The thought of visiting Universal Studios Japan had never crossed my mind even though I was at Osaka. But we made it this round! Thanks to my sister, who included USJ in our Osaka/Kyoto trip itinerary for the sake of her kids.
There are a few tips that I would like to give on this post so that your experience at USJ would be a better one.
Early morning while we were preparing for USJ, the crowd was practically swarming in like a group of ants as seen from our Hotel Universal Port room window.
#Tips 1: By any means, avoid visiting USJ on weekends!
Adult 1 Day Pass 6,600yen
With this amount of patrons, we managed to get our tickets in 5 minutes....at hotel counter.
#Tips 2: Walk 5 minutes to Hotel Universal Port USJ counter or any hotels nearby to buy the tickets instead of queuing up for hours. The rate will still be the same anyway.
This is a very important tips because we were this close in queuing for hours if we ever opted to utilize few hundred yen discount that came along with Osaka Unlimited Pass. I personally would prefer to spend more time inside than outside, at the ticket counter.
Take note that this ticket can only be used per entry despite the wording of "1 Day Pass" might suggests unlimited entry in a day. More information on the ticketing here.
#Tips 3: Try your luck if you were to buy Universal Express Pass.
On certain popular attractions, USJ was considerate enough to open an extra lane called the Express Lane, which you'll have to pay extra too: 4,900 yen for 7 attractions or 3,200 yen for 4 attractions. It was a gamble of luck if you were to ask me; whether how many would think alike as you.
#Tips 4: You may not need a bazooka lens to shoot Hello Kitty san.
#Tips 5: Bring your own picnic mat.
There wasn't enough seats for all so bringing your own picnic mat might be an easier solution than sitting on the floor. No worries on coins thrown to you, everyone does it here.
#Tips 6: Take a peek on others' fashion. They might surprise you sometimes.
#Tips 7: Bring your own bento set
With the crowd queuing at every stalls and restaurants, you wouldn't want to spend at least half an hour just to have a seat. Furthermore, all the food is expensive here due to the label of tourist attraction marked on USJ. Buy yourself a merchandise of 2,500 yen (RM100 conversion at that time) than having the most expensive pizza of my life.
#Tips 8: Get a map if you have certain attractions in mind.
Universal Studio Japan is too huge to be explored in only one day. If you would like to plan ahead, check out the showtimes at their official website.
Though Universal Studio Japan has all the signs in English (due to the obligation), somehow it doesn't cater to foreigners or what Japanese would call Gaijin (外人).
#Tips 9: Be there during festive season (particularly Halloween).
Though Halloween (31st October) might appear to be a one day festive and not widely celebrated in Malaysia, it is the opposite for Japan. Well, not the typical trick-or-treat that has got the attraction of Japanese, but rather the idea of dressing up (cosplay) and horror parties. USJ has made it even more celebrated with its alternating halloween nights where their staffs will dress up like zombies, vampires or scary doctors/nurses and chasing you all the way. A fairy-tale kids like wonderland turns into resident evil/van helsing land after the sunset. Experience of 2 worlds for the price of 1.
#Tips 10: Dress up your kids and take some memorable photos
More photos on Japanese dressing up for the Halloween festive on my coming posts. Oh, and much much more Universal Studio Japan photos too. Stay tuned!