Japan Trip 2018 - Day 9

Universal Studios Japan


Time to visit another theme park!

Cursed with wet weather at Disneyland last week, we were super excited to see the clear blue sky.
Ladies and gentlemen...... It's time to say hello to Harry Potter, The Minions, Spiderman and many more.

The following was the route we took to Universal Studios Japan

1. Namba Station (Hanshin Namba Line) to Nishikujo Station
2. Nishikujo Station (Sukarjima Line) to Universal City
3. Walk to Universal Studio

Train ride to USJ - the seats were super comfy!

YES! We've arrived!

You simply cannot lose your way to Universal Studio because there will be a ton of people on the train or walking towards the park.
We were there on a Monday and the park was super crowded with not only tourists but locals as well. We had purchased our entrance tickets in advance from Klook and entering the park was a breeze. Just show your voucher, scan the bar code and you are in! No need to queue. So I will strongly advise anyone visiting to buy the tickets online before visiting. The prices are about the same, be it online or at ticketing entrance but you save the hassle of waiting in line. And time is of essence when you visit the park as you will want to maximise your ticket value by being in the park and not in the queue.

At Universal Walk

The mandatory shot

As we smirked pass the snaking queue with our pre-purchased tickets, the first thing we did was to charge towards The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Now, this attraction is so popular until there is a need to issue a timed entry ticket during peak hours. You can read about the system here.
However, we were lost on the way to the ticketing site (I tell you, this park is HUGE!) and while checking with the staff for directions, we were informed that the timed entry ticket was not necessary for the day as the crowd was of a manageable size. What a blessing in disguise for losing our way! So we proceeded directly to this attraction happily.
The path towards the attraction entrance was set in the "Forbidden Forest" setting, complete with sinister sound effects and realistic props from the series. I wished I had taken photos of this forest to share with all of you but I was too mesmerised by the overall setting until I forgot all about it.
Walk pass the entrance and you will see the Hogwarts Express for photo opportunity.
Now from this point onwards, I was in a surreal state of fiction and reality. Every single details in this area were not overlooked - the intricate carvings on the buildings, the cobbled streets and the majestic-looking Hogwarts castle which took my breath away. I just stood in awe, admiring the castle and visualising myself at Hogwarts. I'm not exaggerating when I say that. You've got to see it to believe me.
And of course, we won't leave Hogwarts without tasting butter beer. I must say it tasted really nice. The drink is non-alcoholic, so children can consume it as well.
But we didn't get onto the Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey ride as the waiting time was close to 3hours! If we have the chance to visit USJ again, I will make sure we get that express pass!

Clear blue sky awaits us

Chanced upon Kitty-Chan

Hop onto the Hogwarts Express!

This friendly conductor approached us for
this photo opportunity

Welcome to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Butter Beer (non-alcoholic)

Even the restrooms details were not spared



Just tall enough for the ride but check out the
waiting time!

With Hedwig

Analysing the map

Enjoying the show even though it was spoken
in Japanese

By the time we finished touring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, we were famished. We then headed to Universal Wonderland for lunch at Snoopy Backlot Café.




 

Her kiddy paradise!

It was near Easter when we visited. Thus there were many
such decorations

Lunch time!

Lunch is served

Kids Set - Omelette with Pasta in tomato sauce

Beef Teriyaki Burger

Fried Salmon Burger

Super yummy fries

Even the cup was so cute!

Strawberry Milkshake

You can tell that she's indeed enjoying her meal

 

Just before we finished our lunch, I just remembered that a ride reservation system was available. <slap forehead>  Signs of ageing indeed. So I hurried to the nearest ticketing machine to reserve our time slot for The Flying Snoopy ride.
While waiting for our slot, we managed to enjoy other rides with waiting time of about 10 minutes or so.

60 minutes waiting time
So we "reserved" our seats and came back later

Can't resist my favourite character

Carousel ride

She took her own selfie! Haha

Back for our ride on The Flying Snoopy

All set to go!

Her first attempt at driving



I must say she did relatively well

Come come~~~ Who want to buy souvenirs?

After a jolly good time at the Universal Wonderland, we moved on to pay a visit to the Minions and were shocked to see the crowd in this area packed like sardines! I'm not exactly a big fan of these yellow bananas so we only bought the popcorn from the cart (the whiff of caramel will lure you from far!) and left in search for a rest area as the princess was getting tired.

Notice board showing all the rides waiting time

Anybody want to kiss Spiderman?

At Minion Park - super crowded!

Finally got her popcorn

I regretted buying the toy for her - such a hassle to pack
it back!

Banana Salted Caramel Popcorn

While the princess took her nap at an outdoor rest area (which nearly froze my butt off!), we decided to take turns to get on the limited time only, VR-enabled Final Fantasy XR ride (introduced for the yearly Cool Japan event). Now I know this ride definitely caught my other half's interest as I've seen him spent countless hours on this franchise game.
Intrigued yet a little sceptical about the ride, I sent my other half to "check it out" first while I babysit the princess.

The ride that nearly "killed" me

After much deliberation, we decided to rest at a shaded outdoor spot. However, after close to 45 minutes, I couldn't bear the freezing temperature anymore and had to wake the princess up to move indoor. And her first words when awake "Mummy, I'm hungry". So we bought pizzas and waited for Daddy to come back to swap roles with me.

Seafood pizza

Mushroom pizza

 

Daddy finally came back after close to 90 minutes and he commented with a deadpan expression that the ride was not too bad.
Interpreting his "not too bad" verdict as fun, I set off on my mission!
Before the ride, you are requested to check if you are able to fit into the seat with the safety harness with a dummy seat. No personal belongings are allowed on the ride (I should have sensed the warning signs here!), so you are required to deposit all items in the lockers provided.
I joined the single rider line - one person to share the ride with another stranger - and waited with mixed feelings.

Waiting nervously

The door that opened to the ride

You can see the staff working diligently to ensure
the safety of every riders

Harness - check!
VR goggles - check!
Let's go!

And what a ride it was!!!
The journey started the moment you take the seat- an organised team of four will ensure that the VR head gear and safety bar/harness were strapped tightly before you are being whisked off.
The entire ride was narrated in Japanese - not that it matter to me. My mind and senses were too preoccupied with the turns, backdraft and sudden drops. I think I just lost my mind from then onwards as I couldn't stop yelling at each surprises. I only stopped short of cursing in expletives.
The impressive animation that was presented before you in panoramic view made you feel like you are in action together with the characters. Frankly, I had absolutely no idea who the characters were but it was not that difficult to differentiate the good and bad guy at one glance.
It was probably a 5 minute ride but it got my legs wobbly and hands shaking uncontrollably after the ride. I can even hear my heart beating so loudly against my chest. Gosh! I had to walk slowly and unsteadily out while I caught glimpses of my teenager companion giving me weird stares. I must have freaked him out with my constant screaming more than the ride.

The night fell as I made my way back to our meeting point in a daze.
After glaring at my other half for making me go through such scary ride (I took his word when he said the ride was ok), we decided to head back to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to take a look at the night scene and it certainly did not disappoint. Somehow, the night added a mysterious touch to this place, making it a little spooky and yet beautiful.

Time passes so quickly when you are having fun

My super stoned face after the ride

Night at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The princess demonstrating the "fun" factor of the ride

The princess requested to take one last ride on The Flying Snoopy. As the Final Fantasy ride had taken a toll on me, she went on the ride with her Daddy while her Mummy was contended with taking photos on ground.

 

It was about 8pm when we started to feel hungry and we decided to leave USJ for dinner at Universal Walk.

One last stop before leaving as I couldn't resist
Hello Kitty charm 

It was a super fun day at the theme park, blessed with great weather throughout. We didn't even realise time has passed so quickly! USJ definitely makes a perfect place for a family outing as the park's different zones cater to adults and/or children.
In my humble opinion, USJ rates a slight notch higher than other theme park in terms of entertainment value - the park was kept insanely clean (even the toilets!) and every single staff was polite and smiling (certainly makes the waiting time easier to cope with). Most importantly, I felt every single detail (be it the layout, setting, props or rides) was meticulously thought of - it's like playing in your own backyard but on a much bigger scale.
The only regret was not buying the express pass tickets which resulted in us spending too much time in line for rides. We hope to visit this theme park again - with our express passes in hand!





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