Travel guide for Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, and recommended strategies on how to get on the popular rides including Super Nintendo World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

• Entrance
• Hollywood
• Amity Village
• Jurassic Park
• Water World
• Universal Wonderland
• Super Nintendo World
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Minion Park
• San Francisco
• New York
• Getting your Tickets to USJ

I did ALOT of research before visiting Universal Studios Japan. An overwhelming amount of research and most of the reviews we read online warned of really long wait times for rides. Universal Studios Japan is the busiest non Disney theme park in the world after all, with over 16 million visitors in 2023 alone. Looking for strategy to avoid the ques, want to know if the express pass is worth the exorbitant price? Read on to find out.

Universal Studios Japan Review

If you’ve been to the Universal Studios in Los Angeles, this is the moment to set your expectations correctly, there is NO studio tour at USJ. It’s purely an amusement park. Compared to Disneyland, USJ targets an older age crowd. Many of the most popular rides require the riders to be 4 feet (122 cm) tall and Hollywood Dream/The Flying Dinosaur requires a minimum height of 4’4” (132 cm). If you have younger children, many of the rides and attractions may not be suitable due to the violent and graphic nature.

The Park is divided into these areas and I’ll talk about them briefly later on:

1. Hollywood
2. Amity Village
3. Jurassic Park
4. Water World
5. Universal Wonderland
6. Super Nintendo World
7. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
8. Minion Park
9. San Francisco
10. New York

On the day we visited, the weather was fine but there had been a heavy down pour the day before which resulted in the closure of Mine Kart Madness the Donkey Kong ride. We had express passes for this ride as part of our Express 7 pass and got refunded at the end of the day by guest services on the way out of the park. We showed our express passes and pointed out the ride that was closed and they handed over a refund for that ride for each of our tickets.

There was no line when the park opened. As we had purchased express tickets, we were not in a rush get in the line for the popular rides.

I’ll take you briefly through each of the areas of USJ.

Entrance

At the entrance of USJ is a short walk through the gates before you go through a bag check. I imagine this has a large que before the gates open most days but as we entered just after opening we were able to walk right on through. Make note of the guest services office which you may need later in the day like we did.

Hollywood Universal Studios Japan

Hollywood

Hollywood is the first area you’ll experience after you enter through the main gates. The buildings are similar to Rodeo Dr. in Beverly Hills, and there are 15 shops for souvenirs and gifts you can peruse at your leisure. The main ride attractions in the Hollywood area are the Hollywood Dream roller coaster and Space Fantasy.

Mel’s Drive In – a hamburger restaurant’s full of ’50s atmosphere and some cool car’s out the front, perfect for a photo op.

Space Fantasy The Ride

This was one of my favourite rides and was an unexpected highlight of our time at USJ. The ride is a rollercoaster of sorts but indoors in a space based setting, it was a little more thrilling than I’d usually like but I went on it 3 or 4 times over the 2 days we were at USJ. We all loved it. Our 5 and 8 year olds loved it too although our 9 year old found it a bit scarey like I did. We give it an 8/10.

Hollywood Dream – the ride

My husband rode Hollywood Dream as a single rider since the kids were too small or didn’t want to ride it. The cool thing about this roller coaster is you’re able to choose the music that plays while you ride the rollercoaster. My husband picked a Taylor Swift song in honour of our Swift obsessed daughter. He would give it a 7/10. He says it was fun, but not extreme enough for his adrenaline junkie tastes. There is an option to ride this rollercoaster backwards – it’s called Hollywood Dream – Backdrop which operates on the same track but with trains that face the opposite direction. This creates a unique experience where riders cannot see what is coming next. Perhaps my husband would have found that more exciting?

Popcorn is available throughout the park in cute little wagons.

Amity Village

Amity Village has just one ride – Jaws! It is a themed area inspired by the 1975 movie Jaws, featuring a boat ride, a giant shark photo opportunity, and the Amity Landing Restaurant. It recreates the atmosphere of the fictional Amity Island with New England-style architecture and seaside shops. 

You can get your photo taken with Jaws by the USJ photographer (it was 2000 yen to buy the print and purchasing the photo is optional), they will also take a photo for you on your mobile. After the photographer packs up for the day you can take your own photos as you please too.

Jaws!

Jaws is a leisurely boat ride based on the 1975’s film of the same name, Jaws! This classic universal attraction is the last of it’s kind in the world and was a delight to everyone onboard. It’s suitable for visitors of all ages. Just be aware that Jaws will be making some appearances throughout so if you’re afraid of sharks, this may not be the ride for you.

The boat gently sails through the quiet town and is eventually attacked and chased by the shark before he meets his untimely end. There were loud sounds, interesting smells & a few thrills but all in all it’s a pretty chill ride. We went on this 3 times over the 2 days at USJ. If you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy rides with alot of risk, this one’s for you!

Jurassic Park

In Jurassic Park, there are 2 major attractions, Jurassic Park: The Ride and The Flying Dinosaur. Jurassic Park – The Ride is a water-based boat ride that includes a large drop it’s a classic, immersive boat tour that ends with a significant drop & splash. The Flying Dinosaur is a high-thrill flying roller coaster that suspends riders face-down and swings them around.  Not for the faint of heart!

The Flying Dinosaur

The highlight of the whole Universal trip for my husband was actually the Flying Dinosaur Roller coaster which is an incredibly long, state-of-the-art flying coaster with unimaginable ascents and drops. An out-of-control Pteranodon will seize you from behind and pull you high into the sky, with nothing but air space between you and the ground! You will be swung 360 degrees through the world of Jurassic Park. It looked like something I would never dare to ride in a million years but my thrill seeking husband said it was the best ride he’s ever been on. We did witness someone throw up on the ride so be aware when you’re walking underneath the roller coaster through the Jurassic Park entrance walkway.

Jurassic Park: The Ride

The Jurassic Park: The Ride opened in 2001 at the Osaka Universal Studios, it’s actually a mirrored version of the Jurassic Park River Adventure at Island of Adventure in Orlando but the ride in Japan has been modified from its American counterpart, with the boat hulls redesigned and the landing pond widened in order to reduce splashing, as Universal determined that Japanese visitors disliked getting wet. Personally that’s my stance too. Thank you USJ!

Jurassic Park: The Ride takes you on a boat ride through a river surrounded by dinosaurs. The many animatronic dinosaurs are lifelike as they move and make noises. In the end, the boat enters the laboratory where a T-Rex is attacking, and to escape the boat has to plunge down a huge slide at the end. I would have braved the big drop of this ride to experience this ride outside of youtube but our kids didn’t want to ride it and I wasn’t keen enough to do a solo ride. My husband on the other hand rode it as a single rider with just about a 20 minute wait and he enjoyed it.

There are three themed restaurants in the Jurassic area – The Discovery Restaurant, Fossil Fuels and Lost World.

I ate at the Lost World as they had a plant based menu.

If you’re in need of a quick refreshment there’s vending machines throughout the park and I must say the drinks are very well priced in Japan, especially at the convenience stores but even in the theme parks. At USJ they were about 200 yen for a 600ml bottle of coke. For comparison we pay $3.80 in Australia from the supermarket and sometimes as much as $6 for a 380ml can of coke at restaurants so this was a nice surprise. With all the walking we purchased at least 2 or 3 drinks from the vending machine each day on top of meals which also came with drinks.

The vending machines at Jurassic Park were super cute with the dinosaur theme.

The T-Rex having a coke makes me laugh.

Inside the Jurassic Outfitters store is my favourite part of the Jurassic area, it’s got an animatronic Raptor that moves and possibly reacts to you. Very cool. Fortunately, he’s behind bars so we don’t need to keep an eye on him when we turn our backs.

Water World

If you’ve seen the stage show in Los Angeles Universal Studios then this one is much the same except in Japanese of course. It is based on the action movie from 1995, Waterworld! The actors play out a fighting scene with jet skis, gunfight, and explosions which my 5 year old son found very exciting.

We actually had a timed entry for Nintendo World but as we were heading towards it we saw the next showtime for Waterworld was starting soon and decided to fit the Waterworld show in instead since it was right next door. We checked with one of the staff near the entrance to Nintendo World if we would be allowed to enter a bit after our allotted time and were told that was fine to do.

Universal Wonderland

This area is home to Elmo, Snoopy, Hello Kitty, and other cute characters. There are 30 different attractions in this area although if you have older kids I’d recommend skipping alot of it.

Universal Wonderland is really just for little children and we only visited this area on our second day in the park. We rode the Hello Kitty Cupcake Dream ride which had just a 5 minute wait.

If you’re a Hello Kitty lover there are quite a few themed shops and some hello kitty themed food here for you to enjoy.

Everything else in this area had a 30 minute wait time which seemed far too long for any of the rides in this area so we left pretty quickly. Since we had already been to Disneyland where the theming of the kiddie rides is alot more interesting to us than sesame street & snoopy etc we felt there was no must have experience in this area for us, Hello Kitty cupcakes aside. If we had younger children with us then it would make sense to spend more time here of course, but we’re past that stage of life now so this area wasn’t essential for us.

There is an indoor play area here with the Elmo’s Bubble Bubble ride which would be good place to be if it was a rainy day or you want a little rest out of the sun on a hot day.

Super Nintendo World

The newest area at USJ is Super Nintendo World. It’s also currently the busiest area and you need to have a timed entry ticket to enter or an express pass which has a SNW ride.

At Super Nintendo World you get to immerse yourself in the world of Mario and friends.

There are two areas here.

Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country.

Super Mario Land has two main attractions – Mario Kart Koopa’s Challenge and Yoshi’s Adventure.

Donkey Kong Country has one attraction – Mine Cart Madness. Unfortunately on the day we attended there was heavy rain the day before and Mine Cart Madness had been taken offline for unplanned maintenance so we didn’t get to experience this ride. Since we had paid for the express pass for this ride I was able to get a refund for it by taking our tickets to the Guest Services at the end of the day before leaving the park.

Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge

Yoshi’s Adventure

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

• The Weasley’s Car
• Hogsmeade
• Hogwarts Express
• Hogsmeade Village Shops
• Food and Beverages in Harry Potter World
• Butterbeer
• Shows and Entertainment in Harry Potter World
• Hogwarts Castle
• Black Lake
• A visit with Moaning Myrtle
• The Rides at Harry Potter World
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
• Flight of the Hippogriff
• Top Photo Spots at Harry Potter World

The main event in my opinion is entering the magic world of Harry Potter!

The Harry Potter World isn’t overly large, but it is jam packed and the theming is just amazing. We got lost in here for half the day and returned on day two for another few rides and to take more photos. The main attractions here are Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, Ollivanders’ Wand Shop, and Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster.

Whether you’re a hardcore fan of Harry Potter or simply a casual admirer, this place is a must-visit.

The meticulous recreation of Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios Japan offers an immersive experience that feels like stepping into the magical world of Harry Potter. The level of detail is astonishing, making it a standout reason to visit USJ, even if you’re not interested in any of the other attractions.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Japan is an immersive experience bringing the magic of J.K. Rowling’s series to life. In this article, we’ll share our personal experiences and insights, from the enchanting sights and sounds of Hogsmeade to the awe-inspiring grandeur of Hogwarts Castle.

The main attractions in The Wizarding World of Harry potter are the thrilling rides Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Flight of the Hippogriff but there are also many engaging and interactive activities and shows throughout the land. The wand selection in Ollivander’s Wand Shop and the Frog Choir are must-sees to ensure you make the most of your experience.

Additionally, the park offers unique dining experiences, including the famed Butterbeer, and a variety of Harry Potter-themed souvenirs for fans to take home. This magical destination promises an unforgettable experience for both Harry Potter enthusiasts and newcomers.

We subsequently visited Warner Bros. Studio: The Making of Harry Potter in Tokyo, and that experience was also truly amazing. If you are a big Harry Potter fan or even if you just love movies and seeing behind the scenes of film making, it’s well worth the visit.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Japan is an immersive experience bringing the magic of J.K. Rowling’s series to life. In this article, we’ll share our personal experiences and insights, from the enchanting sights and sounds of Hogsmeade to the awe-inspiring grandeur of Hogwarts Castle.

The Weasley’s Car

Have a photo in front of the Weasley’s car on the walk in to Hogsmeade. There’s often a bit of a que.

Hogsmeade

Walk through the entry arch to the meticulous recreation of Hogsmeade Village. The level of detail here is astonishing, making it reason enough to visit Universal Studios Japan even if nothing else interests you here.

Hogwarts Express

The first thing you’ll see once you enter Hogsmeade is the big red Hogwarts Express Train. The Hogwarts Express photo opportunity is currently closed but you can still snap your own photos in front of the train.

Hogsmeade Village Shops

If you are a big Harry Potter fan then you’re going to find it hard to leave the Wizarding World of Harry Potter without stocking up on some souvenirs. There are plenty of places to buy your USJ Harry Potter merch. Hogsmeade Village is jam-packed with shops that you will recognise from the world of Harry Potter including Ollivanders, Honeydukes, Zonko’s Joke Shop and Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment. We took home a couple of interactive wands and a sweet interactive owl – Hedwig, from the Owl Post & Owlery. Hedwig then sat on my daughters shoulder with a magnetic band for the rest of the day.

There are also quite a lot of false storefronts which you can’t enter but which add to the atmosphere of Hogsmeade Village.

Zonko’s Joke Shop

Zonkos has plenty of novelty items and jokes like in the Harry Potter films.

Honeyduke’s

Make sure you don’t visit Honeydukes on an empty stomach as you will end up spending far too much money in here. The shop is filled with goodies from the Harry Potter books so it’s great fun to simply browse the shop and see all the sweet treats on offer.

We managed to walk out of the shop empty handed but seriously deliberated over the chocolate frogs but decided against it purely because of money.

Gladrags Wizardwear

At Gladrag’s you’ll find fashion items and clothes, accessories and jewellery. From Gladrags, I couldn’t help but buy a Gryffindor robe.

Ollivanders and Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment

After you’ve been on the rides, and refuelled if necessary, I suggest that the first shops you should visit are Ollivanders and Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment which are side-by-side.

In Ollivander’s, you can join in one of the wand selection ceremonies. The wait time for the show is listed which can be as low as a 10-minute wait. a The wizard who hosts the show uses a mix of English and Japanese. He selects someone from the audience and tries to choose the perfect wand for them. After a few mishaps along the way, eventually, the right wand is chosen.

Between the two shops, you will discover wands of all varieties including Ollivanders wands, replica Harry Potter character wands, collectable wand sets and much more. I would strongly recommend getting at least one of the more expensive interactive wands so you can cast spells around Hogsmeade Village. There is also a wide variety of wizarding equipment such as compasses, binoculars, magnifying glasses and compasses, robes and ties.

Dervish and Banges

Head to Dervish and Banges for magical supplies and wizarding equipment like Spectrespecs, Quidditch equipment, and Hogwarts uniforms.

Owl Post and Owlery

At the Owl Post and Owlery you can send letters with a Hogsmeade postmark. The shop also sells stationery and writing implements, stamps, and owl-related toys and gifts. We took home a sweet interactive owl – Hedwig.

Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods

At Filch’s Emporium, you’ll discover Hogwarts-themed clothing and stationery themed for each of the four houses. You exit into Filch’s Emporium from Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

Food and Beverages

There are a few choices for food and drinks at Harry Potter World USJ and they all help immerse you further in the world of Harry Potter. You can eat at the Three Broomsticks (a traditional English tavern), drink at Hog’s Head pub, or down a Butterbeer from the two barrel-shaped butterbeer stands in Hogsmeade Village.

Butterbeer

Butterbeer is the most popular and iconic beverage from the Harry Potter franchise and of course you can have a taste at Harry Potter World USJ!

At USJ, butterbeer is a non-alcoholic beverage and can be bought from Three Broomsticks, Hog’s Head or the two butterbeer carts in HPW.

Butterbeer can be had in three different ways:

• Cold – Cold butterbeer is available year round. It has a butterscotch flavour with a smooth and creamy foam on top. I would suggest sharing a mug if you are unsure whether you’ll like it for your first try. I had a plant based butterbeer so I can’t comment on what the original tastes like but the plant based one is very sweet!
• Frozen – Frozen butterbeer is available when the weather is warm. The flavour is the same as regular butterbeer and the texture is quite smooth and much less icy than many slushies/frozen drinks.
• Warm – Warm butterbeer is available when the weather cools down. I haven’t tried it but it has been described as thick and creamy, with a taste that is a mix of butterscotch and pumpkin cider and laced with cinnamon and ginger. It sounds like an interesting alternative to hot chocolate.

Butterbeer can be bought in either a disposable plastic cup or a souvenir plastic mug if you want to up the authenticity a little. Regular butterbeer costs 800 yen in a disposable cup or 1400 yen in the souvenir mug.

If you are obsessed with butterbeer, there have been some recent additions to the range of butterbeer based treats. Butterbeer ice-cream is available from the butterbeer carts, and butterbeer potted cream can be found at Three Broomsticks.

Hog’s Head Pub

Hog’s Head offers a broad selection of drinks including Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice. If you’re after something alchoholic you can get the specially brewed signature Hog’s Head draft beer.

The Three Broomsticks

If you are feeling hungry you can head over to The Three Broomsticks. It is an English-style tavern with predominantly English food choices. The food is hearty and definitely tasty by theme park standards. You can enjoy food such as shepherd’s pie, cornish pasties and fish and chips. There are plant based meal options as well which is a treat! We had lunch at the Three Broomsticks, since it has plant based menu options for me.

While you can eat indoors and the inside of the tavern is atmospheric, there is the option of taking your food to the outside eating area so you can enjoy the great views both in the day and at sunset.

I had the Vegetable Irish Stew which was 2500 yen as well as the Plant Based Butterbeer which was 800 yen.

What does butterbeer taste like? I had the plant based one and it was very sweet. Similar to cream soda with a thick foam on top. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. The Butterbeer wasn’t really my thing but I’m glad I tried it.

My husband and son got the pork ribs which came with giant corn on the cob and my daughter got the fish and chips.

Shows and Entertainment

The Harry Potter area at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) features several street shows, including  the Triwizard Spirit Rally and Frog Choir. There is also a scheduled street performance of the Hippogriff Magical Lesson. We managed to catch a little of them all during our time at HPW.

Each of the performances occurs roughly every hour but make sure you check the show and attraction schedule for the day of your visit if you don’t want to accidentally miss out on the performances.

Hogwarts Castle

The most impressive part of Harry Potter World USJ is of course the recreation of Hogwarts Castle.

Black Lake

One of the must-see attractions at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the Black Lake (also known as the Great Lake). The lake was a major setting for the Triwizard Tournament in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and home to Grindylows (aggressive little water demons), Selkies (Scottish merpeople), and a partially domesticated giant squid.

The Black Lake is unique to Universal Studios Japan and provides a physical barrier that serves to set Hogwarts Castle apart from Hogsmeade Village which makes the castle look even more grand.

A visit with Moaning Myrtle

Fancy a trip to the bathroom? Even the toilet block is an experience in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As you enter the toilet block in Hogsmeade you can hear strange sounds including Moaning Myrtle’s voice and ghostly moans (though you cannot see her). She can be heard in both the men’s and women’s restrooms located in Hogsmeade. I thought it was a nice touch. The voice is in Japanese of course.

The Rides

Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey Ride

You take a nice scenic walk outside Hogwarts then through Hogwarts Castle until you get to the actual ride. If you have an express pass for the ride you’ll skip going through much of the castle though. We used our express pass on day 1 and then rode multiple times on day 2 without passes when the wait times were less than 30 minutes (keep an eye on the wait times through the day on the USJ app).

So what was the ride actually like? It’s impossible to describe unless you’ve ridden it yourself, but I’ll try. The roller coaster seats are on a track but you sit in them while you’re facing sideways rather than the front like you do on a regular roller coaster. The ride takes you on a 4D experience that has you flying on a broomstick with Harry through various adventures. From Quidditch match to escaping dragons and creatures, the flight takes you up and down and you feel as though you are really flying. It was definitely my favourite ride in the park and although I’m scared of heights and don’t do normal roller coasters, this one was bareable. If you are prone to motion sickness, it might not be for you.

Before going on the Forbidden Journey, you will be given a card at the locker entrance to store your bags and any loose items in lockers. Find an unused locker (a locker with a hanging wristbands), then lock the locker and pull the wristband out. You then hand a card back to the attendant and get back into the ride queue. After the ride has finished you can collect your belongings from the locker by going through Filch’s Emporium.

When you enter the loading area for the Forbidden Journey ride you will see the four-seater vehicles, or enchanted benches, on a constantly-moving track. The enchanted benches are mounted sideways rather than forward-facing and you’ll board the vehicle while it’s moving slowly on the track. The benches are mounted on a large robotic arm that can smoothly move the enchanted vehicle left, right, up and down.

The ride starts with Hermione sprinkling you with Floo powder and your enchanted benches will lift off the ground, so you’re suddenly soaring through the corridors of Hogwarts. You’ll then shoot outside and soar atop of Hogwarts Castle along with Harry and Ron. Your stomach may lurch as you shoot down towards the Black Lake. It’s a spectacular view.

After dodging and weaving through the buildings of Hogwarts, you’ll see Hagrid holding up an extremely large chain that was once attached to a dragon. You’re then ambushed by the once shackled dragon, a massively oversized and scarily real Hungarian Horntail. The chase is then on as you try to outrun (outfly) the dragon. At various points, the dragon will breathe fire and get a little too up close and personal. If you want to feel a little less heat, my advice it to sit on the further left chair when you’re hoping on. After evading the dragon, you’ll go in to the Forbidden Forest and have a creepy encounter with Aragog and his children.

While trying to escape from the clutches of Aragog and his creepy crawly family, you’ll fly straight into an animatronic Whomping Willow which will slap you right into the middle of a Quidditch game. After seeing Slytherin score a goal against Gryffindor you’ll be swarmed by dementors and chased down into the Chamber of Secrets where you’ll see the skeleton of the Basilisk. Here you’ll be swarmed by dozens of spooky dementors descending on you from every direction. After Harry chases off the dementors with a Patronus charm you’ll emerge from the Chamber of Secrets and fly over the Black Lake. As the ride enters its final stage, you’ll re-enter Hogwarts Castle to the cheers of dozens of on-screen characters which to me was a slightly abrupt and lame ending to an otherwise spectacular experience.

The mixture of incredibly detailed sets, sophisticated animatronics, video projections and the fantastically smooth motion simulation technology used all blends seamlessly to create a fantastically immersive ride. The sound effects and 4D effects used throughout the ride further heightened the experience.

The ride footage is 4K-HD film projecting at 120 frames per second which makes for a sharp and realistic video imagery experiencing.

Regardless of whether you are a Harry Potter fan or not, you really cannot miss Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. I would go so far as to say the Forbidden Journey was the best all-round ride experience of our USJ trip. I give it a solid 9/10.

Flight of the Hippogriff

The second ride in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is the Flight of the Hippogriff which is an altogether much tamer experience compared to the Forbidden Journey. It probably best fits into the category of a junior coaster which can provide family-friendly fun. It has a maximum height of 13 metres (about 43 feet) and hits a top speed of 46 km/hr (about 28 miles/hr).

Since I’m not a fan of heights and my husband and son had such a good time on this one, my daughter and I gave our express passes to the boys for this one so they could ride it a second time.

It’s a great introduction to rollercoasters for young children and would also be good fun if you prefer your rides mild rather than wild as the ride has a few nice dives, swoops and twists but the best part for many are the views of Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade Village. I have regrets about not riding this because of missing out on that as well as the photo taking opportunities in the queue which Hagrid’s motorbike and sidecar as well as his hut and pumpkin patch.

Give Flight of the Hippogriff a go if it’s part of your Express Pass, the queues are 30 minutes or less or you have young kids.

Be aware that if you’re on the taller side like my husband (6ft2) you’ll need to ride at the very front of the coaster or you won’t fit. The staff will check your height if they’re concerned.

Height Rules: Guests must be 92–195 cm tall.
Children over 92 cm but under 122 cm tall must be accompanied by a supervising Guest.

Fun with Wands

There are 2 types of wand sold at HPW in USJ, one with a sensor and one without. The one with a sensor gives you magical powers in front of 6 store windows where you can make objects fly and move. The regular wand is just for decorative purposes.

Where to get your Wands

There are a few places you can get your wand in Harry Potter World USJ, the first is from Ollivanders, You can get your wand at Filch’s Emporium or from a cart outside Hogwarts Castle. If you get an interactive wand make sure you test out your spell-casting skills at the eight different magic stations around Hogsmeade. You will be given a map with your wand which shows the Wand Magic locations throughout Hogsmeade. The stations are easily identified by both the bronze symbols located on the ground and the helpful staff ready to teach spells to budding wizards. Magically levitate quaffle balls, unlock gates, make a chimney flame, open suitcases, summon clouds, and make quidditch banners rustle.

Fund with the wands definitely added to the magic of our time spent in Hogsmeade Village.

After the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride experience, the exit door opens into the gift shop Filch’s Emporium which has the book of Monsters on display in a cage.

Meet the Hogsmeade Magical Creatures

We met this Baby Dragon at the Plaza next to Hogsmeade Station. The kids even got picked to have a photo with him which was cool.

You can meet a Pygmy Puff  in front of Zonko’s™ Joke Shop or between Honeydukes™ and Three Broomsticks at different time of day if you’re lucky or meet a Niffler in front of the Owl Post.

Top Photo Spots

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is filled with endless opportunities for fantastic photos but some of my favourites, in no particular order, are:

• Hogwarts Castle, particularly from across the Black Lake. The photos can be truly stunning when the sky is blue and the water is still.
• Hogwarts Express as it such an iconic image from the world of Harry Potter.
• Hogsmeade Archway as the archway and entrance sign are spectacular but they also frame the rest of Hogsmeade Village.
• Flying Ford Anglia to capture another classic image from Harry Potter.
• The interior of Honeydukes because it is full of light, colour and tasty treats.
• Outside Olivanders
• Hogsmeade at sunset

Minion Park

Take a walk through New York or San Francisco, depending on which way you’re coming and you’ll make it to Minion Park.

Minion Park is a lively and colorful area dedicated to the mischievous little yellow characters. The park bursts with playful energy, from quirky buildings and funny decorations to music that makes the whole place a vibe.

You can get an adorable looking Minion cookie sandwich over at Delicious Me. This was one of the things I wanted to do here but we didn’t end up having time as Minion Park was the last place we visited on our first day and we didn’t make it there on day two.

The main attraction in this area is Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem which opened in 2017, replacing the much loved Back to the Future ride *crying face* which was retired in 2016.

The Minion ride was just my kind of fun, thrill without the risk of actual danger. No heights, no possibility of falling to your death. Although your mind may need a little reminding of that occasionally.

You climb aboard a vehicle designed by Gru and enter his laboratory to begin the process of becoming an actual Minion! Under the supervision of Gru and his three daughters, you’ll dash through the air and back to earth, going upside down and round and round! Alot of fun. If you’re someone who gets motion sickness though I’d tread with a little caution. Perhaps try this ride before having a meal.

The only thing I didn’t love about this one was that we crashed into a number of minions on the ride and that just felt like unnecessary violence, especially for a ride aimed at little kids. Who wants to hurt those little cuties? Not me!

Since we visited in May 2025, a new ride has since been opened in Minion Park that replaced the Backdraft special effects show which closed in 2020. The new ride is Illumination’s Villain Con Minion Blast.

Compete in an interactive blaster game to become the newest member of the Vicious 6 by causing maximum destruction and collecting loot. Whoever scores the most points will be their newest member. Happy blasting and may the worst villain win!

You’re going to be provided with an interactive E-Liminator X blaster. As you stand on the moving walkway, you’re going to blast your way through 7 different scenes.

Along the way you’ll be able to switch between elemental blasts and more powerful launchers. Target power-ups to unlock new modes on your blaster so you can blast fire, electricity, and maybe even a few surprises! You can download the Villain-Con app to enjoy enhanced gameplay at Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast attraction and throughout Minion Park so you can sync your mobile phone with your blaster and choose your own villain avatar, track your score, upgrade your blaster, and more. If you’re a millenial like me and you’re getting over all the unnecessary apps and tech, then this probably won’t excite you either. But if you like this kind of thing, then the option is there!

If you’ve got little kids with you or it’s a hot day then the Freeze Ray Sliders is another ride in Minion Park but we skipped this one as it didn’t appeal to us greatly.

Don’t miss their giant gumball machine and mega-sized candies at Sweet Surrender.

You can get a Minion donut over at Evil Eats or grab a burger. There are a number of merch shops with Minion specific goods here too. If you have a Minion obsessed little one, this place will be their heaven.

San Francisco

As you go clockwise around the park, the next area is San Francisco. A recreation of America’s #1 port city with memorable neighbourhoods like Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown.

With its location right off the lagoon, this area enjoys the smell of sea air, just like the real port city. There are no rides in this area, just places to eat. Lombard’s Landing, Happiness Cafe, The Dragon’s Pearl and Wharf Cafe.

New York Universal Studios Japan

The New York area, has some cool looking buildings and alot of places to eat, but is quite underwhelming in my opinion at the current time. The only ride in this area is the Detective Conan 4-D Live Show: Jewel Under the Starry Sky which we skipped. Sadly the Spiderman ride which used to be in this area closed in 2024 due to the contract for the Spiderman licensing expiring and nothing has been announced as yet on what might be replacing it. There have been rumours about a Pokemon attraction which would be really cool, but that’s purely speculation at this point in time.

In this area you can see Kuromi Live: Kuromify the World Tour “Crystal Clear”, or the Melting Pot – A corner of New York which comes alive with excitement in a unique session fusing sound and dance or enjoy the Festival in the Park carnival games.

Enjoy some parkside italian cuisine at the Park Side Grille or have a slice of pizza at Louie’s N.Y. Pizza Parlor. If you’re in the mood for japanese then SAIDO is the place to go. It’s a stylish Japanese restaurant with the exterior looks of a Manhattan apartment.

This area also has a Universal souvenir shop.

Accomodation near USJ

During our visit to Osaka, we stayed at the Singulari Hotel & Sky Spa. This hotel is right next to the  Universal City Station (JR Line) entrance and was a short 3-5 minute walk though Universal City to the entrance of Universal Studios. It has a convenience store right next door as well. It was a very convenient hotel for our Universal focused trip to Osaka. The beds were the most comfortable (softer) than the beds the rest of our trip which made up for the lack of space in the room (once our suitcases were opened). It was a neat, quiet hotel with laundry facilities and a nice view of the Aji River, what more could you want?

We didn’t use the sky spa facilities but I did however, utilise the bathtub in every one of our hotel rooms every night which was so needed after long days of walking!

Dining at Universal City

Night one we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe which was quite overpriced and none of us really loved our meals. I’d give it a miss next time.

Night two we were in Dotonbori for dinner where I had vegan Burger at Mo’s Burgers at the train station while the rest of the the family had ramen which they raved about.

Night three I had pizza from a restuarant in Universal City while my husband and the kids had ramen at one of the other UC restaurants, which they LOVED.

Night four we had dinner at USJ at Louie’s Pizza.

Final Verdict on USJ

Our family had a lot of fun in the park, and we were able to enjoy ourselves equally on day 2 without the express passes HOWEVER the park was definitely much quieter than other times of year since we went in late May after Golden week was done, so do your research about the time off year you’re going. We were able to finish all the rides we wanted on both days before 6 pm and left the park exhausted but happy.

Getting your Tickets to USJ

Don’t forget to order your Universal Studios Entry Pass, and skip the queue with Express Passes through Klook in advance.  Express Passes regularly sell out so ensure you book early to have the best chance of success.

We hope you enjoyed reading our review. Have you been to Universal Studios Japan? Which one was your favourite ride? Let us know in the comment below.