Full of flashing lights and famous movie characters, Universal Studios Japan is the fifth most popular theme park in the world. Situated in Osaka, it arranges a series of flagship attractions across nine different areas, including New York, Hollywood, Jurassic Park, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Universal Studios shares many attractions with its sister parks in the United States, Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. Many rides and areas are predominantly focused on a Japanese audience with Japanese audio dubbing. The park receives over 10 million visitors a year. For Western visitors, it can be bizarre to hear characters like Harry Potter uttering lines in Japanese or Mandarine.
The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is the main attraction in the New York area and the busiest ride in the entire theme park. Hollywood contains a variety of 4-D rides like Shrek and Sesame Street. Universal Wonderland is aimed at smaller children while Water World and Amity Village are based on Universal's Water World and Jaws movies. Three Harry Potter-themed rides opened in 2014, including the internationally-acclaimed Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
Access to the theme park is via Universal City Station, on the JR Yumesaki rail line. It's approximately 15 minutes from Osaka Station. Admission tickets are inclusive of all rides and Express Passes allow queue jumping for selected attractions.
Cultural worlds have historically collided in Universal Wonderland, where Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue crosses Sesame Street Fun Zone, and the Cookie Monster Slide meets the Hello Kitty Cupcake Dream.