Universal Studios 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. The park is owned and operated by USJ LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast NBCUniversal. 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. 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 2024, Universal Studios Japan 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. 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. Licensing agreements regarding the planning, construction and operation of Universal Studios Japan was concluded with Universal 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. On February 21, 2001, in preparation for the opening of Universal Studios Japan, All Nippon Airways unveiled the Woody Woodpecker-themed Woody Jet, using the Boeing 767-300, for its domestic flights. The next day, Universal Studios Japan held a pre-opening preview. The park opened on March 31, 2001. It was Universal's third theme park and the first outside the United States. The park cost US$ 1.7 billion to build. The opening of Universal Studios Japan gave a boost in the economy of the Kansai region and has added another 29,000 jobs in the region's construction and tourism-related industries. Lands and attractions The park covers 54 hectares (130 acres). The attractions are spread across ten different areas. 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. The tenth and newest area, Super Nintendo World, opened after several delays on 18 March 2021. Hollywood Based on the neighborhood of Hollywood, Los Angeles. Attractions Restaurants and shops New York City Based on the city of New York City, New York. San Francisco Located between Minion Park and Jurassic Park, this area right off the lagoon is based on the city of San Francisco, California, and recreates neighborhoods such as Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown. The area does not have any rides, but does have four restaurants: Happiness Cafe, Lombard's Landing, The Dragon's Pearl, and Wharf Café. Minion Park An area inspired by Illumination's Despicable Me franchise. It opened in March 2017. Jurassic Park Inspired by Steven Spielberg's blockbuster film franchise of the same name. Amity Village Inspired by Steven Spielberg's film Jaws. Universal Wonderland Aimed at children and families, Universal Wonderland is home to well-known characters, such as Snoopy and Hello Kitty. Opened in March 2012, it contains two themed sub-areas, Snoopy Studios and Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue. The section originally had a third section; Sesame Street Fun Zone, which closed in May 2026. Snoopy Studios Based on the comic strip Peanuts. Snoopy Studios was originally its own standalone area, opening with the park in April 2001 before becoming part of Universal Wonderland in 2012. Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue Themed to Sanrio's Hello Kitty franchise. WaterWorld Based on Universal Pictures' 1995 film of the same name. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (ウィザーディング・ワールド・オブ・ハリー・ポッター, Wizādingu Wārudo obu Harī Pottā) is a themed area based on the Wizarding World franchise. It is a collaboration of Universal Destinations & Experiences and Warner Bros. Entertainment. It opened to the public on July 15, 2014. It contains the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey dark ride and the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster. The village of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts’ Black Lake are also recreated. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter cost Universal Studios Japan ¥45 billion ($442.2 million) to construct. Super Nintendo World Super Nintendo World is wedged in at the northern end of the park, west of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Super Mario Land opened on March 18, 2021, and is focused on the Mario franchise and its spin-off series, Yoshi. On December 11, 2024, an expansion themed to Donkey Kong Country opened. Guests enter Super Nintendo World through a warp pipe from an entrance plaza. The pipe leads into Super Mario Land, and specifically Princess Peach's Castle. When guests exit the castle, they enter the courtyard on the second floor, immersed in the Mushroom Kingdom with Bowser's Castle across the area. From the back of the Super Mario Land, guests can walk into Donkey Kong Country. Attractions Restaurants and shops Seasonal overlays The park is consistently installing seasonal attraction and show overlays. Some include Halloween Horror Nights, Christmas, Easter, Summer, and Cool Japan. The park's "Cool Japan" seasonal attractions have been based on popular Japanese media franchises, including Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shin Godzilla, Attack on Titan, One Piece, Detective Conan, Lupin III, Monster Hunter, and Final Fantasy. Former attractions 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. Land of Oz In 2006, the Western area was replaced with an area based on L. Frank Baum's book series The Wizard of Oz. The land closed in February 2011 to make way for Universal Wonderland. Sesame Street Fun World Based on the children's television series Sesame Street. It was split into three sub-areas - Sesame Street Plaza, Sesame Central Park and Elmo's Imagination Playland. This section closed permanently on May 10, 2026. Upcoming attractions Kingdom of Silverland Parades 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – The Ride 2001 Screamscape Ultimate No.1 Favorite Overall Non-Coaster Thrill Ride 2002 Theme Park Insider World Best Theme Park Attraction Animation Celebration 2002 THEA Award (presented by TEA) WINNER in Attraction Peter Pan's Neverland 2007 THEA Award (presented by TEA) WINNER in Event Spectacular 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" Hollywood Dreams Parade 2009 Big E Award (presented by IIAPA): Honorable Mention in the category "Best Overall Production, More Than $2 Million" Space Fantasy – The Ride 2011 THEA Award (presented by TEA) winner in Outstanding Achievement Attendance Official hotels 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. 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, 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. 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. See also Incidents at Universal parks Tourism in Japan Tokyo Disneyland Legoland Japan Resort Notes References External links Official website