Universal Studios Japan in Osaka - tips

Universal Studios Osaka is also known as Universal Studios Japan (USJ).  It is a very United States type theme park, meaning it focuses on very iconic U.S. brands like Peanuts, Jaws, Mel's Diner, mid-century American automobiles, and Minions.  Lots and lots of Minions!  There are also areas designated for certain parts of the U.S., including Los Angeles and New York.  

Here are a few helpful tips, and lots of photos, which I hope will give you a more enjoyable park experience.  

We stayed at the Park Front Hotel which is conveniently located next to the -- you guessed it, front of the park!  The room at the hotel was large, with plenty of space to lay out our luggage.  Oddly, we did notice there were no dresser drawers.  What's that all about?  One memorable part of the stay included Despicable Me 3, dubbed in Japanese, on the hotel television in a continuous loop.  With very few English speaking channels to choose from we must've watched it about ten times.  Sad, right?

The Park Front Hotel is adjacent to Universal City Walk.  There you will find floor upon floor of food and souvenir places.  We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe Osaka and Yakiniku Karubi Champ, a Japanese BBQ place.   We were a little shocked at the poor service at Hard Rock Osaka - our waitress actually left for the night without giving us our final bill or informing us.  Still, the food was good.

The Hard Rock Cafe Osaka local burger - the Eho-Maki with a beef patty, tomato, lettuce, onion, Monterey Jack cheese, Doro sauce, BBQ sauce (representing the seven gods of happiness) on long black buns (probably with squid ink).

Meanwhile at Yakiniku it was interesting to see the Nolan Ryan choice meal.  Nolan has clout, even in Japan!

There are a lot of places to eat at the City Walk, and I'm confident you could dine at a separate place for breakfast lunch and dinner for a week and never eat at the same place twice.

Universal City Walk.

Now, back to the park -- we picked up tickets the day before at the hotel.

Helpful Tip:  You'll need a timed ticket to get into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  The entrance to Wizarding World is a narrow area with a mini Stonehenge.  Don't blink when walking by or you'll miss it!  The timed tickets can be obtained at Central Park which is behind the building across from the mini Stonehenge.  Here is a helpful map:  USJ Map

We ate at Three Broomsticks . . .

Fake food.

Real food and butter beer.  Yum, butter beer.

Helpful Tip:  There is a cart located outside the wand shop that has all (or at least most) of the wands displayed in a row so you can see them side-by-side.

The wands displayed outside on a cart, all in a row.

Helpful Tip:  Split up and take the single person line.  We breezed through the Jurassic Park line and I got to ride with four guys who looked like they were part of a boy band.  At least they all screamed like little boys during the final drop of the ride.  :)

A raptor safely behind a metal gate . . . for now!

There are some things you want, and some things you just NEED!

Throughout the park you will find popcorn stands with some unique flavors.  For me, the major draw are the popcorn buckets.

Popcorn buckets.  Lift up the top of the heads and dig in.  Add popcorn first.

Helpful Tip:  Maybe this is a warning instead of a tip.  For whatever reason the visitors at Universal Studios Japan were on the rude side.  I don't know if it's the high prices, the crowds, or many the Minion mentality (they are a bit rude after all - rude but cute).  Despite this it's the employees at USJ (and Japan in general) that salvage the experience.

Marilyn posing in front of Mel's diner.

Special attention from Marilyn from afar.

Helpful Tip:  Getting a seat at a diner can be an uncomfortable experience. When we went into the Amity Landing Restaurant we were told to get our table before we stood in line for our food.  As I was trying to process how we could do this without having all our stuff stolen (leave a package/camera/purse on the table while we stood in line for food) there was a youngster that knew the process and threw her sweater on the last available table.  As a result we ended up sitting outside on partially wet chairs and in the cold.  Now you know how to hold a table at USJ!  And don't worry, it's extremely unlikely your stuff will be stolen - you're in Japan after all.

Fried chicken dinner at Amity Landing Restaurant.

Helpful Tip:  There are two Larson Convenience Stores which you will find packed full of people, outside the park.  Remember, the prices for food and drinks inside Universal Studios Osaka are inflated - reminiscent of amusement parks in the U.S.  Surprisingly, food and beverage prices at Tokyo DisneySea and Disneyland are much lower.  So here's the hint, if you're concerned about money (who isn't) get your food before you go into the park or afterwards.  There are no in-and-out privileges at USJ unless you have an annual passport.

And then there are Minions.  Tons and tons of Minions.

Final Tip:  There is a Universal store outside the park in the Citywalk so don't think you have to stock up on all your USJ gear before you exit the park for good.

Overall, visiting Universal Studios Japan was an interesting experience.  Would I want to do it again?  Not likely.  But I wouldn't have known this unless I tried the place.  So go buy your food and drinks beforehand and enjoy the experience, whether it's the first and only time you go or the first of many.  No matter how many times you visit, I hope these few tips make for a more enjoyable experience at the park.

Universal Studios Japan Website