Friday morning was an early morning as we were headed to Universal Studios Japan (or USJ as they call it). I had been to Universal Studios a couple of times in Hollywood, but long ago and never to the one in Japan. After some research, apparently it is SUPER popular, especially with the more recent additions of the Harry Potter area and Super Nintendo World.
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Running into Universal Studios Japan 🏃 |
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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter |
Super Nintendo World is so popular that you have to aquire a separate entry timed entry ticket to it, and even though you have bought entry into Universal Studios a lot of people can't get into Super Nintendo World!! On top of that, some of the rides are so popular with long waits (sometimes over 2 hours!) that they also sell separate "express passes" which allow you to skip the queues. But would you believe these cost and extra A$150-$250 PER PERSON on top of your park entry. I found that whole aspect a bit gross because that is potentially an exorbitant amount of money.
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We got in! Super Nintendo World |
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Sup Nintendo World was super popular |
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The layout was pretty cool |
Anyway, the other way to make sure you get into Super Nintendo World (which apparently was one of the main things Willow was looking forward to on the entire trip!) was to get there very early - at least an hour before the park opens (officially 9am) and as soon as you walk through the gates you go on the app to get a timed entry ticket into Nintendo, while you are running over there as they let a certain number of people straight in to Super Nintendo World without timed entry tickets at the start of the day.
I managed to get Ryan and Willow out of the hotel room at 7am, and USJ is only half an hour away so we were lined up at 7:30am. Of course there were already hoards of people there but I was pretty happy with our position in line. We were expecting to have to stand there until 9am, but I had read that sometimes they randomly open the gates earlier, whenever they feel like it. And soon enough the line began moving! And we were through the gates before 8am! Eeeeeeeep!!!!
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Mario Kart ride |
So we quickly hopped into action, half walking half running over to where Super Nintendo World is, and while we were I managed to get a timed entry ticket for us at 9am!! Woop woop woop! So then we quickly switched direction and went straight to Harry Potter land to go on the
Forbidden Journey ride there that normally can have at least a 90 minute wait.
I had looked it up briefly before, but Willow has never wanted to watch Harry Potter or read the books with me, despite my pleas! She will one day although it may be a bit scary for her yet. Anyway, I didn't even expect to get onto this ride as we didn't have Express Passes. Also, to go on you have to be 122cm and when they measured her she made it by barely a whisker! I swear it was her wild curly hair that got her over the line. Anyway, the staff were satisified she was 122cm so in we went! To be speedily walking all the way through the long elaborate lines through the castle at 8am (with Super Nintendo World entry tickets aquired as well) was a lovely surprise for me. We had to put our bags into lockers and then straight on we went! The 3 of us were in a carriage of 4 sitting in a line with the safety bars so big that we couldn't actually see each other but I could hold Willow's little hand. This was a simulator ride but it also moved along on a track (which I didn't appreciate when I looked it up) so moving along it was quite scary, flying along with Harry. Then it suddenly took a turn with a dragon breathing fire on us from the screen, but then it was a dragon breathing real smoke onto us next to the track we were on! It was pretty terrifying (but also fun and hilarious) and then there were massive spiders!!! Oh god the spiders! So I was yelling out to Willow apologising for the ride being so scary and telling her to close her eyes (as that's what I was doing with the spiders). Anyway, the ride was actually awesome, Willow survived, and I would have liked to have gone on it again, more prepared, but the wait time didn't dip under 70 minutes for the rest of the day.
So over to Super Nintendo World with our special tickets! The whole area looks amazing and I can imagine anyone that grew up with Nintendo must have been in absolute heaven. Willow had a "power up" band that she got from her school friend who went there last year - what a money saver as those things cost about $40. Willow got to go around and hit cubes to get points just like she was in a real game. Ryan took Willow around the various things - I waited for them on a mushroom but it was all a bit lost on me, not being a massive Nintendo fan, and when Ryan said they had inadvertently joined a 50 minute queue for the Mario Kart ride I decided to go and take a wander around the rest of Universal Studios, which was pretty cool.
Not too long later we reunited and went to Minion Park - one ride which was a bit lame for the wait but the Despicable Me simulator ride was awesome! Then we went on the Jaws ride - super old school, but hilarious, especially when it is all in Japanese. Then over to the Waterworld stunt show - that was quite a highlight actually, and Willow had her hand over her mouth in shock and horror at one stage! She was very pleased that a girl was the hero of the day.
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In Minion Park |
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The Waterworld show |
By about 4:30 we were pretty ready to leave, which seemed early, but I guess we had been there since 7:30. So we went back to the hotel for a super quick refresh, and then back to Dotonbori for some dinner. It was already heaving being a Friday night at 6:30pm and we just wanted somewhere pretty quick and easy, so guess what - stick place it was!! Haha. So we ate more random sticks, which are actually called
kushikatsu, along with our favourite takoyaki and pickled cucumber of course!
Ryan was not sticked-out yet so stopped by a street stall to get some famous (and expensive) Kobe and Wagyu beef skewers on the way home. Phewee!!
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Dotonbori by night |
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Kushikatsu |
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Ryan got some Kobe and Wagyu skewers |