Universal Studios Japan

This article is about the Japanese theme park. For the Universal Pictures's Japanese branch, see NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan.

Universal Studios Japan (ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン) is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States.^[3] The park is owned and operated by USJ LLC,^[4] a wholly owned subsidiary of NBCUniversal.^[5] The park is similar in layout to Universal Studios Florida and contains selected attractions from both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, in addition to a small number of unique attractions.

Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Japan entrance in 2006
Location	Konohana-ku, Osaka, Japan
Coordinates	34°39′53″N 135°25′59″E
Status	Operating
Opened	31 March 2001; 24 years ago (2001-03-31)
Owner	USJ LLC (Universal Destinations & Experiences) (wholly owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast)[1]
Operated by	USJ LLC Universal Destinations & Experiences
Theme	Show business and Universal entertainment
Attendance	16 million (2023)[2]
Area	54 ha[3] (133 acres)
Attractions
Roller coasters	5
Website	www.usj.co.jp/e/

Over 11 million guests visited the park in its opening year, making it the fastest theme park to reach the 10 million guest milestone at the time. In 2023, USJ hosted 16 million visitors, making it the third-most visited theme park in the world behind Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, and the most visited theme park in Asia.^[6]

History

In December 1992, Osaka Universal Planning Inc. was established in Minato-ku, Osaka to plan and research for the development and construction of a large-scale theme park in Japan. In February 1996, the master agreement regarding planning, construction and operation of the Universal Studios Japan theme park was concluded with American corporation MCA Inc. Osaka Universal Planning Inc. was also renamed USJ Co., Ltd.^[7] Licensing agreements regarding the planning, construction and operation of Universal Studios Japan was concluded with the Universal Group in 1998 and later that year, construction of the theme park officially began.

In July 1999, Universal sealed a marketing deal with 11 major Japanese companies, including All Nippon Airways and Matsushita Electric, to sponsor the park's attractions.^[8]

On February 21, 2001, in preparation for the opening of Universal Studios Japan,^[9] All Nippon Airways unveiled the Woody Woodpecker-themed Woody Jet, using the Boeing 767-300, for its domestic flights.^[10] The next day, Universal Studios Japan held a pre-opening preview.^[11]

The park opened on March 31, 2001,^[7][3] being the third to be opened by Universal and the first outside the United States, costing US$ 1.7 billion.^[3]

The opening of Universal Studios Japan gave a boost in the economy of the Kansai region ^[12] and has added another 29,000 jobs in the region's construction and tourism-related industries.^[13]

Lands and attractions

The park covers 54 hectares (130 acres).^[14]

The attractions are spread across eleven different areas.^[15] The tenth area, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, opened on 15 July 2014 with its flagship attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The area and its attractions were modeled after its previous iterations at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood.^[16] Its eleventh area, Super Nintendo World, opened after several delays on 18 March 2021.^[17]

Hollywood

Based on the neighborhood of Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Cinema 4-D Theater

The former E.T. Adventure

Attractions

Name	Opened	Description
Cinema 4-D Theater	2003	A 4D theater attraction that currently shows Shrek's 4-D Adventure or Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic.
Sing on Tour	2019	A musical theatre attraction based on Illumination's Sing film. The building's exterior is themed as the "Illumination Theater".
Universal Monsters Live Rock and Roll Show	2001	A live musical revue stage show based on the Universal Monsters.
Playing with Curious George	2018	A show attraction based on Curious George.[18][19][20][21]
Hollywood Dream – The Ride	2007	A steel roller coaster that features a sound system that allows the riders to choose what ride music they wish to listen to.
Space Fantasy – The Ride	2010	An indoor spinning roller coaster with a space theme, containing many special effects.

Notable Cafes and Stores

Name	Opened	Description
Mario Cafe & Store	2020	Originally themed as "Schwab's Pharmacy", the store offers themed food and an exclusive line of "Whose Cap?"-branded Mario merchandise.[22]

New York City

Based on the city of New York City, New York.

Name	Opened	Description
Detective Conan 4-D Live Show ~Jewel Under The Starry Sky~	2024	A 3D/live-action show based on Case Closed.
Kuromi Live: Kuromify the World Tour "Crystal Clear"	2025	A live-action show based on Kuromi & My Melody.

San Francisco

Based on the city of San Francisco, California.

Minion Park

An area inspired by Illumination's Despicable Me franchise. It opened in March 2017.

Name	Opened	Description
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem	2017	A computer-animated simulator ride featuring the characters from Despicable Me movie franchise.
Freeze Ray Sliders	2018	A flat ride featuring spinning cars, centering on the Minions cooling off the Minion Park Fountain with Gru's freeze ray.
Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast	2025	A moving walkway shooter attraction themed to the Minions film franchise.

Jurassic Park

Inspired by Steven Spielberg's blockbuster film franchise of the same name.

Name	Opened	Description
Jurassic Park: The Ride	2001	A water-based amusement ride based on Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Jurassic Park and Michael Crichton's novel of the same name.
The Flying Dinosaur	2016	A flying roller coaster that holds the record for being the most expensive roller coaster ever manufactured by B&M.

Amity Village

Inspired by Steven Spielberg's Jaws film.

Name	Opened	Description
Jaws	2001	A scenic boat ride with special effects and animatronics of the titular shark.

Universal Wonderland

Universal Wonderland is a section aimed at children and families. Opened in March 2012, it contains three themed sub-zones including Snoopy Studios, Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue, and Sesame Street Fun Zone.

Snoopy Studios

Based on the Peanuts comic strip. Snoopy Studios was originally its own standalone area, opening with the park in April 2001^[3] before becoming part of Universal Wonderland in 2012.

Name	Opened	Description
The Flying Snoopy	2012	An aerial carousel ride with Snoopy-themed cars.
Snoopy's Sound Stage Adventure	2001	An indoor playground attraction themed to a film set.

Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue

Themed to Sanrio's Hello Kitty franchise.

Name	Opened	Description
Hello Kitty's Cupcake Dream	2012	A Teacups ride with cars themed to different cupcakes.
Hello Kitty's Ribbon Collection	2012	A themed indoor meet-and-greet with Hello Kitty.

Sesame Street Fun Zone

Based on the children's television series Sesame Street. It is split into three sub-areas - "Sesame Street Plaza", "Sesame Central Park" and "Elmo's Imagination Playland".

Name	Opened	Description
Abby's Magical Party	2012	An indoor play area filled with larges spheres and stars.
Abby's Magical Tree	2012	An indoor rope-climbing attraction themed to a tree.
Bert and Ernie's Wonder: The Sea	2012	An indoor ball pit themed to Bert and Ernie's bathroom.
Big Bird's Big Top Circus	2012	A carousel ride with Sesame Street themed animals and characters. Formerly the "Magical Oz Go-Round", it was the only attraction from the "Land of Oz" area to be repurposed for Universal Wonderland.
Big Bird's Big Nest	2012	A large climbing rope attraction.
Cookie Monster Slide	2012	A slide with Cookie Monster's tongue as the slide.
Elmo's Bubble Bubble	2012	A small log flume-like ride for children.
Elmo's Go Go Skateboard	2015	A Rockin' Tug ride that looks like Elmo's skateboard.
Elmo's Little Drive	2012	A driving school attraction with Elmo-themed cars, aimed for young children.
Ernie's Rubber Duckie Race	2012	Guests race rubber duckies down a small river of water. Originally known as "Central Park Duckie Race".
Grover's Construction Company	2012	An indoor play area themed to water pipes.
Moppy's Balloon Trip	2015	A high tower ride that affords a view of the area.
Moppy's Lucky Dance Party	2012	A live interactive show themed to Universal Studios Japan's exclusive "Moppy" Sesame Street character.
Sesame's Big Drive	2012	A driving school attraction with Sesame Street-themed cars.
Water Garden	2012	A water fountain play area. Originally known as "Central Park Springs".

WaterWorld

Based on Universal Pictures' 1995 film of the same name.

Name	Opened	Description
WaterWorld	2001 (original version) 2018 (current version)	A live water stunt show showcasing many special effects.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Main article: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Studios Japan)

Based on Warner Bros Discovery's Wizarding World franchise.

Name	Opened	Description
Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey	2014	A motion-based dark ride that takes guests through scenes inspired by the Harry Potter books and films.
Flight of the Hippogriff	2014	A junior roller coaster based on the creature featured in the books.

Super Nintendo World

Main article: Super Nintendo World

Based on several Nintendo franchises, focusing on Super Mario and its Yoshi spin-off series. An expansion themed to the Donkey Kong Country spin-off series opened on December 11, 2024, and was divided into Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country.^[23]

Attractions

Name	Opened	Description
Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge	2021	An augmented reality-type dark ride attraction based on the Mario Kart series.[24]
Yoshi's Adventure	2021	An omnimover attraction where guests board a Yoshi and ride around Super Nintendo World.[25]
Power-Up Band Key Challenges	2021	Several interactive mini-attractions where guests can interact with Mario enemies and Bowser Jr. These require separately sold Power-Up Bands.
Mine-Cart Madness	2024	A roller coaster themed to the Donkey Kong franchise.[26]

Notable cafes and stores

Name	Opened	Description
Kinopio's Cafe	2021	A restaurant themed to the inside of a Toad House.[27]
Yoshi's Snack Island	2021	A quick-service location that serves Yoshi-themed drinks and snacks.[28]
Pit Stop Popcorn	2021	A quick-service location that serves flavored popcorn and themed popcorn containers.[29]
1-Up Factory	2021	A merchandise store themed to the inside of a factory.[30]
Jungle Beat Shakes	2024	A quick-service location that serves food themed to the Donkey Kong franchise.
Funky's Fly 'n' Buy	2024	A store selling Donkey Kong-themed merchandise.

Seasonal overlays

The park is consistently installing seasonal attraction and show overlays. Some include Halloween Horror Nights, Christmas, Easter, Summer, and Cool Japan.^[31] The park's "Cool Japan" seasonal attractions have been based on popular Japanese anime and video game franchises, including: Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shin Godzilla, Attack on Titan, One Piece, Detective Conan, Lupin III, Monster Hunter, and Final Fantasy.^[32]

Former attractions

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Abby's Magical Garden	2012	2014	Outdoor play area. It was removed to make way for Moppy's Balloon Trip.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - The Ride	2004	2024	A 3D dark ride based on Marvel's Spider-Man. In May 2023, the park announced the attraction would be closing. The park ran a "Spider-Man The Ride - Final Campaign" from July 4, 2023, until the ride closed exactly twenty years after it first opened at the park on January 22, 2024.[33][34]
Animal Actors Stage	2001	2006	A stage show featuring multiple animals performing stunts and tricks. It was rethemed to Toto & Friends in 2006.
Animation Celebration	2001	2017	A 29-minute interactive show attraction, featuring Woody Woodpecker. Manufactured by BRC Imagination Arts, the attraction used special effects and the company's Holavision technology to integrate a live actor with projected animation illusions on stage.[35][36][37][38][39][40] The show begins in the pre-show area, where the guests visit a working animation studio. A host presents them a video, introducing scriptwriter Matsui (played by Rome Kanda), animator Kyoko, colorist Ayaka, and Gōtokuji (played by Shôji Maruoka), the studio's boss. Matsui explains the animation process used in the making of a Woody Woodpecker cartoon. Next, the guests enter the main theater, the Digital Studio, which seated 300 guests. Tetsuya "Yoshi" Yoshikawa (voiced by Toshihiko Seki), an apprentice animation director, is moments away from completing his first cartoon and demonstrating computer animation. Woody (voiced by Azusa Ichiba) somehow escapes from the animation computer, enters the room as a dimensional figure and gleefully wreaks havoc throughout the studio. After the show, guests were escorted into a room with interactive kiosks and large-scale games where they could make their own Woody Woodpecker cartoon.[41][42][43][44][45][40][46][47] Before the show opened in Japan, a US test version was produced to prove the show's concept in 1997.[48] In 2002, the attraction won the Outstanding Achievement Award in the "Attraction" category at the 9th Annual Thea Awards.[49] On June 1, 2016, the attraction was put on an extended hiatus, with an announcement that it would reopen on April 1, 2018. However, on December 21, 2017, it was announced that the ride would be closed to make way for Playing with Curious George.[18][19][20][21]
Backdraft	2001	2020	A special effects attraction based on the Universal film of the same name. Temporarily closed in September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2023 the park announced it had no intentions to reopen the attraction.[33][34]
Back to the Future: The Ride	2001	2016	A simulator ride based on the franchise of the same name. It closed to make way for Despicable Me Minion Mayhem.
Big Bird's Climbing Nest	2012	2014	Outdoor jungle gym. It was removed to make way for Elmo's Go Go Skateboard.
E.T. Adventure	2001	2009	An indoor dark ride attraction based on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It closed to make way for Space Fantasy – The Ride.
Linus' Green Department	2001	2001	A maze attraction. Removed to expand Peppermint Patty's Stunt Slide.
Magical Starlight Parade	2009	2016
Monster Make-Up	2001	2003	A live show attraction based on Universal Studios Florida's version of the show.
Motion Picture Magic	2001	2002	A live show attraction. It was hosted by director Steven Spielberg, and was originally designed by experience designer Bob Rogers and the design team BRC Imagination Arts,[50] provided a tribute to the Universal Studios brand of motion pictures. During the show, the theater transformed into a multi-screen presentation and when the show ended, the main screen raised to present a real motion picture set in which the audience would cross through as they continued through the attraction show building.[51] After closure, the building was turned into the 4D Theater, and plays Shrek 4-D and Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic.
Peppermint Patty's Stunt Slide	2001	2013	A water slide complex located within the Snoopy Studios area. It originally was a two-slide complex before expanding to four slides in 2002. It was closed in 2013 and demolished to make way for attractions in "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter".[52]
Pig-Pen's Prop Plaza	2001	2011	A sub-section of the Snoopy Playland area. Removed to make way for new attractions in the Universal Wonderland expansion.
Snoopy's Great Race	2001	2020	An indoor roller coaster. It did not reopen after the initial COVID-19 closure in February 2020, and was removed from the park's website in March 2021.
T2-3D: Battle Across Time	2001	2020	A 3D/live-action show based on Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Temporarily closed in September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2023 the park announced it had no intentions to reopen the attraction.[33][34]

Western

The Western Area, and with it, The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show and the Animal Actors Stage show, were revamped to become Land of Oz in 2006. This involved completely re-theming two live shows, one restaurant and a number of retail facilities.

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show	2001	2006	A stunt show based upon a wide variety of Universal's Western films. Located in the Western Town section of the park, the show featured several cowboy-themed actors surviving death-defying stunts, shootings and explosions.[53][54] The show closed in 2006 and has since been replaced by Wicked.

Land of Oz

The Western Area was replaced for 2006 with an area based on L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz book series.

The land closed in February 2011 to make way for Universal Wonderland.

Name	Opened	Closed	Description
Wicked	2006	2011	An abbreviated one-act version of the musical, presented in Japanese. It closed in January 2011, a month prior to the land's closure.
Toto & Friends	2006	2011	An animal trick show, featuring dogs, birds and other trained animals.
Magical Oz-Go-Round	2007[55]	2011	An Oz-themed carousel. This ride was retained during the Universal Wonderland transformation and was rethemed as Big Bird's Big Top Circus.

Parades

Universal's "Festa de Parade" 2018 Halloween parade

The park has held a variety of seasonal parades throughout the past two decades, including Festa de Parade, Universal Summer Parade – We Are One, and Minion Hacha-Mecha Christmas Party Parade.^[56][57][58]

Universal Studios Japan currently offers the nighttime Universal Spectacle Night Parade. This parade premiered on 17 May 2018, and features floats, performers, and characters based on the Wizarding World, Transformers, Jurassic Park and Despicable Me franchises.^[59]

The park also offers a daily daytime parade, titled No limit! Parade. The parade held its first preview performance on 27 February 2023, and officially premiered on 1 March 2023. It features floats, characters, and performers based on Hello Kitty, Peanuts, Despicable Me, Sesame Street, Sing, Mario Kart and Pokémon.^[60] While Mario and Pikachu appeared on Universal's No Limit!-marketing float at the Midosuji Autumn Party in November 2022, the No limit! Parade is the first time these franchises have appeared within a Universal Studios parade.^[61]

Awards

In 2011, USJ's Christmas tree was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most illuminated Christmas tree in the world having 260,498 lights.^[62]

• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – The Ride
  • 2001 Screamscape Ultimate No.1 Favorite Overall Non-Coaster Thrill Ride^[63]
  • 2002 Theme Park Insider World Best Theme Park Attraction^[64]
• Animation Celebration
  • 2002 THEA Award (presented by TEA) WINNER in Attraction^[65]
• Peter Pan's Neverland
  • 2007 THEA Award (presented by TEA) WINNER in Event Spectacular^[66]
• The Gift of Angels
  • 2009 Big E Award, Best Overall Production (presented by IIAPA) WINNER in the category "Best Overall Production, More Than $2 Million"^[67]
• Hollywood Dreams Parade
  • 2009 Big E Award (presented by IIAPA): Honorable Mention in the category "Best Overall Production, More Than $2 Million"^[68]
• Space Fantasy – The Ride
  • 2011 THEA Award (presented by TEA) winner in Outstanding Achievement^[65]

Attendance

2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
8,000,000[69]	8,160,000[70]	8,500,000[71]	9,700,000[72]	10,100,000[73]	11,800,000[74]	13,900,000[75]	14,500,000[76]	14,935,000[77]	14,300,000[78]
2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	Worldwide rank (2023)
14,500,000[79]	4,901,000[80]	5,500,000[81]	12,350,000[82]	16,000,000[83]	3

Official hotels

Hotel Kintetsu Universal City (left) and Hotel Keihan Universal Tower (right)

There are five official hotels at or near the park:

• Hotel Keihan Universal City
• Hotel Kintetsu Universal City
• Hotel Keihan Universal Tower
• Hotel Universal Port
• Park Front Hotel at Universal Studios Japan (Tokyu Hotels)

Incidents and accidents

In November 2004, a 35-year-old woman from Osaka Prefecture suffered nerve damage in her right wrist, affecting the use of two of her fingers. This occurred when her hand got stuck in a safety bar of the E.T. Adventure attraction as an employee pulled it down to secure it.^[84]

The Yoshi's Adventure attraction suffered two accidents in late 2021, with a Goomba stack animatronic falling onto the ride during operation on August 12, 2021,^[85] and a fire starting in one of the ride's indoor areas on November 23, 2021. This caused everyone to evacuate from the ride and the rest of the park.^[86] Neither accidents led to any park guest injuries.

In October 2022, an employee at the amusement park found human bones in shrubbery along a road west of the premises.^[87]

See also

• Incidents at Universal parks
• Tourism in Japan