Express
Express Passes at USJ are exorbitantly priced and fluctuate with the seasons. Unlike other theme parks, Express passes at USJ do not cover all rides. Instead, you can choose 4 or 7 ride passes. Only a few fixed combinations of rides are available. For example, there is no express pass that includes both Flying Dinosaur and Backdrop. When I visited in the middle of May, the 4 ride pass cost ¥6,800, which was nearly as expensive as the regular admission ticket of ¥7,900. In comparison, the 7 ride pass cost a whopping ¥10,400. (It can even go up to ¥14,000 on crowded days.) Nevertheless, fearing that I would end up waiting in line for hours at some popular rides, I decided to go for the 4 ride pass anyway.
Getting there
Check the opening hours beforehand, and if you want to maximise your time like me, make sure to arrive at least half an hour before the advertised opening time. On the day of my visit, the scheduled opening was 9am but the gates opened at about 8.45. Since I wasn't that near the front, it still took a while to get through the turnstiles and by the time I rushed to my first ride, the displayed queue time was already 30 minutes long. That should give you an idea of how important it is to be early!
Rides
Hollywood Dream - The Ride -Backdrop- (x 3)
I rushed to this ride first because I did not have the express pass. It was awesome; I like the idea of not really knowing when the drops and turns are coming. I had so much fun that I decided to come back later in the day for another 2 rides even though on both occasions the waiting time was close to an hour. Another unique feature of the ride is the on-ride sound system - individual speakers attached to every seat with a total of 5 pop/rock song choices that will be blasted into your ears while you ride, making for a truly adrenaline-pumping experience.
Hollywood Dream - The Ride (x 2)
Surprisingly I found the regular front-facing version of the ride to be almost just as enjoyable as Backdrop. It is worth noting that the line for this one moves significantly faster than Backdrop, simply because they run 3 regular trains versus 1 train for Backdrop at any given time on the dual loading platforms.
Final Fantasy XR Ride
As part of the seasonal event Universal Cool Japan, Space Fantasy, a spinning roller coaster, had a Final Fantasy makeover. While the spinning element is absent in the Final Fantasy version, the ride was made super cool because it was transformed into a VR roller coaster. While obviously not as intense as Hollywood Dream or Flying Dinosaur, the VR element really contributed to an absolutely memorable ride experience. It was like a thrilling action movie and roller coaster all rolled into one. What more could you ask for! Also, fret not that this isn't a permanent fixture. Cool Japan appears to be a yearly event lasting 6 months each year, so plan wisely!
The Flying Dinosaur (x 3)
The main draw for thrill seekers at USJ is The Flying Dinosaur, a flying roller coaster that opened in 2016. Despite a widely reported breakdown that happened just 2 weeks prior to my visit, the ride still attracted huge crowds throughout the day, with waiting times hovering at about 70 to 100 minutes all day long. Fortunately I had the express pass for this, but even so, I had to wait about 15 minutes to ride. It was incredible; more intense than the flying coaster Acrobat that I tried at Nagashima Spa Land. I have to say though that the G-forces experienced on the pretzel loop are really intense (bordering slightly uncomfortable), but otherwise, a really fun ride.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (x 2)
Outside of the roller coasters this was absolutely the best ride, with stunning effects and elaborate theming. The entire queue is within the Hogwarts castle, full of interesting items from the books/movies, perfect for Harry Potter fans like me. I really enjoyed how close you get to all the action (props, animatronics and what not) while on ride. I guess it's just a testament to the impressive ride technology that made it feel like such an immersive ride even though the vehicles don't actually move very fast.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - The Ride 4K3D
This ride uses the exact same ride technology as the Transformers ride, which I have taken multiple times, so it wasn't the most surprising ride when it came to the special effects. With 4K projections it did feel much clearer compared to the Transformers ride in the Singapore park. As far as ride themes go, I also prefer Spider-Man to Transformers, so that was also a plus.
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
This ride is the centrepiece of the new Minion Park zone that opened in April 2017. It replaced the Back to the Future ride with a ultra-cute minion makeover. I was glad that they included English subtitles on all the pre-ride videos as they were all quite hilarious. It made waiting in line for the ride almost as fun as the actual ride with multiple waiting rooms showing different content that provided backstory and context to the ride.
Jurassic Park: The Ride
One of the classic Universal Studios attractions was modified to a River Rapids version in Singapore, so I was happy to ride the original version of the ride here. There are some merits to the Rapids version - faster currents in the later half of the ride, and spinning of the boat means that you won't know until you slide down the final drop if you are facing the full force of the splash (yes, not everybody gets soaked in that version). However, the drop is pretty short compared to the original version, which stands at about 26m or 8 storeys. That said, I was considerably disappointed, feeling that the drop wasn't as fun as I had anticipated. Perhaps it didn't help that I had already ridden on a couple of roller coasters before taking this ride.
JAWS
Another classic attraction, and despite it only being a slow boat ride, I found it to be pretty amusing. Even though I could barely understand the boat captain with my very limited Japanese vocabulary, she was extremely animated and I couldn't help but laugh at some of her antics. Sadly, I was seated on the right side of the boat, while most of the action tends to take place on the left side. Nonetheless I was really entertained.
Food
Didn't try any of the restaurants in the park, but some of the food stands sell some interesting items. I had the minion ice cream cookie which was delicious and perfect in the unforgiving heat. I also loved the butterbeer from the Wizarding World so much that I had two cups.
Waiting Time
I've read many horror stories of 4 hour waits at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flying Dinosaur. I wouldn't be surprised, because the peak waits when I was there on a Wednesday were already 1.5 to 2 hours. Oddly enough, the Single Rider lines don't really save you that much time unless you are really lucky. It occurred once where I entered the Single Rider line for Hollywood Dream and there were only 2 people in front of me, meaning that I basically got on immediately, but the second time I waited nearly an hour (with a similar wait shown for the regular queue). Usually, the Single Rider lines move excruciatingly slowly because for some reason, Japanese people love to travel in pairs. With most rides sitting 4 people in a row, that means that it takes really long for a single seat to become available. It is also good to know that waiting times displayed outside each ride are usually slightly overestimated to manage your expectations.
Other interesting stuff
The night parade is pretty spectacular. That's considering that I was never one who really enjoyed parades and shows in theme parks. The current lineup includes Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Transformers and Minions. Unsurprisingly I loved the Harry Potter part the most.
Overall thoughts
One of the downsides of an ultra-popular tourist attraction like USJ is the hordes of people. Waiting for hours for rides definitely takes away some of the fun. The admission prices are also pretty ridiculous (well, mainly the price of an Express Pass). It's crazy to think that you could spend about $200 for a theme park ticket. When it comes to priority queues, Disney's Fastpass system is without question the better system, coming at zero additional cost to the regular ticket, and only requiring a little bit of planning and strategizing.
Still, I really enjoyed all the rides thoroughly. Roller coaster enthusiasts may be better off visiting Nagashima Spa Land, which has more than 10 roller coasters. That being said, I thought that Backdrop was a really cool modification to an already enjoyable ride. I'm also happy that USJ has a ride like Flying Dinosaur - it's actually the world's longest flying coaster. I would probably wait till more new attractions open, e.g. Super Nintendo World in 2020 before I visit USJ again, but it was a memorable day for sure!
Before going into detailed comments about all the rides and attractions, here are some general tips:
Regular Admission Tickets
As all other blogs and articles would suggest, it is definitely a good idea to purchase your entrance tickets in advance, unless you are sure that your visit will be on an off-peak day (but you never really know) and you arrive early. Look out for crowd calendars online to have a sense of how packed the park could get during your visit.
Universal Express
Express Passes at USJ are exorbitantly priced and fluctuate with the seasons. Unlike other theme parks, Express passes at USJ do not cover all rides. Instead, you can choose 4 or 7 ride passes. Only a few fixed combinations of rides are available. For example, there is no express pass that includes both Flying Dinosaur and Backdrop. When I visited in the middle of May, the 4 ride pass cost ¥6,800, which was nearly as expensive as the regular admission ticket of ¥7,900. In comparison, the 7 ride pass cost a whopping ¥10,400. (It can even go up to ¥14,000 on crowded days.) Nevertheless, fearing that I would end up waiting in line for hours at some popular rides, I decided to go for the 4 ride pass anyway.
Getting there
Check the opening hours beforehand, and if you want to maximise your time like me, make sure to arrive at least half an hour before the advertised opening time. On the day of my visit, the scheduled opening was 9am but the gates opened at about 8.45. Since I wasn't that near the front, it still took a while to get through the turnstiles and by the time I rushed to my first ride, the displayed queue time was already 30 minutes long. That should give you an idea of how important it is to be early!
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| The Wizarding World of Harry Potter |
Rides
Hollywood Dream - The Ride -Backdrop- (x 3)
I rushed to this ride first because I did not have the express pass. It was awesome; I like the idea of not really knowing when the drops and turns are coming. I had so much fun that I decided to come back later in the day for another 2 rides even though on both occasions the waiting time was close to an hour. Another unique feature of the ride is the on-ride sound system - individual speakers attached to every seat with a total of 5 pop/rock song choices that will be blasted into your ears while you ride, making for a truly adrenaline-pumping experience.
Hollywood Dream - The Ride (x 2)
Surprisingly I found the regular front-facing version of the ride to be almost just as enjoyable as Backdrop. It is worth noting that the line for this one moves significantly faster than Backdrop, simply because they run 3 regular trains versus 1 train for Backdrop at any given time on the dual loading platforms.
Final Fantasy XR Ride
As part of the seasonal event Universal Cool Japan, Space Fantasy, a spinning roller coaster, had a Final Fantasy makeover. While the spinning element is absent in the Final Fantasy version, the ride was made super cool because it was transformed into a VR roller coaster. While obviously not as intense as Hollywood Dream or Flying Dinosaur, the VR element really contributed to an absolutely memorable ride experience. It was like a thrilling action movie and roller coaster all rolled into one. What more could you ask for! Also, fret not that this isn't a permanent fixture. Cool Japan appears to be a yearly event lasting 6 months each year, so plan wisely!
The Flying Dinosaur (x 3)
The main draw for thrill seekers at USJ is The Flying Dinosaur, a flying roller coaster that opened in 2016. Despite a widely reported breakdown that happened just 2 weeks prior to my visit, the ride still attracted huge crowds throughout the day, with waiting times hovering at about 70 to 100 minutes all day long. Fortunately I had the express pass for this, but even so, I had to wait about 15 minutes to ride. It was incredible; more intense than the flying coaster Acrobat that I tried at Nagashima Spa Land. I have to say though that the G-forces experienced on the pretzel loop are really intense (bordering slightly uncomfortable), but otherwise, a really fun ride.
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (x 2)
Outside of the roller coasters this was absolutely the best ride, with stunning effects and elaborate theming. The entire queue is within the Hogwarts castle, full of interesting items from the books/movies, perfect for Harry Potter fans like me. I really enjoyed how close you get to all the action (props, animatronics and what not) while on ride. I guess it's just a testament to the impressive ride technology that made it feel like such an immersive ride even though the vehicles don't actually move very fast.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - The Ride 4K3D
This ride uses the exact same ride technology as the Transformers ride, which I have taken multiple times, so it wasn't the most surprising ride when it came to the special effects. With 4K projections it did feel much clearer compared to the Transformers ride in the Singapore park. As far as ride themes go, I also prefer Spider-Man to Transformers, so that was also a plus.
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem
This ride is the centrepiece of the new Minion Park zone that opened in April 2017. It replaced the Back to the Future ride with a ultra-cute minion makeover. I was glad that they included English subtitles on all the pre-ride videos as they were all quite hilarious. It made waiting in line for the ride almost as fun as the actual ride with multiple waiting rooms showing different content that provided backstory and context to the ride.
Jurassic Park: The Ride
One of the classic Universal Studios attractions was modified to a River Rapids version in Singapore, so I was happy to ride the original version of the ride here. There are some merits to the Rapids version - faster currents in the later half of the ride, and spinning of the boat means that you won't know until you slide down the final drop if you are facing the full force of the splash (yes, not everybody gets soaked in that version). However, the drop is pretty short compared to the original version, which stands at about 26m or 8 storeys. That said, I was considerably disappointed, feeling that the drop wasn't as fun as I had anticipated. Perhaps it didn't help that I had already ridden on a couple of roller coasters before taking this ride.
JAWS
Another classic attraction, and despite it only being a slow boat ride, I found it to be pretty amusing. Even though I could barely understand the boat captain with my very limited Japanese vocabulary, she was extremely animated and I couldn't help but laugh at some of her antics. Sadly, I was seated on the right side of the boat, while most of the action tends to take place on the left side. Nonetheless I was really entertained.
Food
Didn't try any of the restaurants in the park, but some of the food stands sell some interesting items. I had the minion ice cream cookie which was delicious and perfect in the unforgiving heat. I also loved the butterbeer from the Wizarding World so much that I had two cups.
Waiting Time
I've read many horror stories of 4 hour waits at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flying Dinosaur. I wouldn't be surprised, because the peak waits when I was there on a Wednesday were already 1.5 to 2 hours. Oddly enough, the Single Rider lines don't really save you that much time unless you are really lucky. It occurred once where I entered the Single Rider line for Hollywood Dream and there were only 2 people in front of me, meaning that I basically got on immediately, but the second time I waited nearly an hour (with a similar wait shown for the regular queue). Usually, the Single Rider lines move excruciatingly slowly because for some reason, Japanese people love to travel in pairs. With most rides sitting 4 people in a row, that means that it takes really long for a single seat to become available. It is also good to know that waiting times displayed outside each ride are usually slightly overestimated to manage your expectations.
Other interesting stuff
The night parade is pretty spectacular. That's considering that I was never one who really enjoyed parades and shows in theme parks. The current lineup includes Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Transformers and Minions. Unsurprisingly I loved the Harry Potter part the most.
Overall thoughts
One of the downsides of an ultra-popular tourist attraction like USJ is the hordes of people. Waiting for hours for rides definitely takes away some of the fun. The admission prices are also pretty ridiculous (well, mainly the price of an Express Pass). It's crazy to think that you could spend about $200 for a theme park ticket. When it comes to priority queues, Disney's Fastpass system is without question the better system, coming at zero additional cost to the regular ticket, and only requiring a little bit of planning and strategizing.
Still, I really enjoyed all the rides thoroughly. Roller coaster enthusiasts may be better off visiting Nagashima Spa Land, which has more than 10 roller coasters. That being said, I thought that Backdrop was a really cool modification to an already enjoyable ride. I'm also happy that USJ has a ride like Flying Dinosaur - it's actually the world's longest flying coaster. I would probably wait till more new attractions open, e.g. Super Nintendo World in 2020 before I visit USJ again, but it was a memorable day for sure!
