After much anticipation and excitement all day, Zach and I were at the Nintendo World entrance 45 minutes before our scheduled time. We could see bright lights and hear Super Mario sounds coming from beyond the gate which made the wait feel agonizing. Once we were finally in, the only thing I felt was pure wonder. It’s a tiny area, but the way it’s designed with forced perspective, animatronics, and bright colors really made me feel like I was inside a Super Mario game. The very first thing I did was buy a power-up band so I could activate it on my phone while standing in line for the main attraction. The power-up band is what makes the experience here unique. There are many band designs to choose from, and after much deliberation I decided to go with Princess Peach. Through the USJ app on my phone, I was able to put in my name, customize my avatar, and see my ranking within Nintendo World. There’s mini games scattered across Nintendo World that guests can play to get points and increase their ranking. There’s even blocks guests can hit to get coins!

There are two rides in Nintendo World. Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge (Koopa is Bowser’s name in Japanese) and Yoshi’s Adventure (more of a children’s ride). Koopa’s Challenge is a dark ride that uses augmented reality and special effects. Of course, there’s no photos or videos allowed, so I’ll do my best to explain how awesome this attraction is. Before riding, we were given goggles and a quick tutorial for how to participate in Koopa’s Challenge. Once on the ride, I touched my power up band to the steering wheel to earn points. The goal of this ride is to take down Bowser with other players, but in true fashion of the game you can hit other players in front of you. There’s buttons on the steering wheel to shoot shells, however, your aim depends on where you look. For example, if I looked up and to the left and hit the button, my shell would hit whoever is in the upper left-hand corner of my “screen.” There were also power ups you could get and extra shells along the way. This was one of the most interesting rides I’ve ever been on and the effects were quite impressive!

After the ride, there’s a gift shop filled with adorable merchandise. There’s headwear, shirts, keychains, stuffed toys, themed cookie tins, and more. We were going to hop over to Yoshi’s Adventure, but saw that it was down for maintenance. It’ll have to wait for next time!

After finishing the ride, I wanted to try the themed food and snacks because I’d heard so much about it. However, because it was closing time for USJ, all of the food stalls and cafes were closed. The lines for the mini games had also been cut off by workers, so I just watched other people play instead. The one thing that was open were the popcorn stands, which made me excited because I could get a special popcorn bucket! I got a light up Super Star bucket filled with caramel peach flavored popcorn. It was a delightful snack while I was spending my last few minutes in the park shopping and taking photos.

Although I felt extremely rushed and most things were closed, Nintendo World exceeded my expectations. I’ve already made plans to return now that I know about the time reservation. I think it was the best part of USJ, and that’s saying something since I didn’t get the full experience!

Limited Time Demon Slayer Attraction

The second thing I was most excited about was the Demon Slayer part of the park. Along with the ride, there was a themed restaurant, gift shop, and themed snacks. Unfortunately, the wait time for the ride was 6 hours for most of the day and it dropped to about 4.5 hours a little before we had to enter Nintendo World. After we left USJ, I did some research about the ride and learned that it uses VR. It’s a simulation ride, similar to The Simpson’s Ride or Spider Man at Universal Studios Orlando. It seems that the ride is completely based on Mugen Train. We didn’t get to experience this attraction due to the ridiculous wait time, but we weren’t too bothered since simulation rides aren’t really our thing. We did eat some of the Demon Slayer themed snacks, though! Popcorn buckets seem to be a big thing here, and there was a Nezuko popcorn bucket available with honey and plum flavored popcorn. The bucket was sold out by the time we got around to this area of the park, or else I would’ve totally bought it. The snacks were delicious and the merchandise was cute as well. The restaurant was almost as popular as the ride. There was a massive line just waiting to get in and eat. I’m a huge fan of Demon Slayer, but I couldn’t justify spending my entire day waiting in line for one ride (or food) especially since it was my first time visiting. This Demon Slayer take over ends on February 13th, 2022. I’ve heard rumors about Attack on Titan coming to USJ, though…

Harry Potter World

Harry Potter World was always my favorite part when I would visit Universal Studios Orlando. I was beyond excited when I saw it here in Japan, too! The one in USJ is pretty much the same as the one in Orlando except there’s no Diagon Alley or Gringotts Bank. Hogwarts is present in Japan, as well as butter beer and the best churro I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. This ties into what I said earlier about how the themed snacks are part of the wonderful experience at USJ.

There’s a “quidditch match of the day” that takes place every day in the form of churros. The Gryffindor churro is sold every day while the rivaling house is random. During my visit, it was Slytherin vs Gryffindor. Obviously I chose the Gryffindor churro, which had raspberry flavored icing and sugar. I literally saw stars while eating this churro and contemplated buying several more when I was done. The Slytherin churro is muscat grape flavor, Ravenclaw is mixed berry, and Hufflepuff is lemon honey!

Unique Food Carts

One of the things I love about Japan is the creativity when it comes to food and drinks. Convenience stores and restaurants always have something new and cute. Even chains such as McDonald’s and Starbucks have seasonal flavors and occasionally character themed items. I believe theme parks in Japan go the extra mile when it comes to adorable treats, and I absolutely love it! Around every corner in USJ are character themed food carts and I nearly stopped at every single one. Hot dogs, churros, steamed buns, ice cream, turkey legs, and more can be found in every part of the park! The food changes with the seasons, so I ate mostly Christmas and winter themed food during my trip. I’ve heard that the summer treats are particularly delicious.

Other Unique Experiences

I’d like to mention a few rides and areas of the park that are unique to USJ and talk about the main similarities and differences. For starters, USJ is seemingly more child friendly than Universal Orlando, which features a multitude of attractions that all ages can enjoy. Of course, this is only my opinion, but USJ’s kid zone is decently large and there’s even a separate Minion Park for kids to enjoy. The “adult” areas seem small and there aren’t many thrill rides either. I don’t see this as a bad thing as I seriously enjoyed my time there, however, I did find myself wanting a bit more from the attractions. Nevertheless, there are 2 rollercoasters at USJ that I really enjoyed and the other rides exclusive to USJ were fun, too!

My favorite ride in the whole park would have to be Flying Dinosaur. This is a rollercoaster where you lay on your stomach for the whole ride, which are the best rollercoasters in my opinion! This ride as well as the water ride that’s in Orlando is located in Jurassic Park. The other coaster in the park is called Hollywood Dream and similar to Rip Ride Rocket in Orlando, but with a twist. When Zach and I got in line for this attraction, we were asked if we wanted to ride the coaster backwards the entire time or just ride it as normal. We almost went with the backwards option, but couldn’t imagine experiencing all the loops while going backwards so we passed. Maybe next time we’ll have some courage to try it out!

The kid zone area is called Universal Wonderland. This is where Snoopy and Sesame Street characters can be found. There’s a snoopy attraction and a cafe that serves adorable Peanuts themed meals. It was a bit jarring walking through this area, because one moment I was admiring all the Snoopy attractions when suddenly the only thing I saw was PINK. It wasn’t hard to figure out that Hello Kitty was also a big part of Universal Wonderland. There’s a Hello Kitty attraction called Cupcake Dream, which is exactly like the spinning tea cups at Disney except they’re cupcakes. A massive pink store is right next to Snoopy’s cafe where a variety of Hello Kitty merchandise can be purchased, as well as a cafe where pink churros are sold. At the very end of this area are all the Sesame Street rides and characters. I didn’t spend a lot of time here, but all in all it was a very cute part of the park!

Another area that isn’t in Universal Orlando is the Minion Park. Minions are a big deal in Japan but I can’t seem to like them. Most of the Japanese people I know have some sort of minion merchandise and my students love them as well. With that being said, this was probably the most over the top area in USJ, with flashing lights, vibrant colors, and minion voices constantly being played through speakers. The Minion Mayhem ride that’s also in Orlando is here, as well as an ice cream stand, store, and fair games that guests can try to beat and win a stuffed minion. Minion statues and murals are everywhere, too, and there were professional photographers at some of them. I even saw other Despicable Me themed shops and snacks outside of Minion Park. I’m not a fan of minions, but the themed banana ice cream was one of my favorite snacks at USJ!

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that Amity Village was at USJ. I was upset when I heard the Jaws ride was being removed from Orlando because I really enjoy this ride and the atmosphere of Amity Village. I’m happy I got to experience it again! On the way back to the hotel, we boarded a Nintendo World themed train which was the perfect way to end the day. USJ was a good time and I hope to return so I can see the things I missed. It’d be nice to go during a different season, too, so I can try the seasonal snacks. Along with a new Attack on Titan area, USJ will be adding a Sailor Moon attraction as well. Although they’ll be temporary, it’s all the more reason to visit again! Even if I miss it, USJ seems to always have some temporary attraction or area dedicated to a popular anime. Who knows what the new area will be next time I visit… I sure do love surprises.