Up early for a big day. Breakfast at the Art Hotel was in the restaurant on the 51st floor. No pics of the food as it was very crowded but there was an extensive choice and it was good without being great.
The main point of the Osaka leg of this trip was a repeat visit to Universal Studios for ShelleyB-son. I won’t bore you all with a blow by blow of the day, but a few points for those wishing to visit. First is that tickets are available from 2 months ahead. I don’t think the basic tickets sell out but if you want an express pass (which cost extra) there’s only a limited number. We bought express passes last time, but not this time, and whether or not they are worth it depends on which rides you mainly want to experience. The express passes comes in different ‘sets’, can cover either 4 or 7 rides, and include a timed entry to popular areas (mainly Nintendo world). Last time they were great as Nintendo world was new and an express pass guaranteed entry. This time we were not that bothered by Nintendo world and the main new ride ShelleyB-son wanted was not covered.
In the absence of a Japanese credit card, overseas visitors wanting to buy tickets in advance need to use an authorsised reseller. We have used Klook each time and been happy. The mark up is marginal and their exchange rate very good.
The park officially opens at 8.30am but is often open earlier to prevent congestion at the gate. Depending on the season it may stay open until 9.30pm. We stayed from 8.30 to 7.30.
The app is really useful for maps and seeing wait times on rides. Be prepared to wait a long time for new rides.
Single riders may or may not have an advantage depending on the ride.
Many of the rides are really clever but also involve some type of VR. If you suffer from motion sickness, many rides are not for you. Mr. ShelleyB skips a lot of rides.
In keeping with theme parks all around the world, the food is fairly ordinary and very overpriced.
I also really love the way locals really get into the spirit of the place with full cosplay. There are witches, wizards, minions, princesses, and various manga characters everywhere.
Suffice to say ShelleyB-son had a ball, and we did not mind it. Certainly good for getting the steps up - nearly 20,000 steps that day.
At the end of a long day, everyone too tired to go anywhere else hunting food, so pizza just outside the park was very acceptable to all, even if a little boring in the land of amazing cuisine. And to top off the day, scored some milo kit kats at 7-11.
