by Sharna Steer

Before travelling to Osaka, I knew that I would definitely be hitting up one of their most popular attractions, Universal Studio Japan. Coming from little New Zealand which only has Rainbows End as a small thrill park, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew that Universal Studios had all of these amazing worlds from your favourite fictional movies and books but I really underestimated how cool it would all be. 

Walking into Universal Studios was surreal. Even walking up to the gates through the city walk area makes you feel all giddy because of how excited you are. It is truly just an explosion of colour and wonderland when you walk around all of these carefully crafted sets. When you go to Harry Potter world it really feels like you are visiting Hogwarts. It is all so artfully made that one of my friends from America commented that walking around the old New York-style streets for the Spiderman area literally felt like he was walking the streets of his childhood neighbourhood. 

A significant part of the trip that makes it so special is the people. The staff are all incredibly cheerful, kind and helpful. They go out of their way to make sure that you are having the best time possible and are incredibly efficient with their service. It is really cute because all of them are dressed in matching uniforms to whatever section they are in, for example, the workers in the Despicable Me area are dressed as scientists. Another cool aspect is that you see a lot of the parkgoers who go all out and wear matching costumes with their friends, families and partners. When you get closer to Halloween time you will also see a lot of people dress in costumes of their favourite characters or as Halloween monsters.

I enjoyed my first time there so much I bought an annual pass the next time and have been to Universal Studios three times now! There is just so much to explore that going one or even two times does not do it enough justice at all.