Universal Studios Japan: General Discussion

[Matt N]

Also were's Wicker Man gone @Matt N

I decided to change my avatar to one of my more recent pictures, so I decided to change it to this nice one of Stealth from my July visit to Thorpe! Hope you like it; I did flick between a couple, as some of you may have noticed earlier, but I went with this one in the end!
EDIT: I got indecisive as per usual and changed it again! The picture isn't my own this time, but I thought a nice shot of my all-time favourite coaster would fit well, and I also thought of keeping my TowersStreet and CoasterForce avatars the same!

 

[Matt N]

Sorry for double posting, but apparently Setpoint are actually the rumoured manufacturer for this ride, as Universal has worked with them a lot before, and they too are based in Utah; they’re the closest manufacturer to where the footage was apparently filmed!

 

[JAperson]

So @Matt N nobody actually knows who the manufacturer is! So as far as we know it might be Mack or Vekome or Veokma and S&S or just S&S, or Sansie and Vekoma and S&S or even setpoint.
Setpoint have build only a few coaster and most don't operate anymore but one of them that does is Universal studios singapore.
Setpoint built roller coaster page on RCDB: https://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&mk=6920&ii

 

[Matt N]

So @Matt N nobody actually knows who the manufacturer is! So as far as we know it might be Mack or Vekome or Veokma and S&S or just S&S, or Sansie and Vekoma and S&S or even setpoint.
Setpoint have build only a few coaster and most don't operate anymore but one of them that does is Universal studios singapore.
Setpoint built roller coaster page on RCDB: https://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&mk=6920&ii

Much of Setpoint’s most notable work has actually been for Universal! Universal have worked with them on both Canopy Flyers at Universal Studios Singapore and Pteranodon Flyers at IOA (was originally Caripro, but Setpoint took over midway through for unknown reasons), as well as possibly some other things too, so it would make sense for them to possibly be manufacturing this coaster.

Also, the track in the video does look quite similar to Canopy Flyer’s track (albeit not suspended, of course): https://rcdb.com/8606.htm

Probably more similar than anything Vekoma or S&S has done at this point…

Of course, we don’t know for sure; as you say, it could very well be Vekoma or S&S or Sansei or anybody, and I’ll be the first to admit I’m wrong if it is someone else.

But I’d personally say Setpoint is a pretty good guess for the moment; their HQ is very near to where this footage was shot, they’ve done a fair bit of work for Universal before, and their track also looks pretty similar to the track seen in the video when compared to other manufacturers.

 

[Matt N]

The Japanese version of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is permanently closing on 22nd January 2024, which is almost exactly 20 years after it opened. From 4th July 2023 onwards, Universal Studios Japan are running a “final campaign” for the ride, which will include commemorative merchandise and special Universal Express packages.

This is not believed to have any bearing on the Orlando original, however, because this closure apparently stems from Universal’s Marvel contract in Japan running out (the contractual terms are different in Japan; they don’t have the perpetual Marvel license like Orlando does).

In terms of a replacement; the current rumours are that the ride will be rethemed to a different IP, with Transformers and Pokemon both being suggested as possible candidates.

The park has also confirmed the removal of Backdraft and Terminator 2 3D, which were the last remaining iterations of those respective attractions. Both attractions closed for the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and never reopened: https://wdwnt.com/2023/05/terminator-2-3-d-backdraft-close-permanently-at-universal-studios-japan/

 

[tayspru]

Japan has limited space, unlike other parks Pokemon can’t be saved for virgin land. I can see the combined space of Spider-Man and Terminator being utilised to make a Pokémon land of some kind. The backdraft space is also ideal for more despicable me / illumination attractions

 

[Zeock]

I think Transformers would work very well as a retheme of Spiderman. I don't see the ride system working as well for a Pokemon-themed ride.

 

[Maelstrom]

Pokémon has been the main rumour for the past year or two for the next expansion after Donkey Kong. It’s been rumoured for the past year online that spiderman will be rethemed into a Pokemon or detective Pokémon ride.

 

[Bowser]

I'm thinking of visiting here next year. I'm flexible with dates so wondering if there is an optimal time to visit?

Even looking today, despite it being a weekday during school time many of the queues are still 2 hours. Is that as good as it gets?

 

[Dan]

I’ve been a few times and the queues can get quite bad on some of the attractions. Last time I went the Minions attraction had a 4 hour queue

There are a few crowd calendars out there but I use the one TDR Explorer recommends https://tdrexplorer.com/universal-studios-japan-crowd-calendar/

 

[Bowser]

I’ve been a few times and the queues can get quite bad on some of the attractions. Last time I went the Minions attraction had a 4 hour queue

There are a few crowd calendars out there but I use the one TDR Explorer recommends https://tdrexplorer.com/universal-studios-japan-crowd-calendar/

4 hours

Hmm, had a look at that and not sure if it's broken with age as every month displays as exactly the same attendance.

Queue Times is usually pretty good but they only have data going back 3 months so not much use in this scenario.

Did you get a Fastpass and if so how effective was that?

 

[Dan]

Hmmm yeah, looks like it's not been updated. There is https://usjinfo.com/wait/pre_callendar.php?yer=2023&month=12&park=#land_cal & https://www.thrill-data.com/trip-planning/crowd-calendar/usj I've done a quick check on both to make sure golden week is down as being busy and they are so there has been some thought put into them.

I didn't get fastpass as it was not available to buy in advance, we tried to get one on the day 2 hours before the park opened and they were already sold out. The first time I went I scheduled two days for the park which was plenty, even without fast track. They have some single rider lines too which help skips the queues, especially on Flying Dinosaur

 

[Bowser]

Hmmm yeah, looks like it's not been updated. There is https://usjinfo.com/wait/pre_callendar.php?yer=2023&month=12&park=#land_cal & https://www.thrill-data.com/trip-planning/crowd-calendar/usj I've done a quick check on both to make sure golden week is down as being busy and they are so there has been some thought put into them.

I didn't get fastpass as it was not available to buy in advance, we tried to get one on the day 2 hours before the park opened and they were already sold out. The first time I went I scheduled two days for the park which was plenty, even without fast track. They have some single rider lines too which help skips the queues, especially on Flying Dinosaur

Hmm, that's all very off-putting. For example today is listed as one of the quietest days of the year yet many rides are still around 2 hours. And without the fallback of the Fast Pass. I would be in a group of 4 too so single rider not really a good option.

Just looked at Tokyo Disney for comparison and it's a similar story with queue times.

UPDATE: The Universal website does say you can buy FastPass in advance. Also when you go to buy your ticket, the price varies which i presume is a crowd calendar of sorts anyway. Once you select your date it gives you the Fastpass options and then you have to pick time slots for 7 major rides. Says you also don't have to queue to enter the park. Ok this is all good news!

 

[Dan]

My visit's were pre-covid so i'd expect they have made improvements since then. Another issue we had was no card machine or ATM in the park worked with our bank cards. We had to leave the park and walk to a nearby village to find a ATM to get money from. I've heard generally across Japan this has improved over the last few years but there are still some shops/ATMs that don't accept foreign cards. If you are there for one day and it's a first visit I would recommend getting fast pass as it takes all the stress away. Japanese people like being in groups so you'll find single rider lines are shorter and worth doing if your group don't mind riding on their own. The only problem you might find is the park don't always open them on some days some can't guarantee that will be an option for you

 

[John]

I visited in August 2016. We had 1 day and didn't use express as the price was obscene (something like £80 for 4 rides IIRC). Even though it was incredibly busy we didn't do too badly all things considered - we used SRQ to get on Flying Dinosaur, Hollywood Dream & Space Fantasy twice each plus Jaws & Spider Man mostly without excessive waits (though IIRC we waited a while for Spider Man). We also got on Forbidden Journey, the smaller coasters and Backdraft through the main queues, again without waiting excessively. We did skip a few things including Jurassic Park and Minions (both of which we'd done in Florida anyway) and obviously the Nintendo area wasn't there back then so doing the park without express may be more difficult now. I think our original plan was to have 2 days but we collectively decided that we'd done enough of the things we wanted to do on day 1 and TBH the whole thing was a bit of a stress so we opted for a more relaxed day doing other things instead.

I'm not sure if they still do it but we had to pick up a timed ticket to get into WWoHP, just picking one of those up was a total crowd control nightmare but the area itself wasn't too bad. It's possible they've implemented a similar system for Nintendo Land, though it might be OK at quieter times.

 

[Bowser]

Hmmm yeah, looks like it's not been updated. There is https://usjinfo.com/wait/pre_callendar.php?yer=2023&month=12&park=#land_cal & https://www.thrill-data.com/trip-planning/crowd-calendar/usj I've done a quick check on both to make sure golden week is down as being busy and they are so there has been some thought put into them.

Just going back to this, the data is really confusing. The busiest periods by far according to this are the months of March and November but these don't correlate with school holidays or public holidays so why would that be?

 

[Dan]

Just going back to this, the data is really confusing. The busiest periods by far according to this are the months of March and November but these don't correlate with school holidays or public holidays so why would that be?

March will be Cherry Blossom season so attracts lots of tourists. November could be because that’s when the Xmas events start and everyone is eager to go and see them

 

[Bowser]

March will be Cherry Blossom season so attracts lots of tourists. November could be because that’s when the Xmas events start and everyone is eager to go and see them

Interesting!

 

[havaska]

I’ll be visiting the first week of October next year. It’s my 40th so clearly I need to visit Super Nintendo World. Spending two weeks in Japan is just a happy coincidence

Would you guys recommend a fast pass? I’d hate to go and get in one or two rides (like my experience with Universal Singapore earlier this year).

 

[Bowser]

I’ll be visiting the first week of October next year. It’s my 40th so clearly I need to visit Super Nintendo World. Spending two weeks in Japan is just a happy coincidence

Would you guys recommend a fast pass? I’d hate to go and get in one or two rides (like my experience with Universal Singapore earlier this year).

Just from my preliminary research a few posts above i'd say it is worth it when you're travelling all that way. The FastPass lets you prebook a timed entry slot to SNW too.