Universal Studios Japan

[Part 3]

Alright guys, here comes the last report on the long and exciting day at the Universal Studios Japan in Osaka! What can you expect here? The Space Fantasy ride, the Jaws boat ride, again the Hollywood Dream ride, the closing show with the giant Universal Studios mascots and leaving the USJ with visiting the restaurant and saying goodbye to one of our camp friends.

We are now entering the second half of the day and the evening. What has been going on for the last couple of hours? Well, we have been first to the ride of Hollywood Dream roller coaster, then had an awesome experience at 4K3D ride of Amazing Spiderman (where I also bought the photograph of the ride... my only souvenir from the USJ), afterwards headed for the lunch at the Mel's Drive-in and then visited the main attraction and the sight of the USJ - the Wizardry World of Harry Potter whereas we enjoyed being in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. We spent at least 2 hours waiting there at the ride for 4K3D Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride including the souvenir shop and later on The Flight on the Hippogriff. Time to visit some more things before our time there is up. We had a bit more than 3 hours left before meeting at the entrance outside the park.

The Space Fantasy ride

We had no idea what to do next. It was difficult to leave Hogwarts and go forward. But there were so many other things to see so let us simply be happy with what we have already experienced. One should feel very lucky. We were thinking of the Jaws ride but Chiho and Kengo said we could go somewhere else.

We heard that the Space Fantasy ride was one very interesting attraction that was going to be pleasant to us and thus we headed to the north-western part of the park.

One could see it was already the end of the afternoon and the evening started. The sun was now lower and closer to the horizon but we still had about 2 hours of sun before the darkness.

It took us about 5-6 minutes to reach the Space Fantasy ride. We had no idea what was it about nor how crazy, wild or simple it was. On our way there we stopped by the restroom and the room with drinking-water tap and refreshed ourselves. It was still pretty hot. We had also met the other team who had also been to Hogwarts and some other places, we quickly exchanged the news and moved forward. It was here I found out there were many other items to buy at the Filch's Emporium from a friend who had bought two Time Turners!

And now we were back in the Hollywood neighbourhood and stood next to the desired destination and the 4D Shrek experience. As we approached the Space Fantasy building there was another waiting line and we had no other option but to stand at the end of it and move slowly forward. It took us about 35 minutes to get to the ride but we had fun outside waiting in the line. The bad thing was that half of the zig-zag lines were exposed to the sun and especially now in the evening it was killing us in the eyes. But was fun.

As we now entered the first part of the waiting hall we could see more of what this ride was about. And I have to add we used the cupboards or locker before entering the waiting line thus leaving my backpack there and feeling no burden on my back. We got again the key in the form of an armband around our hands and were ready to go.

What worried me here a bit was the text or notes on the walls warning the visitors that it was not for those who felt sick or had any kinds of problems with the speed and rotating. I was here then a little bit in panic as I was not sure what it precisely meant... and how was I supposed to know what was with my health and conditions since I have never been on a similar ride?! But then again, after surviving the Hollywood Ride there was no other place that could be worse than that. And Chiho said it was not such a big deal.

The space around was looking a bit futuristic with lots of colours and models of stars and elements from the space. I have to say that visually this attraction was very beautiful and the ride was more something like half educational-scientific-futuristic where one was supposed to enjoy the scenery and gliding through the space and its mysteries.

Once we entered the building we still had to walk a bit through the hallways and it took us in total maybe 5-10 minutes before we entered our capsule (seats) and were ready to go. The halls and the hallways looked pretty impressive. I remember it was like walking around inside some space shuttle (which would make sense) with lots of screens telling us some instructions and showing the space scenery but since it was in Japanese I could not understand it. The whole space looked pretty futuristic and modern and each hallway or a bigger room we had been waiting at was in a different colours. Mostly some tone of green, blue or purple... all of the colours one could associate with the mystery of the space and things from the future. Some walls and the corners of the room were even painted and had tons of little white dots representing the stars. If anything this would have been a great astronomy or geography classroom.

We were walking on something that also looked like a track from some space ship and once standing on it it actually moved us to the capsules (the vehicles) awaiting for us.

The beautiful ride throughout the space

The capsules had two pairs of seats facing the different side (thus one pair was behind our back and we never seen them unless rotating our heads during the ride) and they looked pretty futuristic too. I am not sure now only whether there were two kinds of vehicles whereas one (in which I was) had two pairs of seats not being set towards each other and one vehicle with four seats within a circle so every visitor could see directly all the other passengers.

The thing here was that our vehicle was going to spin around itself throughout almost all the ride through the universe. And this was also a roller coaster and there were many tracks. I have to say I really enjoyed this ride and was something totally different than the cinemas and experiences before. Both Spiderman and Harry Potter were something of adventures and included well-known characters. Here, on contrary, there were no characters or people who were talking to you, you had no idea what was going on and just quickly sliding through the Solar system, passing by the asteroids and the rest of the known universe!

The ride begins with us entering slowly some tunnel while having the introduction by some animated characters and then... the crazy ride starts! We enter the dark universe and the roller coaster starts going down fast and also spinning! Which just pumps up your adrenaline not having any clue or seeing the end of it! I had no idea how deep this fall was or what to expect next... I just let myself totally enjoy the spinning (and hoped not to puke) and the visuals around me. There was also a nice instrumental music playing in the background. I may say it had altogether felt pretty epic.

Thousands of light lights representing the stars were popping up everywhere and what is important to mention here (and totally different from the other experiences) is that you were able to see both the next and the previous vehicles spinning in front and behind you!

There were so many cool looking things and I wish we had it here in Croatia too! For instance, we enter another huge hall with something that looked like nebulae in the middle of it and our roller coaster just went fast around it making you feel like in a space shuttle at a great speed passing by the objects of the universe! There were more things I was not able to recognise, probably made up and abstract, but including the famous Saturn's ring (without Saturn! ). The best thing was that the ride was pretty creative with its speed sometimes going slower and then speeding up along with the graphics and visuals around you which made it feel like we were going to use the hyper speed. Our vehicles have also been changing the colours during the ride. This was just a visual spectacle based on the beauty and imagination of the universe.

In the second half of the ride we were also passing through the asteroid field and heard the voice of this woman again with a few appearances on the display. And then came probably the craziest part (noting the finish as well) where we suddenly started to go so fast and within some planet system that the roller coaster went down again. We were now flying down quickly through some other room whose light was blinking all the time and I felt like "wow, this is the perfect way to get the epilepsy" but it was indeed a visual spectacle. Many were screaming here. We now approached the end of the ride and were surrounded with lots of screen displaying fireworks and everything slowed down.

This ride was totally fun and despite us thinking "oh, it is probably for children but let us give it a try" had had plenty of fun inside there and I would certainly go again. Except for being a roller coaster in an enclosed area it has a stunning visual show which you are surely going to love! Do not miss the opportunity to go there!

The Jaws boat ride - fun for those who have not watched the film, a bit boring if you expect too much

After exploring the universe we still had time and did not want to waste any more minute. Coming up next on our schedule was the boat ride at the Jaws theme park. We heard from our camp leaders who had been here already a few times that the ride was not something that was going to fill you with adrenaline but might be interesting to the new "fans" of the series and at least enjoy the boat ride.

To reach the Amity village we had to go back into the direction of Hogwarts and then go a bit to the north. The Amity village and the great white attraction were just behind the walls and forest of the Black lake. We again passed by the great white being caught and hanging from the above where one could take photos but there were still many children wanting to have a picture in front of the jaws so I did not want to bother them and waste time of the others. It was also getting a bit darker now.

We went down the stone stairs and ended up in the house that had both the restaurant and the waiting line. In front of the entrance was also a boat put in the yard.

Once you are inside the building (which has the capitals Jaws above the gates) you will find yourself quickly at the end of the zig-zag line which was also pretty long. I guess we had also spent here about 30 minutes waiting to jump on the boat. The interior here was actually pretty open having one exit and the view over the lake ("the sea") and the rest of the village made up from many houses and the dock on the other side... and the gates to the left. The whole space was filled with the motives of the fishermen and the sea. You could see the boats, the navigational items, compasses, pictures in the framers about fishing... and as we were approaching the end there were more posters and data (but without the photographs) of "some suspicious mysterious monster in the sea". But until you saw the shark in the water for the first time you had no idea what was going to happen. Or in other words - those who have never watched the movie had no idea what was expecting them.

Once we got to the boat there were places for about 25 people at last I would say. At the front of the boat there was a woman holding a microphone and told us to sit. I was in the second row and the second one to the left edge of the boat. There were a few friends around me who had no clue what was going to happen and I was pretty preferred and could not be scared. Chiho, who has been here many times already, was half asleep during the ride.

I have to say again that this ride was still special to me though I might have expected a bit more of it (and definitely goes to the last place of all the attractions that day at least when talking about the adrenaline and excitement). I watched or tried to watch the first movie when I was a kid and it was just too much for me, I was hiding behind the pillows and had nightmares. Not to mention it was difficult to swim in the sea in summer having the scenes from the movie in front of me. That is why I was also excited to go here because along with Spiderman and Harry Potter this was another thing from childhood that came to life in front of me. I just wait for the next time to visit the Jurassic Park too. And the best thing you could actually get at this ride is to see how big the shark from the movie really was! That was then the terrific thing as it made you think what would have happened if you came across a real one example while being in the sea.

The "captain" of the boat and shouting all the time

After the great white the second thing that I remember once you mention this ride is the Japanese woman (in our case) who was kind of a captain or the person who was "piloting" the boat throughout the ride. She simply never stopped talking during the ride. And it was funny because she was talking so fast and screaming all in Japanese! So you could not understand almost any word except for the part when the shark broke and I guess what she said was something like "omg, a shark! ".

And the best part was when we had seen the shark getting out of the water a metre next to our boat and scaring all the passengers away who had no clue what was going to happen. Then the woman, still talking without a break, took a shotgun out of nowhere and started shooting at the shark. That was a hilarious scene as everything was in chaos but with lots of fun.

The ride through the places (scenes) from the movie

I forgot to mention you that the whole ride takes about 5-5. 30 minutes which is pretty okay.

Okay, nothing is happening for about two minutes and we are passing by the pretty clean and nice area of houses and a beach. I understood nothing what the guide kept telling us but who cares. While we were leaving the dock we all greeted the other visitors standing there which I found to be nice. Everything polite - everything Japan. And you can guess that she forbade us right at the start of the ride to use camera. I was again a bit disappointed but okay.

The first minute of the ride was pretty calm and you are approaching the wooden passage (and kind of a bridge) which has a sign 'slow' next to it. As we were right under the thing you could hear some people and a male person screaming for aid and then everything went silent. According to the sound you have just heard something bad has happened... and someone got eaten. Here things started to get more intensified and make your fear or excitement grow. As I mentioned, I believe the whole experience here is much more stronger for the younger and surely is going to be for those who know nothing of the movie, the plot and are usually afraid of sharks. If you know this kind of a person... bring them there.

After passing the bridge to our right side was the sandy beach and to our left we saw an attacked and pretty much destroyed boat that was now slowly sinking. It was great to see the details of the damage, a huge hall, which was made by shark's bites and when you are in front of it there it just looks totally different than from what you have seen on the film. And way scarier.

Then the great white appeared after the sinking boat. We were able only to see its fins but then the whole boat start to panic as the shark turned to our direction and went under our boat. I was expecting the effect of getting hit and that the boat would be shaking but it did not happen. The shark dove out again on the other side for a few seconds, we were able to see the fins again only and then went below the surface. Our captain then took the shotgun and fired two-three hits into the water which caused the effect of an explosion on the surface. Pretty nice... for those on the other side of the boat.

We now quickly approached some old hall that seemed to be part of some industrial area. The wooden gates opened and we entered the dark creepy interior. What was going to happen now? There were lots of the oil barrels on each side of the platforms as we were passing through and our guide (and protector) took the flashlight. I was hoping for some badass moment that would scare everything out of us. And it actually happened! As we were close to the other end of the hall and the exit (which was closed) suddenly all the barrels and the electricity wire started shaking, falling into the water, the electricity wires broke into two parts with the little explosion there (just like in the movies) and to our right side the huge head of the great white popped up above the surface and quickly passed by the boat with the open mouth and large teeth. This is the first time we had seen the shark's head - the scariest part.

What followed was leaving this building and entering some industrial area where, funny, stood a sign "Swimming forbidden". To be honest, even though it was a doll, a stupid toy, in the water below us here is no way I would jump there in it. You will notice lots of huge black gas barrels that could have potentially exploded if hit by a bullet. Like in the movie.

And then another awesome part happened that I had been waiting for. I was lucky to sit almost to the edge of the left side of the boat as the giant head of the shark popped up from the water right next to me! It scared 'poop' out of many of my friends and other passengers but I was laughing. The shark's head was full of blood and wounds as simulating the wounds that were caused by the shotgun but did not hurt much. In the moment when the shark dove out it also burst plenty of water right on us so we had been a bit wet. As soon as the shark went beneath the surface everything on the wooden docks started exploding! The water was bursting everywhere and as soon as the gas barrels exploded they did a nice effect there of the water-surface burning with flames. We headed towards the ignited surface which then quickly disappeared (and I was thinking "Hmm, we are not going to go over fire, are we? ").

Again, entering another bay (and the last phase of the circle around the ride) and we had seen the shark diving beneath the water again. As soon as we passed by some little crane or a platform in the middle of the area everything started to be pretty misty or foggy. I was excited and here is what happened! The woman suddenly took her shotgun again out of nowhere and to our left side the huge head of the shark appeared above the surface, scaring everyone away, and it had the black thick wire in its mouth. Explosion and electricity around us! The shark was trying to cut the wire in two pieces and half of our boat was screaming in panic.

The finale was like this. Few meters away the shark dove out again but almost dead. Black and burned of all the explosions and the electricity it just vanished below the surface and everyone was happy. However, as soon as it went under the surface it tried for the last time to reach us and was half a meter away from the edge of the boat with its gigantic mouth and teeth opened.

As it went under the water now for good we approached the first dock where our journey started, clapping the hands and cheering. I was laughing and we heard from our guide "arigatou gozaimasu" a few times.

In conclusion, the ride was fun with cool effects but maybe something else was missing. If you have time go here and be sure to have a person who is afraid of sharks sitting next to you, it is going to be much more fun following their reactions than the show itself. Oh, and Chiho woke up at the end of the ride.

The souvenir shop

Of course, once we went back on the dock the exit was through the souvenir shop. We spent there a few minutes to check what they had but I had not found anything interesting to be honest. Or the things were a bit more expensive so I had to give up. You could buy again lots of magnets, badges, pillows or hats with the shark motives but when compared to Filch's Emporium it is just not that much diverse but rather boring.

The Hollywood Dream Ride one more time

Great, the Jaws ride was done and we now only had to decide what to do with the time that was given to us. I am sure it was already around 6 p. m. or later so we had about 2 hours left before leaving the park. Or even less because Chiho told us we have only time for one more ride as there was going to be some big event at the end of the day in the park and that the streets were going to be full of people and something will be going on. And the attractions will be closed. Not to forget that we had to meet with the other guys at the entrance. So better hurry up with the decisions!

In the end the available options were to visit maybe Back to the Future, Terminator 3D or.... have a ride on the Hollywood Dream roller coaster once again. After few minutes of discussion we all agreed we would like to experience the thrill and adrenaline of this ride. I was also voting for this option because all the other attractions in the park that were left were not that much interesting and we had already seen all the big things here. Besides, I wanted to confirm that I was able to beat the fear and I just remembered how much I enjoyed the ride feeling like a Superman (or if you wish - Son Goku flying) once the fear disappeared and I let myself relax and enjoy the rest of the ride.

Before going back to Hollywood Dream ride (and you can read more about it in the part 1 in case you skipped it) we went to the restrooms and place with the fresh water-taps to refresh. It was now evening and luckily not that much sun, the sunset was on the horizon and the darkness was expected within half an hour.

After being done with the water we met on our way back a few more guys from the camp who went shopping or something, they had also been more or less done, and the other group was heading to the Space Fantasy. We had been passing by the Mel's Drive-in and the old timers so I asked my team whether they wanted a group photo (but without me) and we did that too.

Back in the street where was the entrance to the Hollywood Dream ride and the other restaurants and shops. It was really getting crowded a bit and I had seen hundreds of people sitting down on the pathway as they were tired, eating or drinking to regain the energy... but also waiting for the big show in the end. You will find out about it soon too, just wait a little bit.

We got into the space with the waiting lines and about 60% of it was empty so we just skipped 5-6 rows not to walk for 2-3 minutes all around the yard until reaching the end of the route. We were waiting now under the platform of the trains and after us came maybe 20 more passengers and that was it. As we found out later we took the last ride and it got closed afterwards. Which all made us feel even better. While waiting there we jumped over one more row and were joking about everything we had had experienced that day. I was also not feeling that much nervous (a little bit, but just a little bit) about the ride now since I survived it half a day earlier. When reaching the stairs to get up we were discussion the option to go on the Backwards ride which was pretty much the same ride just the seats were in the opposite direction. I watched the people doing that but was not really keen. Nor was Lukas and the others. Actually, the males in the group did not want to try it while the girls found it interesting. Sorry, next time! Had to graduate one more time the normal ride. Yes, when I think about it, falling backwards from 43 meters would maybe be too much for me.

Soon we got there and were ready to "fly". And it was now dark, no more sunlight to be seen... which actually meant the Hollywood Dream Ride turned on the lights around roller coaster and it looked very cool visually. Back downstairs I was watching both the backwards and normal ride which looked crazy during the night!

I put my backpack along with my glasses into the locker on the other side of the car and went back to our seats. This time I was put to sit next to the left edge, Lukas was next to me, followed by Anita and I do not remember who was the 4th if there was any. I thought "oh, I see, I have to be near the edge... " but it was no big deal in the end. It just feels safer to be in the middle.

The perfect night ride and hunger for the adrenaline

This time i did not want to make a mistake with music and no place for panic. I was pretty relaxed and was looking forward to the start. After the safety belts were checked the sound for the ride was heard and the ride started.

I chose to listen to the rock music and do not remember the song but that was not much important in the end. We turned shortly to the left and started ascending the 43 meters high platform through a tunnel. Since I wore no glasses I could not see the details but you can imagine the view over the Universal Studios Japan and the cityscape of Osaka around (the skyscrapers, the ports, the sea... ) was marvellous with colourful lights and effects everywhere! This is something you do not experience everyday in your life and was really worth trying.

After about 40 seconds we reached the top and the end of the tunnel. I knew what was expecting me now and I survived that uncomfortable moment when we start falling down at a great speed. Again, being there for 4-5 seconds before we started sliding down seemed like eternity and I tried to have a look in front of me of Osaka (it was of course blurry for me since I am shortsighted). I remember the two skyscrapers and then... Sliding down seemed indeed like the eternity but this time I was not scared and it felt great! I thought my soul was going to go out of my stomach and my face going to be distorted because of the speed... but I survived all of that again. Once the first slope is over you just feel fantastic and nothing else can ruin the feeling. The music was playing around my head, everyone was screaming but out of joy including me. I even dare to raise my hands a few times when I saw no metal constructions were close to see... I just wanted to enjoy the ride fully and get totally rid of the fear I have had since childhood of going to the big roller coasters. This all has helped me a lot.

The ride was about 2 and a half minutes long and it was really fast. I just enjoyed the wind blowing in my head and it was warm. The night scenery of the Universal Studios, lots of light, music playing everywhere, going up and down... I again felt like I was flying and you know.. what Superman or any other character feels like being like an airplane in the air. The sad moment came when the ride slowed down and we left the vehicle. I took my backpack back and went with the others downstairs.

I felt a bit dizzy in my head but nevertheless the feeling was like amazing and we said we would surely go for one more ride. The hunger for the adrenaline was awaken.

As said, we were the last visitors for this ride today and the reason was there was a show going on within 15 minutes and all the attractions were going to be closed because of it. Once we left the Hollywood Dream building and were back on the street I was shocked by how many people gathered around. We had no idea what was precisely going to happen nor paid much attention but apparently everyone was expecting something.

The Magical Starlight Parade

The show that everyone was awaiting for was called the Magical Starlight Parade and you really cannot miss it! It is said to be one of the biggest world's parade of light and fairy tales... and if I speak of my experience it was indeed the biggest one for me I have ever attended.

But before I reveal more details here is what happened before it. Chiho and Kengo warned us we had about 20-25 minutes before leaving the USJ and meeting with the others at the huge globe near the entrance. We hurried up to the exit first as some of other guys from the other groups were there. On our way to get it we used the shortcut and went through one large store with toys and everything from the Universal World. I stood there also for a few seconds in front of several shelves and cupboard checking all the products they had which again made me cry as some were either too expensive or either too big and I did not know where I would put all of them in my suitcase...

On the other side of the shop at the beginning of the first street we met the other friends and then decided to come forth to watch the parade.

As soon as we tried to find some spot in the crowds (there were several hundred people around us and difficult to move) we noticed that there was made some space in the middle of the road and I was curious to see what I was going to witness.

And then the spectacle started! Since it was dark I was not able to estimate good the distance but I would say about 200 meters in front of us we saw the huge vehicles and figures I could not really say what they were approaching us. I heard people who were waiting there shouting and especially the children were overjoyed. Soon started approaching all the big mascots and characters of the Universal Studios production and these included the large dolls with thousands of light bulbs in many colours of Snoopy, Hello Kitty, Elmo and hundreds of others. I did not know the name of all the characters I had seen, some were totally unknown to me and some looked very familiar. Along the gigantic figures there were many vehicles in shapes of the cakes with the people disguised as characters from the cartoons and movies. I believe this had had especially a huge impact on the youngest among the audience when our imagination and perception of what we see was much bigger. I am sure if I were a kid those characters would feel more than alive and I would be having the "night of my life".

I tried to take lots of photos and also record a bit some video of the magical parade and then we heard the camp leaders that we should start leaving the parade and go towards the exit. Our time inside the Universal Studios was now up and we had to say goodbye to the fake streets and the show.

Gathering at the Universal Globe

The moment we passed the entrance gates of the park was heartbreaking and so difficult that we had to close our eyes and use all the available force to makes us leave the magical world behind us. We then gathered near the Universal globe and saw almost everyone from the camp already being there. I think we were the last to join the friends. Many were sitting on the improvised benches around with tons of bags full of souvenirs, toys, etc. but we also noticed they were eating food whereas we were starving.

We had spent there about 15 minutes full of exciting stories and memories from the day before deciding where to go next. I have to say I felt then a bit disappointed as I was not shopping at all... I had just bought one picture from the Amazing Spiderman ride and decided to keep my money for something else. It was very difficult to watch the others with some dolls and items from Harry Potter's Wizarding World. I was thinking my family members were going to kill me and I had seen my sister complaining that I had not brought her anything from the Universal Studios. On the other hand, I kept telling myself I was going to return one day and more importantly I hoped my sister would go to Japan thanks to this exchange program and hopefully to the same camp and visit the USJ. Then she can buy everything I missed. And I would finance it. Let's hope for the best!

Leaving for the restaurant and home

Since not all of us had something to eat and were starving the plan was to go visit one of the stores or restaurants nearby. We went to the other side of the globe and passed through the same gates that represented one of the two entrance into the yard before the main entrance (where you need the ticket).

Then we entered some cool street which had plenty of interesting visuals, signs and ads on the facades. We were walking about 200 meters until reaching its end and the plan was to go the Lawson store at the corner and buy what we wanted to eat.

I met also my Mexican amigo, Roberto. We were waiting in front of the store commenting how crowded it was inside (with other visitors who had left the USJ) and that we were really hungry. We went inside but could not find anything and even then the waiting line was far too long and we were impatient to wait.

Then we got an idea! On our way here we saw one McDonalds and were thinking "Yeah, we know what food tastes like there and cannot make a mistake...besides we will faster get to the meal if we run to McDonald's than keep waiting here". Both of us agreed and we asked the camp leaders for the permission. After a minute of negotiating they told us to be quick so we started running through the street, entered McDonald's and took the classic "3 cheeseburgers, small French fries and a small cola, please... and arigatou gozaimashita". We ran back to our group (now almost everyone was outside and waiting for us) with smiles on our faces and ate the "bad fast food". It is funny as I just ate the same menu with my friends few hours ago before writing this. And back there we decided to go slowly out to the road where the taxis were waiting for us to get us back to the hotel.

We had to say goodbye to one of our friends from the camp team as she was not able to spend her time with us in the camp anymore. And so started "the breaking of the fellowship" so early. After selfies and talks we entered our taxis and went off to the hotel.

Back in the hotel we felt really tired and had to prepare for the trip on the next day. So I had to pack my stuff again. I took the dry clothes from the balcony and after being done with everything before sleep I shared the photographs with my friends and family on Facebook. Time to go to sleep and as for the next day you will find about it soon.

In conclusion

What can I say? This was an amazing and an unforgettable day with plenty of nice memories. We had seen and entered Hogwarts & Hogsmeade, I beat fear of the roller coaster twice on the fantastic Hollywood Dream ride, we had an awesome time at Amazing Spiderman's 4K3D attraction and a cool visual ride and a roller coaster of the Space Fantasy. We took the tour with the Jaws attraction on a boat and had a fun time at the restaurant. Lastly, we enjoyed the Magical Parade light spectacle at the end of the day.

The Universal Studios Japan is really an unique experience and I highly recommend you going there. Even without the express card you will be able to visit many things. The only thing I wish I did and regret now a bit was not buying more souvenirs.

Thanks for reading!