Japan Day 3: Universal Studios Japan Was Worth Every Yen

If there was one day my kids had been looking forward to, this was it: Universal Studios Japan (USJ)!

We spent more than 8 hours in the park and somehow still didn’t manage to see everything. By the end of the day, we had walked over 15 km and were completely exhausted, but we had a great time.

The Express Pass: Expensive, but Absolutely Worth It

Before leaving Canada, I hesitated for a long time about buying the Express Pass. It’s not cheap.

After experiencing USJ in early July, I have zero regrets.

The park was incredibly busy, and standing in long lines under the summer sun would have been exhausting. Thanks to the Express Pass, we spent far more time enjoying attractions than waiting in line.

If you’re visiting during a busy season, I’d definitely budget for it if you can.

Harry Potter Never Gets Old

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter completely lived up to our expectations.

One ride wasn’t enough.

Both kids wanted to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey a second time, and honestly… so did I. It was definitely one of our favorite rides of the day.

Our Biggest Surprise: Snoopy!

The biggest surprise of the day wasn’t Mario or Harry Potter…

It was Snoopy’s Flying Ace.

We expected it to be a simple family ride, but everyone had so much fun that both kids wanted to ride it again. It ended up being one of our favorites of the day.

Yoshi’s Adventure… I Don’t Get the Hype

This may be an unpopular opinion…

Yoshi’s Adventure was probably the biggest disappointment of the day.

After hearing so many people recommend it online, I expected something much more exciting. Instead, we found it slow and not particularly memorable.

If we had waited a long time for it, I think we would have been even more disappointed.

Of course, that’s just our opinion. Many people absolutely love it!

The Heat Was the Real Villain

By the afternoon, the July heat became intense.

We found ourselves ducking into air-conditioned shops just to cool off for a while. Those breaks became a necessary part of our afternoon, especially after walking so much.

What About the Food?

Before the trip, I’d seen lots of photos and videos showing off the food at Universal Studios Japan, so I had pretty high expectations.

In the end, it was fine. Nothing was bad, but nothing really stood out either, especially for the price. We were there for the park, not the food, and that turned out to be just fine with us.

Final Thoughts

We had an amazing day at Universal Studios Japan. Between the immersive themed areas, the attractions, and all the little details throughout the park, it easily became one of the highlights of our trip.

Even after spending more than eight hours there, we still didn’t explore the entire park.

Would we go back? Absolutely.

Would we buy the Express Pass again? Without hesitation.

Coming Up Next

The next day was much slower paced, but a simple walk through Osaka turned into a lot more exploring than we expected.