Check out my updated and more comprehensive Ultimate USJ Guide and Tips to planning a magical experience.
Spend less time queuing and more time enjoying yourself
Hogwarts Castle where the ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey 4D ride is at. Credit: @Rachelwongggg
Universal Studios Japan is one of the must-dos in Osaka especially if you’re a fan of Harry Potter (*raises hand frantically). The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is without a doubt the main highlight while visiting. I mean who wouldn’t want to forgo our muggle (normal human folk) status for a day and immerse ourselves in a world of magical possibilities.
Growing up, I pored over the Harry Potter books and films. I even went to the lengths of rereading all the previous books whenever a new one came out (yes I read Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone 7 times).
Why spend time queueing when you can be enjoying a Butter Beer. Image Credit: @Rachelwongggg
So when I got the chance to visit Osaka with The Travel Intern, I jumped on the chance to visit Hogwarts at Universal Studios Japan. The problem though, is that despite the rides being in Japanese, there are still plenty of foreign tourists visiting the park on top of the locals. In fact it attracts on average 13 million people each year! Apparently waits of up to 300mins for a ride isn’t uncommon.
Having only a single day to visit the park, we researched extensively and finally came up with an ultimate guide to maximising your time at Universal Studios Japan.
Here’s a couple of tricks to ensure you get to experience everything you want in a single day:
1) Purchase your tickets beforehand
Universal Globe. Credit: @Rachelwongggg
While tickets can be purchased at the front counter, the lines can get really long. By long I mean really really long. Many unsuspecting foreign tourists end up queueing even after the park gates have opened. Can you imagine waiting outside while people are already streaming into the park? You can also purchase them online via the official website, but the ticketing site is only in Japanese. So unless you have a Japanese friend who can help you out, it’s literally impossible to navigate the site.
USJ is currently having their 15th Anniversary. Credit: @Rachelwongggg
Not wanting to lose out to the locals, we ended up booking our tickets to Universal Studios Japan via Klook. Activity booking sites like Klook work like online travel agents but without the frills. What I especially found convenient was their mobile app which allowed us to book on the go. The e-ticket was issued immediately and we simply had to scan the QR code at the entrance for entry. No need to collect your tickets beforehand or fear that you will misplace them.
The best part was that the price was literally the same! Actually it’s slightly cheaper. (Correct as of publish date)
– Single day studio pass outside ticketing booth: ¥7400 or SGD94
– Single day studio pass via Klook: SGD92
For first time users, there’s even an additional US$3.50 (or SGD$5) discount when you use my promo code <KLOOKTTI> on your mobile app. Simply click Promotions and enter the code.
Universal Express Passes can be bought too, though these are sold in limited quantities. If you can, book early!
Pro-tip: I highly recommend getting the Express Passes especially if you are going there on a weekend. It’s no fun spending an entire day queueing.
2) Arrive before gates open
A queue forming at the entrance even though we arrived an hour early.
This might seem like a very Singaporean thing, but trust me, there are far more competitively “kiasu” (eager) people than us. Despite getting our tickets earlier we decided to arrive at 8am, a full hour before the park opened. Yet there was already a decent queue in front of us.
When the park opened, people were literally running to their attraction of choice. Locals and tourists alike. We were a little too cool to run, but thankfully because of good planning, got to our first rollercoaster (Hollywood Dream -The Ride Back Drop) with only a 5min wait.
USJ in the evening. Credit: @Rachelwongggg
Do note that the park has different opening hours throughout the year so be sure to check out the official site for the calendar timings.
Note: We had bought some food at a nearby convenience store hoping to eat while waiting for the park to open. However Universal Studios very recently started conducting bag checks and disallowing food to be brought into the park. They weren’t very strict though, so you can probably still stuff an onigiri into your pocket. Just be sure to dispose them properly!
3) Grab a timed ticket first for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The Hogwarts Express complete with luggage and steam.
To cope with crowds flocking to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter during peak periods, a timed ticketing system was introduced. You basically need to get your hands on a free ticket that gives you a designated time to enter that section of the park. Without which you may not be able to enter and down your favourite butter beer.
Close up of Hogwarts Castle. Hogsmeade. Looks like the real thing in the movies. Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans. Fancy jelly beans!
There are two main ways to get your hands on one:
(A) Ticketing Site on the day of admission
What this means is that you need to rush to the ticketing site inside Universal Studios Japan at Central Park to obtain your timed ticket. Perhaps this was what everyone was running for. Once there, you simply designate the time you want to enter. Do note that the ticket is one-time use only, meaning you cannot re-enter using the same ticket. The good news though is that once you are inside, you can stay there for as long as you want.
For those who opt to do this, you run the risk of not getting the slot you want as there are limited tickets for every timing. I’ll suggest either getting an early morning or late afternoon slot so you have time to enjoy the rest of the park at one go.
Warning: If you’re a Harry Potter fan, expect to spend a longer time than expected inside
(B) Advanced time entry ticket with the Universal Express Pass
If you prefer not to leave things to chance, purchasing an Express Pass also gets you a timed ticket to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in advance. From what I know, only the “Universal Express Pass 4 – Flying Dinosaur” doesn’t include a timed ticket. You can check out the various types of express passes here.
Once you get your timed tickets, do keep track of time! You won’t be able to enter with the same ticket once you miss the time slot.
4) Queue at Single Rider Lanes
Get some minion buns and mochi to pass time while queueing. Super adorable!
For some reason, the Japanese don’t really like queueing at Single Rider Lanes even though it can be 50% faster. I mean when you’re on the ride, you can’t exactly talk to your friends too!
So unless you really need to be beside your friends because they are freaking out, hop onto the Single Rider Lanes instead. You still get to queue together and the only difference is that you’ll be sitting beside a stranger. By the end of the ride, you might not even be strangers anymore as you scream your lungs out together.
5) Rank the rides by importance and strategise
The park isn’t that big but on super crowded days, it might be tough to conquer all the rides. To minimise disappointment, I suggest coming up with a list of rides by importance and head to those higher up the list first. It’s easy to get distracted and explore the park by zones, but giving in to your intuition may not be the smartest thing to do. There’s plenty of time left to explore the shops and fringe activities if you plan your time well.
If you like thrills like we do, aim for the rollercoasters first because those will perpetually have a long queue.
Here’s a quick take on some of our favourite rides:
The Flying Dinosaur
Hands down the best rollercoaster in the entire park. If you only have time for one extreme ride, this is it. Imagine being grabbed by an out of control Pteranodon flying through the sky. Lots of sudden acceleration and drops.
Hollywood Dream – The Ride – Backdrop
The cool thing about this rollercoaster is that you experience everything backwards. Which means it’s super unpredictable and you won’t be able to anticipate drops and sharp turns. You can even select your own music track for the ride!
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
4D rides don’t get better than this. While it’s weird seeing Harry Potter talk to you in Japanese, the idea of zooming through Hogwarts on a enchanted cabinet can’t be missed. It was surprisingly thrilling for a 4D ride too.
The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman:
Experience fire and water as you follow Spiderman while he takes on villains in New York City. A really enjoyable ride with lots of well timed effects!
It might sound like a lot of work, but remember that if you arrive early, you’ll probably have an hour ahead before the park opens. Use this time to plan and maximise your time inside the park!
If you can’t wait till then, you can download the studio map here as well.
A visit to Universal Studios Japan can be a lot of fun, but if you really want to maximise your enjoyment, some preparation is needed. After all you don’t want to spend so much money only to spend most of your time queuing inside the park.
Hope found this post useful! Maybe it’s time to book your tickets to Universal Studios Japan now.
If you’re heading to Osaka, you might want to check out Osaka Budget Guide: Travel for under $70 a day including accommodation too.
Check out my updated and more comprehensive Ultimate USJ Guide and Tips to planning a magical experience.
Got another tip to share? Drop them in the comments section below!
People are running coz once you have entered USJ and ran straight to HP world, you dont need that timed entry anymore. And when we got to the forbidden journey, it was only a 30-40 min waiting time. We didnt even notice that 30mins has passed since the line’s always moving.Not many know this tip.but thanks to all these people running and us following them, we were led to hogwarts in no time. Haha Also if you’re lucky, there are days when a timed entry is not needed so you can go in and out of HP as long as you like.
Thanks for the extra tips!
Doesn’t purchasing via Kloosk violate USJ’s policy regarding third party sales? There is a warning about it on their site, that tickets purchased through ticket agencies will be nullified. Kloosk seems like a very smooth option to prepurchase tickets since it’s pretty much impossible to do it on their site, but it would be devastating to find out they were not valid once you got there… Going there in November and hoping for as little queueing as possible of course ;)
Hey Mona,
Klook is actually an official partner so it isn’t a third party site. :)
Hope this helps!
Yes. The disclaimer mentioning purchasing tickets via 3rd party or Travel agents will be nullified. I reckon buying from JTB should be ok too, since they are partners?
Hi Kamal,
Klook is an official partner so it’s fine!
yes! Buying from JTB will get you the official ticket stubs!
We got ours via KLOOK and entered using just the confirmation on our phones. Didn’t have to queue at the entrance!
Anyway I guess both options are ok! :)
About Klook, are the prices in HKD? it seems too good to be true at 548HKD? that’s way cheaper than the price listed on the USJ official site at 7400 yen including taxes. I also plan to go in November on a tues or wed to avoid the crowd. Do you know if there will be timed entry for harry potter? Thanks
Nvm i did the conversion wrong lol. But does it matter where you’re from? or is Klook only for HK residents? I am coming from Canada.
Hello I believe it can be used by anyone!
No one can really predict the timed tickets though. If you’re lucky you don’t have to get it!
Where can I purchase USJ 15th Special Express Pass?
You can try checking if the Klook app has it! :)
Has anyone recently visited usj with tickets purchased thru Klooks? Any problem getting in? I am still not v sure if klooks is an official partner of usj
Hi Teresa, yup Klook is an official partner of USJ. You can see it on their activity listing as well. No problems at all :)
Hi, I got in touch with Klook today and asked if they are an official partner. The support staff says they are not, but that they buy their tickets from an official partner. What’s the most recent date that anyone has tried going inside USJ using Klook tickets?
Hi April!
Actually they are and I’ve double checked on my end with the Klook management team and they assured us they are. They are looking in the case of making sure all their support staff is aware of what is happening. In any case the tickets really work and Klook is a legit company so not to worry!
Just to add. This is the link that shows that Klook is an official partner!
http://www.usj.co.jp/hk/travel/
Hi! I noted that they would conduct bag checks for smuggling food inside. How would they do so since there’s lots of ppl queuing ? Wouldnt it affect the traffic flow? I wanted to smuggle during my trip this november cause the food inside is expensive~~
They have a lot a lot of people checking.
But when we were there, they only checked the bags but not our pockets or jackets! :P
I’m sure things will change pretty often so be prepared!
Is it advisable to go on a weekday? With less visitors and less queue time?
Thanks
Definitely!
How about water bottle? I carry water bottle wherever I go.
Hi Hendric,
Did you get to try the Universal Cool Japan?
Any tips to get a hold of the entrance tix?
This looks awesome.
https://www.usj.co.jp/universal-cool-japan2017/evangelion/
Other than the page fully in japanese 😅
Unfortunately not. :/
Hi Hendric, what does your USJ Ticket that you got from Klook look like? Do you happen to still have it? Was is only valid on date printed or did it have a validity of 1 year?
Yup I do. There are a lot of Japanese/Chinese/English words and yes the validity is for one year! We didn’t test it though, but it did show 1 year.
Hi! Would you recommend a two day pass in Universal Studios Japan? We are planning to go on the 29th of October 2017 (it is a Monday) My family does not like to rush things. If we do it in two days, will we still need an express pass? Plus would you recommend staying at Park Front hotel or Hotel Universal Port?
Hi Pia,
It’s hard to say because it really depends on how crowded it is. If there are kids and you’ll want to try a lot of things then I think express pass is a must. But since you are spending 2days there, I’ll say play by ear and get the express pass only when you think you need it!
Regardless, you should arrive at the entrance early! If you’re going there for 2 days definitely stay near the resort. :)
we are planning to go to USJ May29,2017 do you think we should get a 2 day pass or 1 only? Do you purchase the express pass as you buy the entrance ticket?
Hub Elaine,
Yup you can buy it online via the link in our post as well.
If you prefer to travel slowly, take the 2day pass. If you love doing many things, take the 1day pass + express pass. We took the 1day pass + express pass as we were rushing to do other stuff.
HI,
Do you think its worth getting the Express Pass – Standard 4 if you are going there on a weekday? (Monday)? Or can you purchase tickets for the following individually.
1. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in 4K3D
2. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – The Ride 4K3D
3. JAWS
4. Jurassic Park
Thanks!
If you don’t mind some uncertainty, I’ll suggest deciding on the day itself! We happened to be there on a rare weekday with little crowd that made our Express Passes unnecessary!
Hi Hendric,
Are you suggesting that we should buy the USJ entry ticket online and only purchase the Express Pass on the day itself if there is a lot of crowd?
Thank you!
Yup!
But if you don’t want the uncertainty then just buy Express Pass first.
Hi!
If I buy the Express Pass, do I still need to buy the 1 day Studio Pass? Or the Express Pass is good enough for me to enter all attractions?
Thanks!
Hello! The Express Pass allows you to skip the queues for certain rides only. you will still need to buy the 1 day studio pass to enter USJ!
Hi. Will be going there on April. Would like to ask where did you hide your food and water? Was planning on bringing food in as well. Onigiri maybe or bento if possible. Thanks!
Hello! Have no idea how things are like now but back then we kept it in our pockets as they only looked into the bags!
Hi there, I will be visiting USJ in April as a solo traveller (on a weekday). Do you think it would be worth purchasing an express pass, or will it be unnecessary as I will be using the solo queues? Thanks for the post!
I would say assess on the day itself! There’s no way to know for sure.
Awesome article!! I’m planning on going next month, and see that there’s Cool Japan 2017 happening. I would like to do Attack on Titan and Conan, as well as the minion ride and spend most time in Harry Potter. Do you think one full day will be enough (the rest of the rides I don’t mind skipping, at least for this time)? We are planning to go on a Sunday late-April. The crowd seems average based on a USJ crowd predictor. I’m willing to purchase express pass, but do you think I need the Cool Japan express and another one for Harry Potter + the minion ride?
Also, do you happen to know if knowing Japanese is important to do the Conan event?
Hi Yuyu,
it’s been awhile since we last visited, although we will be heading there again very soon.
Harry Potter comes with the Express Pass. For Conan I think Japanese is important if you want to understand what’s happening. Even for the Harry Potter rides, everything was in Japanese!
Hi! I’m going to universal tomorrow January 2nd, just wondering how busy it will be and if its possible to buy an Express pass at the door? They’re sold out on the suggested websites.
Thanks for your time!
You probably can but queuing for express pass is going to be a hassle
Hi, I was when we buy the express standard 4 tickets on the japanese website, we have to choose the time slots to go for the express rides (i checked that only available times is around 4pm, which is rather late for me).
But if i buy through Klook i can use the express tickets the moment i reach in the morning after i enter USJ?
I believe so! Klook has limited tickets though, so it might also be the same case if that day is already booked up.
Hi, I was there yesterday. Your tips really came in handy! You are absolutely right. The park isn’t that big so if you plan your rides well then you may not need an express pass. We got there at 7.50am and the crowds were shocking. Shocking because after a year of so much order in Japan- nice neat queues even when cyclists are waiting at traffic lights for instance to…a crowd. Definitely not a place to go on a holiday like golden week.
It helps to go early with a child, because the kiddie attractions get full from around 11am…
Strangely at the queue for Hollywood Dream – The Ride – Backdrop; one couldn’t opt for backdrop or the ride- the staff direct you to the ride regardless of your preference. Flying dinosaur- adrenaline packed. Spider-Man was my last ride. Loved it.
Thank you for this review, very helpful!
Glad it was useful!
Hi Hendric,
We will be going there in Oct, do you have any idea that any locker in USJ that we could leave our luggage there?
As we might reach Osaka in the morning and go straight to USJ… We plan to buy express ticket, should be alright in we go on weekday right?
Hi Felicia,
Yup there are locker facilities outside and inside the park!
Weekdays weds & thurs are the best.
Hi❗
This coming friday we will going to usj for the 1st time 1.5day ticket we have no idea if we really need to buy a express tickets i need some advice .thank u
😉cathy
Hi Catherine! you can check out this other post that might help you make the decision. :)
Sorry for the late reply!
https://thetravelintern.com/ultimate-usj-guide-universal-studios-japan-planning/
Hi thanks for the helpful post!
One question: can the express pass be used multiple times?
Was thinking to get the Express Standard 4 pass.
Thanks.
Hi Victor! Nope the Express Pass can only be used once unfortunately.
Hi, we are planning to go in December 18 & we have 2adults and 2kids. The total price with express pass cost us $840+! Is it really a must to go since we have been to the Uss in spore?
Many thanks,
Suhaila
Hello Suhalia,
That’s a question that only you have the answers! I’ve personally been there twice and love it. But I’m not sure how bringing kids will be like to be honest!
The rides are different in SG
hello – i think you mean you pored over the HP books – not poured.
Thanks for the correction!
Thanks for the post, very helpful! Just wondering, did you buy an express ticket? I’ve just purchased one and I’m wondering if they’re only one use or not. What I mean is that I bought the 7 ride express ticket, does that mean I can use it on each of the 7 rides only once? Or is it unlimited use on each ride?
Hi Jeremy, it’s only one use! Each ride once.
Hello, for the Harry Potter timed ticket, we can choose our preference time to enter? It’s not like randomly given by the staff right?
Me and my friend bought the express pass however our entry time into Harry Potter is different and we ought to get a same time slot to visit Harry Potter together >_<
Hi Saffron,
Unfortunately the timed ticket is issued! If you visit during the weekday there’s a good chance you won’t need the timed ticket though!
great review!
I am just wondering, if my kid doesnt need a ticket to enter USJ….and both the parents get the express pass…can the kid follow the parents thru the express lane for the rides?
Hi Joey, that’s a very good question! To be honest I’m unsure!
universal studious japan is a nice place to travel, There are a lot of beautiful things available online.
Love it!
Hi, i am from a group of 3 heading there around March 2019 from 18 to 22, which weekday would you recommend for us to go? Also, should I get a 1.5 day pass? I am looking mainly to ride the harry potter ride and other roller coasters.
1 day should be enough!