Japan: Guide to Super Nintendo World at USJ Osaka

Universal Studios Japan or USJ, as the Japanese call it, is a theme park located in Osaka that opened in March 2001. It is one of the six Universal Studios theme parks in the world and the first one to open the Super Nintendo World area in March 2021.

In this post I will explain how to enter Super Nintendo World, as this is a topic that raises many questions and the first time you look for information about it, it can be quite confusing. So, to enter the Nintendo area you will have to follow several steps.

Buying tickets for Universal Studios Japan (Osaka)

First of all, you will have to choose which day you want to go. I recommend going from Tuesday to Thursday, as these are the days when there will be fewer visitors. I have always bought tickets through the official Universal website, but in recent months many people have been having problems buying them from abroad, so I recommend getting them through this official provider: USJ tickets on Klook. I have used it several times for Tokyo Disneyland and it works great.

The ticket price varies depending on the day and the expected number of visitors, but they usually range from ￥8,400 (around €46) to ￥11,900 (around €65).

How to enter Super Nintendo World

Universal Studios Japan usually opens before the official opening time. For example, if the website says that the park opens at 9 in the morning, the gates may open at 8 or 8:30. The time changes almost every day, so you never really know.

To enter Super Nintendo World you need what is called an “Area Timed Entry Ticket“, which is basically an allocated entry time that you will have to visit this area of Universal Studios. You have four options (although sometimes the fourth one is not available) to get into Super Nintendo World:

1. Buy a Universal Express Pass, in addition to the separate park entrance ticket. This will guarantee your entry to Nintendo and also give you fast access to some attractions. Once you purchase this pass, you will receive an email with your entry time for Super Nintendo World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. There are two options:
   • • Universal Studios Japan Express Pass: you will have to select the day and the type of ticket you want depending on the attractions you would like the express pass for. The price varies depending on each package.
       
       
2. Download the official USJ app on your phone (Apple and Android), register your tickets and, if you have not purchased an Express Pass, when you arrive at the park (I recommend arriving well before opening time), and once this option becomes available in the app, select an entry time for Nintendo. You can also get one from a ticket kiosk near the JAWS attraction. The steps to follow once you are in the app are:
   • • Home > Timed Entry Ticket > Area Timed Entry Ticket / Standby Entry Ticket > Get an eTicket > Super Nintendo World (see image below)
3. If you haven’t managed to get one, an alternative is to take part in the draw for an “Area Timed Entry Ticket”, also through the app or at a kiosk. However, it is not always available.
4. The fourth option is the one we have done both times we have been to Super Nintendo World: arrive a couple of hours before opening time and once the park opens, “run” towards Nintendo. However, this option will not always be possible because depending on the park’s attendance that day, they may only allow entry with an “Area Timed Entry Ticket”. But this way we also managed to ride “Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge” with only around 30-40 minutes of waiting time. We went to Nintendo in November and May, and during weekdays when there are fewer people, so you should keep this in mind when deciding what you want to do. It is not the same during low season as it is in the middle of July/August.

 

What to do in Super Nintendo World

The first time we went to Super Nintendo World, we spent around 5-6 hours inside this area after entering first thing in the morning. Here is an itinerary you can follow to make the most of it!

1. I highly recommend that the first thing you do when entering Nintendo is buy a Power-Up Band, which is an interactive wristband that adds a real-life video game experience during your visit where you can take on challenges, collect coins, virtual items, and much more. There are several designs available: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, Peach and Daisy. This year they have also added a special golden Mario edition. The price is ¥4,200 (around €25). Once you have bought it, you will need to connect it to the USJ app on your phone.
2. Go straight to Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge. If you don’t have an Express Pass and don’t mind going separately, you can use the single rider queue to go faster.
3. Go to Donkey Kong Country and ride the Mine Cart Madness attraction.
4. To do the “Bowser Jr. Challenge” attraction, you will have to collect three coins in the app by completing three mini-games, so keep this in mind and start working on the challenge!
5. Eat at Kinopio’s Cafe. We had to queue for quite a while, so try to go before 12pm or after 3pm. Depending on the season you visit, you may need an entry time ticket, so in that case, I recommend going down to the restaurant as soon as you enter and getting your ticket.
6. Ride Yoshi’s Adventure.
7. Visit the merchandise shops inside Nintendo (there are two, 1UP Factory and Mario Motors) and grab some food or a drink at Yoshi’s Snack Island or the popcorn stand where they sell the popcorn bucket.
8. Enjoy the rest of the park and take some photos with the Nintendo characters!

Eating at Kinopio’s Cafe

I’m a big fan of themed food, so I couldn’t skip this restaurant. Here are some photos of the things we ate!

How to Get to Universal Studios Japan

There are several ways to get to Universal Studios Japan. First, you need to get to Osaka — the fastest way is by Shinkansen (bullet train), which is included with the JR Pass. From Osaka Station to USJ it’s about 15 minutes at most.

1. From Osaka Station, take the Osaka Loop Line (also known as the Osaka Kanjo Line) to Nishikujō Station.
2. Once at Nishikujō, take the Sakurajima Line (also known as the Yumesaki Line) to Universal-City Station.
3. From there, USJ is less than a 5-minute walk.

Travel Insurance

For this kind of trip I always take out travel insurance so I can relax if something goes wrong. We once had an incident in Japan and it worked out perfectly. We usually go with the “Basic” or “Standard” option, although depending on the country you may want to look at the “Star” or “Backpacker” option. You can also add or purchase cancellation coverage. There’s a “Premium Cancellation” option specifically designed to cover costs associated with trip cancellations (flights, accommodation, excursions, etc.), up to a limit of €6,000, in case you can’t travel for a reason covered by the policy.

By clicking on this link, you can purchase any IATI insurance policy with a 5% discount: https://www.iatiseguros.com?r=81717716852618.

Money During the Trip – N26 Card

In Japan they use the Yen (¥) — for reference, ¥100 is about €0.55. We used a credit card to pay for everything during this trip and had no issues.

I got this card to travel to Iceland, and it’s worked great for me on every trip since. Since I’ve traveled to Japan and other non-euro countries quite a few times over the past few years, I got a bit tired of eating currency exchange fees at airports or exchange offices, the roughly 3% fee my bank charges for every card purchase or withdrawal abroad… So I looked for a solution to this problem, because even though it seems like a small percentage, it adds up and stings once you tally it all.

So when I travel, I pay for everything with my N26 prepaid card. A few things worth noting:

• I opened an account for free at Spanish and eurozone ATMs, as long as they’re contactless.
• If you want the physical card, you can order it for €10.
• Topping up the card is very easy — it’s done by bank transfer.
• A few important points to keep in mind while traveling with this card:
  • You can pay in any currency other than the euro. N26 doesn’t charge fees for payments abroad, even in a different currency. The exchange rate applied is the one provided by Mastercard.
  • If you have a standard N26 account and want to withdraw cash from an ATM outside Europe, you’ll pay a 1.7% currency exchange fee (but nothing for the transaction itself). N26 You or Metal accounts don’t get charged this fee. I use the Standard one.

All the payments I’ve made in countries with a currency other than the euro have gotten a really good exchange rate (in this case, Visa’s rate applies). I compared it regularly against a currency converter to check the daily rate, and the ratio they used was even better than what I found online.

If you have any questions about this, feel free to email me — the process is really simple, though. Here’s the link again: N26.