Universal Studios Japan
I made it, finally, to all the Universal theme parks worldwide! USJ has long been on the bucket list for me and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to go. Had read online that the park opened early and it opened an hour before scheduled open time on both days. I did a full day on day one, and left at 4:30 on day two as I needed to catch a flight. Tuesday 29/Weds 30 August.
Layout wise, this has lots of similarities to Universal Studios Florida. I had read prior the sight lines were poor, and wow, you can see everything from everywhere. Particularly funny was Hogwarts castle and Jurassic flyers in the background on the Jaws ride.
Single ride queues - absolutely brilliant. That said, the queue times listed were wildly inaccurate. My longest actual wait was 45 minutes, and typically way under 30. I got a lot more done than I initially thought I would. As with everything in Japan, the efficiency is quite fantastic.
Food I tried was the smoked chicken leg (nice), minion ice cream sandwich (yummy), soup, treacle tart and a beer at three broomsticks (v good), popcorn (the best).
Super Nintendo World - fantastic. Visually like stepping into a Nintendo game. I headed straight there on opening but you needed a virtual queue time from the get go. I got one for 9am day one, and then purposely a bit later for 11:30 on day 2. Thought the Mario Kart ride was a lot of fun, especially once I got the hang of it. Interestingly I found the VR element better in the back row of the vehicle. Yoshi was a cute ride, though once was enough.
Flying Dinosaur - I found this really intense, the forces at two moments in particular were very strong and caught me off guard the first time I rode.
Jurassic Park - this was in amazing shape, just seemed to be one of the spitting dinosaurs broken inside. I’m surprised to read its closing for an extended refurb - must be to turn it into Jurassic World
Spider-man - v similar to Orlando from what I remember, although with a dual load. Sound levels seemed a bit on the quiet side.
Jaws - what a trip down memory lane. The nostalgia of getting to ride this was fantastic. All in Japanese of course but very easy to follow if you know the ride.
Hollywood Dream - great fun, chose Taylor Swift every time. Backdrop was VERY enjoyable.
Doraemon XR - overlay on Space Fantasy. Never heard of this character but the Japanese seemed to love it. Wearing the VR headsets was pretty cool, made for a new coaster experience for me. I’m assuming the ride usually spins, they were only loading the front two seats.
Minion Mayhem - same video as other parks except using the old BTTF ride system
Forbidden Journey - same as other parks, no singles queue currently, rerouting everyone up to the top of greenhouse stairs and down the walkways, and into the castle at the bottom. Speaking to someone, SR had been open the day before so maybe they are doing some refurb work on the queue.
Waterworld - I have now seen this in Japan, Beijing, Singapore and Hollywood, so in three different languages. Always impressive.
All in all, a really great park, clearly loved by all the locals. It’s a real mix-match of everything. Classics rides, immersive lands, anime overlays. Very unique but a great vibe.
Day one
Flying Dinosaur SR - posted 20 actual 0
Spider-Man SR - posted 10 actual 5 mins
Yoshi Adventure - posted 25 actual 20
MarioKart SR - posted 30 actual 25
MarioKart SR - posted 50 actual 25
MarioKart SR - posted 40 actual 5?!
Jaws SR - posted 40 actual actual 20
12pm Waterworld
Hollywood Dream SR - posted 80 actual 20
Doraemon XR SR - posted 80 actual 15
Doraemon XR SR - posted 80 actual 35
Minion Mayhem SR - posted 30 actual 0
Jurassic Park SR - posted 10 actual 5
Jurassic Park SR - posted 10 actual 5
Hollywood Dream SR - posted 70 actual 30
Spider-Man SR - posted 50 actual 35
Jaws SR - posted 45 actual 5
Forbidden Journey - posted 40 actual 30
Day two
Hollywood Dream Backdrop - posted 45 actual 10
Flight of Hippogriff - posted 30 actual 15
Forbidden Journey - posted 30 actual 15
Forbidden Journey - posted 70 actual 35
Jaws SR - posted 30 actual 10
Jurassic Park SR posted 40 actual 15
Flying Dinosaur SR posted 50 actual 5
Mario Kart SR posted 60 actual 20
Mario Kart SR posted 40 actual 25
Spider-Man SR posted 20 actual 5
Doraemon XR SR posted 90 actual 45
Minion Mayhem posted 30 actual 10
Jaws SR posted 30 actual 10
Hollywood Dream posted 80 actual 20