By Universal Studios Japan holiday planning group member Amanda Tighe.
We had the most amazing day at USJ on Dec 4th. Just wanted to share all that we managed to do in a day and some tips that might help you plan out your day. We are a family of 4 (kids aged 14 and 12 years) from Australia.
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Some credit cards don’t work on the Universal Japan website
We bought one day tickets plus the Express Pass 4 ~The Flying Dinosaur~ through Klook (Australian credit card and Wise card wouldn’t work on USJ website).
We booked a Timed Entry to Super Nintendo World
We stayed at a hotel on City Walk and were at the gates at 7.45am. There was quite a line up but once the gates opened at 8am (advertised opening time was 9am) we were through by 8.15am. Had planned on getting to Super Nintendo World before the Timed Entry began but by the time we briskly walked/ ran there they had already started using Timed Entry. I booked a Timed Entry pass for 9.30-10.30am using the USJ app.
One day Itinerary with Express Pass 4 – The Flying Dinosaur
Below is an outline of our day 
8.30am: Flying Dinosaur (standby line 15 min). Was the single most terrifying ride I’ve been on and I’m a rollercoaster fan 
Husband and kids LOVED IT! I waited while they rode again (in the front row!) due to the short wait time.
9.30am: Entry into SNW using Timed Entry. No wait to get in. Bought Powerup Bands for the kids straight away. Went straight to Mario Kart and waited 40 mins in standby line. Fun ride but I was a bit unsure what I was doing 
10:30am: Spent time in SNW completing the Key Challenges. Longish lines for each. Kids did 4/5 mini games and then the Bowser Jr Showdown and this all took 1.5 hrs. I wished I had purchased a Powerup Band for my husband and I cause we could only watch while the kids did the challenges. They even failed the Piranha Plant Nap Mishap because there was only 2 of them and it’s a 4 person game. Bob-omb Kaboom Room was also hard with 2 but the staff member helped them a bit so they got the key. USJ staff were very strict with who could play. No band no play. The family in front of us had 5 with bands and 1 without and that 1 person had to sit out.
12pm: Lunch at Amity Landing Restaurant. Short wait and lots of tables. Food was okay. I loved the Jaws Soda cake though 
12.45pm: Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (express pass). SUCH a fun ride. Was not expecting it to be so good! Wish it wasn’t closing.
1pm: No Limit! Parade. Very cute! Kids loved seeing the Pokémon characters.
1.20pm: Lined up for Sadako’s Curse because the line was 20 mins and we had Express Pass for Mario Kart from 1.40-2.10pm. This was a mistake. Firstly cause the ride was awful 
but also because I hadn’t anticipated waiting long at the SNW entry to be able to enter the land.
1.45pm: RAN to SNW. We ended up waiting 15 mins just to enter the land and then ran to the entry of Mario Kart with 1 min to spare. The people in front of us had missed their time frame and it was an issue. We didn’t see what happened but multiple staff were problem solving with them. Liked Mario Kart so much more the second time when I knew what was happening
2.30pm: shopping and characters greeting in SNW. I had wanted to go to Kinopio’s Cafe but they were not letting anyone enter 
I assume was booked out for the rest of the day 
3.30pm: Lined up for Jaws (40 mins). Great ride but a little tame for my adrenaline junkie kids.
4.30pm: lined up for Hollywood Dream: Backdrop (90 min wait). Was a fabulous ride but it was a long wait and it was cold 
6pm: Entered Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Lined up for some of the Wand Magic experiences. We brought the wands that we purchased in 2018 from US Hollywood and they worked perfectly well.
6.30pm: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (express pass). Have been on this before in California but it’s such an amazing ride. I’d do it again & again!
7pm: Ollivanders Wand Shop (5 min wait). My daughter was chosen for the wand experience so she was very chuffed!
7.30pm: The Flying Dinosaur (express pass). I chickened out so my husband went twice and took one child each time. I kind of regret not doing it again but at the time all I wanted to do was sit in the warm restaurant and eat some food 
8.15pm: Frosty’s Electric Snow Party! I loved it!! Such a great end to the day.
8.30pm: Left the park and went to CityWalk for dinner.
One of our best days ever!
Was probably one of the best days we have ever had. I highly recommend the Express Passes if you can afford it. Made the day so worthwhile. We are planning on revisiting in Dec 2024 cause we LOVED it so much.
Written and photos supplied by Universal Studios Japan holiday planning group member Amanda Tighe
This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
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