Universal Studios Japan Vs. Universal Orlando Resort

"IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GUNNA DIE"

If there is one thing I hate more than anything, that’s being scared. Scary movies, haunted houses, the whole thing is just not my scene. I actively avoid it during the fall season so far as refusing to watch previews about scary movies on television. However, one thing I am known for is being a theme park junkie. I love theme parks and I’m sure my blog reflects that well. So naturally when my friend Michelle baited me with the proposition to see Universal Studios Japan by accompanying her to Halloween Horror Nights, I took it hook, line and sinker. 

Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is located in Osaka. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Japan, Osaka is located on the lower half of the country near Kyoto and about a 2 hour plane ride south from Tokyo. Tokyo is where the Disney parks are located so don’t confuse this for an Orlando, Florida situation where the parks are 15 minutes apart by driving. 

Unlike Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, USJ is comprised of only one park and their own version of City Walk. You can easily access the entrance by taking the subway from Osaka Train Station and following the crowds right into City Walk. From there you will be lead straight into the park. Essentially the park follows a circle shape and gives more of a Universal Studios vibe (hence the name) than an Island of Adventures one for those of you who have been to Orlando. 

The City Walk sign

Entering Universal

If you’re familiar with Universal and debating on if you should go, here are my thoughts. 

The Cons:

The park is not very big and most definitely would not take all day to get through unless you hit every single ride, parade and so forth. The lines tend to get a little long due to the fact that there are not a huge amount of thrill rides. Michelle and I did choose to ride single rider for some rides and cut our wait times drastically, even walking right on to Jaws. They have a Harry Potter Hogsmeade section that is IDENTICAL to the one in Orlando, a Jurassic Park water ride that is pretty much the same, a Spider-Man ride I believe that is the same and even a Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster rip off that doesn’t even go upside down. 

The Hogwarts Castle with the Forbidden Journey ride inside. I read on the map you could still walk through the castle with out having to ride the ride but we were already on our way out when I found out.

The flying Ford Anglia welcoming you in

I loved some of their merchandise I had not seen at other parks

Waving goodbye to Michelle on the Hollywood Dream (aka Rip, Ride Rockit). One thing unique about the ride is that they have a special cart that sends you through the entire ride backwards!

The Pros:

They have some unique/still in operation rides like the previously mentioned classic, Jaws and a roller coaster in Jurassic Park that I am petitioning to be put into the Orlando park immediately called “The Flying Dinosaur.” Literally the coolest roller coaster I’ve been on in years! They also have an entire minion land that is pretty adorable. If you’re visiting around Halloween the price of a park ticket includes the Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses, scare zones and shows (yaaaaay...). And lastly, it’s only 65 dollars for a ticket! Crazy cheap!

The Flying Dinosaur ride was a two hour wait but worth it!

Yikes...

Being lifted horizontally for the ride

Minion Land

Girls pretending to be in a tug of war with the minions

Me as the fluffy unicorn

Me with a fluffy unicorn

So much detail

So cool to relive the Jaws ride!

But I did forget how scared of the ride I was. Look at the size of him!

The Food:

Pork bun

The food was, per usual theme park standards, way over priced but one thing about Japanese food is that it is all so cute!

Cold cocoa drink

For lunch I packed some food to save money but eventually needed dinner and went with the cheapest/best deal we could find which was 1,190 yen (around 10 or 11 USD) for a slice of pizza, fries and a drink. I did my signature no ice to get more pop move which promptly backfired in my face as they gave me a smaller, designated “no ice cup” AND didn’t even fill it all the way. If you like fountain drinks and you are from the United States, consider yourself lucky because the rest of the world is over priced, stingy and you NEVER get refills. 

We also checked out “Fossil Fuels” in the Jurassic Park area. It had french fries with a variety of toppings on it. I settled for the potato salad topping. Potatoes on potatoes how can you go wrong? Only complaint was the size, too small of a serving for 500 yen (about 4.50 USD).

Michelle has a food blog called @Shellisnacks and travels the world trying out different foods. She is also a lover of all things Hello Kitty so we bought a bunch of Hello Kitty snacks at the park like the ones pictured above.

They seemed to have a variety of food for everyone though especially at City Walk. Just be warned that once you leave the park you cannot enter back in if you purchased a one day pass.

Halloween Horror Nights and Halloween:

Holding on for dear life and we weren't even at the houses yet

The Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) aspect of the night was all new to me since I refuse to participate in Orlando. Based on Michelle’s comparisons though, the event is completely different than the one in Orlando. One noticeable comparison is that their HHN is included in the price of a one day ticket, meaning they won't kick you out once night comes. The streets were very crowded with people that I assume were left over from the morning part of the day which didn’t make for a very “scary” atmosphere. The haunted houses had decent lines to get in but I liked the variety they offered such as a zombie house, a Chucky doll house and a ghost ship house. All of which I hated immensely but could see the appeal for thrill seekers.

It literally says "please be cautious if you are uncomfortable with horror-themed content"... HELLO KASEY

Thankfully they did have things more my speed, like trick-or-treating

Snoopy passing out candy as a mummy

They had a street that was their Halloween Market. You could get treats such as a Chucky themed Hello Kitty filled with tomato curry.

Overall I think the park is worth a visit! If you ever find yourself in Osaka, let me know how you like the park. Follow me on Instagram, @KaseyMeetsWorld, for more pictures of my travels.