Japan 10 - Universal Studios Japan

 Japan - Day 10

Today we got up early and after breakfast we headed to USJ Universal Studios Japan. We thought we were getting there an hour early, at 8am, but people were already in long lines going through the gate and some people were riding the rides. 

I had pre-bought tickets (very affordable) and the exorbitantly expensive four-ride Express Pass which got us access to Mario Land, which you can only access with an Express Pass or getting there first thing before the timed entry starts.

Unfortunately, a couple of key rides (Flying Dinosaur, Space Fantasy, and Sinbad) were closed. We did a 4D Concert featuring My Hero Academia because there was no wait, then headed to the back of the park to do the Minion ride before the lines got long.

We waited another 50 minutes to do Jaws, which Bix had fond memories of as a child, and then headed to Harry Potter World. We ate a quick but good lunch of Fish and Chips before our timed Express entry to the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. This turned out ot be one of our favorite rides of the whole trip. We skipped the Flight of the Hippogriff coaster due to the long wait time and headed to Mario Land.

 

The "Pipe" entrance to Mario World

Mario World is really cool looking on the inside - like you're in the game.  We were able to get on our ride earlier than our Express pass time. It's an augmented reality ride where you shoot Mario enemies by looking at them and pushing a button on your steering wheel. You get a score at the end. I did horribly because I shot the friendly creatures too much. 

The Hollywood dream coaster was shut down unexpectedly so we wandered around a bit until it was back up and used a fast pass for that one. It was a fun ride. We went forward, but based on your position in line you may end up riding it backward. 

Get Dizzy in this Video

We had to kill a lot of time before our last express entry so we went to a pub featuring free refill drinks from 3-5. We killed a few beers there and still weren't at time, so we wandered around a bit until we could go on the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba XR Ride. 

This was a combo roller coaster and VR ride where you rode on a "train" where anime heroes battled in front of you and top of the train. We all thought it was worth the wait and one of the best rides of the day.

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Hello Kitty

We went home and Brooke and Shellie went to bed and Bix and I found a single hotel bar/restaurant open past 8pm and ate there.