(Note: This is part two in my two-part blog post series about Universal Studios Japan (USJ). Part one was about the other parts of USJ except for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.)
Even though I’m just a casual fan of Harry Potter (to be honest I’ve only gone until the fourth book and movie 😛 ), I can’t deny the enchantment that J.K. Rowling’s world holds on my imagination. Like all the other fans who read about Harry & Co.’s exploits in the halls of Hogwarts, or saw their twinkling eyes while roaming Hogsmeade, I was curious to know what it would have been like being a part of all of that.
So when the opportunity presents itself, to turn those products of your imagination and curiosity into reality at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Japan, you know we took that chance to feel like our own wizards of Hogwarts. 😉
The map for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is quite a ways from when you first enter Universal Studios Japan (USJ). Once you go inside USJ, you’ll be given a map of the theme park, so just follow the map. When you find yourself going into an area that starts to look like a forest, you’ll know you’re near 😉
The loooong line to enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was kinda cool, it felt like you were entering this secret part of the theme park 😉
Before lining up though, you’re going to have to get a timed entry ticket. This was something we hadn’t known beforehand, so we lined up with the others before we figured it out and saw that the people in line were presenting some kind of ticket before entering.
For the timed entry ticket, you have to choose a schedule of when you’re going to enter, and you have to be in line already during your schedule, otherwise you can’t enter at all. It was a bit of a confusing process for us at first because we didn’t really know how it worked, but now you know how it works. So don’t make the same mistake! Every minute matters especially in theme parks with long lines and waiting times.
Once we got that settled, (drum roll please) it was time to enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
Hogsmeade! Complete with the ice-capped roofs and everything!
Hogwarts Express!
You can enter Hogwarts Express, but there was a fee to enter, so we didn’t go for it.
A timetable for the Hogwarts Express, so y’know, you won’t miss that train 😉
Look at how many people there were! To be honest, it was a bit difficult to move around because you were bound to bump into somebody. A little bit of advice: If the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is your top priority in USJ, make sure you go there first and go there quick!
A stack of chocolate frogs!
Inside Honeydukes! Look at all that sweet, sweet candy!
Honeydukes had the sweets Harry and friends had drooled over in the movies. As far as I know, they had chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, chocolate wands, etc etc. However, most of the prices were upwards of ¥1,200 for a single item, which was a bit expensive compared to my usual buys, so I hadn’t bought anything. (Which I regret a little bit, I wish I’d gotten some of those Every Flavour Beans!)
The shop was divided into two, the larger part of the shop was for Honeydukes, and the other part was for Zonko’s.
After coming from Honeydukes/Zonko’s, we explored Hogsmeade a little bit more.
The Three Broomsticks! You can have your lunch (or dinner) there. There was a line however (but when you’re in a theme park, falling in line becomes second nature, next to breathing :P)
The image of Sirius Black was moving, so that was pretty cool 😉
Next we went into the Owl Post! They had lots of Hogwarts-related clothing and merchandise, whether you belong to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Slytherin, they have the right scarves, cloaks, jackets, pennants, keychains (and so much more!) for you. There were also cute owl-related merchandise there too. 🙂
I love taking photos of the display windows of the shops. They looked pretty cool!
Look at all those packages! Those owls really must have a tough job! 😉
Just a few owls there, the others must be on duty 😛
After visiting the Owl Post, we made our way through the rest of Hogsmeade.
There was also a line for Ollivander’s, as far as I recall.
And then finally, after a bit of walking around, I present: Hogwarts!
Just imagine, inside those halls there are wizards lurking about!
As usual, there was also another line to enter Hogwarts, and when we looked, it said the waiting time was 3 hours! We weren’t really into waiting and standing around for that long, so sadly, we didn’t get to see what it looked like inside.
Instead, we opted to ride the Flight of the Hippogriff. It was a roller coaster and as you wait, you get to see Hagrid’s hut. The line for this was shorter so we went for this instead.
Hagrid’s hut! I hoped Buckbeak was there though 😛
Sirius Black’s (and then eventually, Hagrid’s) motorcycle!
They look like they’re riding off into the clouds!
The ride was kind of short though, to be honest, and you only get to go for one turn. I think our waiting time in line was 10x the length of the time spent on the ride. 😛
After the ride, we decided to buy souvenirs. This cost ¥1,200 if I remember correctly. I was kind of adamant not to spend too much money on the stuff there, but I thought this was worth it, because I get the cool Hogwarts Express-shaped tin container, plus it had 12 chocolates inside! So even after all the chocolates are gone, I still got a pretty cool looking container. 😉
Last word: I am not exaggerating when I say there are a LOT of people and crazy long lines. If you’re not much of a crowd person like me, I highly recommend going there as early as you can, otherwise you’ll be bumping into other people all day.
If you’re in it to experience the attractions, you’ve got to tough it out and spend hours of your time there in lines. If you don’t like lines, and you’re not that much of a hardcore Harry Potter fan anyway, I think it’s better to give the Wizarding World a pass and save time and money. However, I did think the Wizarding World was pretty cool, but I guess I couldn’t enjoy it as much because of all the people there. But if you’re in it purely to get as much merchandise as you can, you’re in for a treat and I’m sure you’ll be coming home with bags of Harry Potter goodies. 😉
The hours of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter depends on the hours of Universal Studios Japan. The hours vary on the day, so be sure to check here first before making plans to go there. You will need a separate timed entry ticket to enter the Wizarding World, but don’t worry, it’s free and has no additional cost to your USJ ticket.
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