Japan Summer Trip. Day 7: Universal Studio Japan

- June 05, 2015

The iconic symbol of USJ was the focal point of our visit.

We didn't plan to go to USJ while in Osaka, as we wanted to go on a weekday. We wanted to go to USJ while in Kyoto, but it was an hour from the station. We had to change trains twice to arrive at the Universal City station. We had to crowd onto the train, starting early in the morning.

While we managed to reach Universal City before 8 am, the USJ was scheduled to open at 9:30 am. We took the opportunity to wander around the city.

We went to Universal Studios Singapore a few years back. But certainly each park would have its own uniqueness. Of course, Harry Potter was the highlight of the day....

The shopping mall is located between Universal City station and USJ.

Prior to entering the theme park, Nu'man did plan which one we should go to first!

A long queue even on a weekday.

We bought the USJ ticket with the 7 Universal Express Passes, including the Backdrop ride. My wife planned most of the USJ attractions. Before lunch, we enjoyed rides on Jaws, Back to the Future, Backdraft, Space Fantasy, Spiderman, and the Backdrop. Most of these rides used the Express Pass, with which we could beat the queue for the maximum of 7 attractions, including the most thrilling roller coaster, the Backdrop.

The atrium at the entrance reminds me of the same setup at Universal Studios Singapore.

We took a ride that we would think of having fewer people on.

We were actually not allowed to take pictures during any of the rides in the park.

The souvenir shop was still not open for business.

Minion popcorn

I wished that I could bring this car home.

I enjoyed experiencing how a movie scene was created in the Backdraft studio.

The minion family

Pizza restaurant

The Spider-Man ride was awesome

The park lacks benches, I would say.

Among the big replicas in the park.

This ride is sponsored by Docomo

Our lunch for the day: white rice, prawn tempura, potatoes, and yogurt.

There is a time slot to take two rides in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter area, which are the Flight of the HippogryphTM and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. We were given a time slot between 2:45 pm and 3:30 pm to ride both. I alone have ridden Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, as my wife doesn't want to and Nu'man can't.

Nope, you cannot drive around in the Weasley fathers' car in the park.

The Hogwart Express: we need to ask the ticket attendant to take a picture with him

Somehow, I couldn't locate the Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Nu'man searched for his wand.

Street performance by the English artists.

T The path leads to Hogwarts Castle.

The Quaffle, Bludgers, and Snitch used in the Quidditch Games

The wizard school entrance

The amazing talking pictures are pretty scary, though.

At last, we were able to take the picture with him.

Most of the next attractions in the New Wonderland are only enjoyed by Nu'man. The theme park closed at 6:30 pm and we still got at least two hours in the park. After all, we were glad, as we were able to experience most of the attractions even though we missed several timely shows.