Universal Studios Japan facts for kids
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Universal Studios Japan entrance in 2006
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| Location | Konohana-ku, Osaka, Japan |
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| Theme | Show business and Universal entertainment |
| Owner | USJ LLC (Universal Destinations & Experiences) (wholly owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast) |
| Operated by | USJ LLC Universal Destinations & Experiences |
| Opened | 31 March 2001 |
| Visitors per annum | 14.9 million (2017) |
| Area | 54 ha (108 acres) |
| Attractions | |
| Roller coasters | 5 |
| Status | Operating |
Universal Studios Japan (ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン) is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by USJ LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NBCUniversal. The park is similar in layout to Universal Studios Florida and contains selected attractions from both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, in addition to a small number of unique attractions.
Over 11 million guests visited the park in its opening year, making it the fastest theme park to reach the 10 million guest milestone at the time. In 2022, USJ hosted 12.3 million visitors, making it the third-most visited theme park in the world behind Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, and the most visited theme park in Asia.
Contents
History
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| 1912 | Universal Pictures is founded |
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| 1926 | NBC is founded |
| 1928 | Walter Lantz Productions is established |
| 1943 | MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (later Universal Television) |
| 1953 | NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years |
| 1956 | NBC's first peacock logo debuts |
| 1963 | American Cable Systems is founded |
| 1964 | Universal Studios Hollywood opens |
| 1967 | NBC broadcasts the first Super Bowl |
| 1968 | American Cable Systems rebrands to Comcast |
| 1972 | Comcast began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) |
| 1975 | Universal releases Jaws |
| 1980 | PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures MCA Videocassette‚ Inc. (Later Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is established |
| 1982 | Universal releases E.T. The Extra Terrestrial |
| 1984 | Walter Lantz Productions' assets are sold to Universal Telemundo is founded |
| 1985 | Universal releases Back to the Future |
| 1986 | General Electric buys RCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake in A&E |
| 1989 | NBC relaunches Tempo Television as CNBC |
| 1990 | Universal Studios Florida opens Law & Order premieres on NBC Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting Universal Cartoon Studios (later Universal Animation Studios) is established |
| 1993 | Universal releases Jurassic Park |
| 1994 | DreamWorks Animation is founded |
| 1996 | NBC and Microsoft replace America's Talking with MSNBC |
| 1997 | Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets |
| 1998 | Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television |
| 1999 | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures Universal Studios Florida expands to become Universal Orlando Resort Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres on NBC |
| 2001 | Grand opening of Universal Studios Japan Universal releases The Fast and the Furious Vivendi purchases Studios USA |
| 2002 | NBC acquires Telemundo and Bravo Studios USA assets are folded into Universal Focus Features is formed Comcast acquires AT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion |
| 2003 | Universal becomes the first studio with five summer releases breaking the $100 million mark |
| 2004 | GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal |
| 2005 | The Office premieres on NBC Comcast sets up a joint-venture with PBS, Sesame Workshop & HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout Comcast & Time Warner Cable jointly acquire Adelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion |
| 2006 | USA Network begins 13-year streak as #1 cable network in total viewers |
| 2007 | Illumination is founded |
| 2010 | Universal releases Illumination's first film Despicable Me |
| 2011 | Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company NBCUniversal Archives is founded |
| 2012 | Universal celebrates its 100th anniversary NBCUniversal divests its A&E Networks minority stake |
| 2013 | Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout |
| 2014 | Comcast attempts to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal with WWE |
| 2016 | NBCU acquires DreamWorks Animation |
| 2017 | Sprout relaunches as Universal Kids |
| 2018 | Comcast acquires Sky after a heated bidding war with 21st Century Fox |
| 2019 | NBCU acquires Cineo Lighting |
| 2020 | NBCU launches Peacock |
| 2021 | Grand opening of Universal Beijing Resort |
| 2023 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie becomes Illumination's highest-grossing film |
In December 1992, Osaka Universal Planning Inc. was established in Minato-ku, Osaka to plan and research for the development and construction of a large-scale theme park in Japan. In February 1996, the master agreement regarding planning, construction and operation of the Universal Studios Japan theme park was concluded with American corporation MCA Inc. Osaka Universal Planning Inc. was also renamed USJ Co., Ltd. Licensing agreements regarding the planning, construction and operation of Universal Studios Japan was concluded with the Universal Group in 1998 and later that year, construction of the theme park officially began. The park opened on March 31, 2001.
Lands and attractions
The park covers 54 hectares (130 acres).
The attractions are spread across ten different areas. The ninth area, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, opened on 15 July 2014 with its flagship attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The area and its attractions were modeled after its previous iterations at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. Its tenth area, Super Nintendo World, opened after several delays on 18 March 2021.
Hollywood
Based on the neighborhood of Hollywood, Los Angeles.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cinema 4-D Theater | 2003 | A 4D theater attraction that currently shows Shrek's 4-D Adventure or Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic. |
| Sing on Tour | 2019 | A musical theatre attraction based on Illumination's Sing film. The building's exterior is themed as the "Illumination Theater". |
| Universal Monsters Live Rock and Roll Show | 2001 | A live musical revue stage show based on the Universal Monsters. |
| Playing with Curious George | 2018 | A show attraction based on Curious George. |
| Hollywood Dream – The Ride | 2007 | A steel roller coaster that features a sound system that allows the riders to choose what ride music they wish to listen to. |
| Space Fantasy – The Ride | 2010 | An indoor spinning roller coaster with a space theme, containing many special effects. |
| Mario Cafe & Store | 2020 | Originally themed as "Schwab's Pharmacy", the store offers themed food and an exclusive line of "Whose Cap?"-branded Mario merchandise. |
New York City
Based on the city of New York City, New York.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Detective Conan 4-D Live Show ~Jewel Under The Starry Sky~ | 2024 | A 3D/live-action show based on Case Closed. |
San Francisco
Based on the city of San Francisco, California.
Minion Park
An area inspired by Illumination's Despicable Me franchise. It opened in March 2017.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Despicable Me Minion Mayhem | 2017 | A computer-animated simulator ride featuring the characters from Despicable Me movie franchise. |
| Freeze Ray Sliders | 2018 | A flat ride featuring spinning cars, centering on the Minions cooling off the Minion Park Fountain with Gru's freeze ray. |
Jurassic Park
Inspired by Steven Spielberg's blockbuster film franchise of the same name.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jurassic Park: The Ride | 2001 | A water-based amusement ride based on Steven Spielberg's 1993 film Jurassic Park and Michael Crichton's novel of the same name. |
| The Flying Dinosaur | 2016 | A flying roller coaster that holds the record for being the most expensive roller coaster ever manufactured by B&M. |
Amity Village
Inspired by Steven Spielberg's Jaws film.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Jaws | 2001 | A scenic boat ride with special effects and animatronics of the titular shark. |
Universal Wonderland
Universal Wonderland is a section aimed at children and families. Opened in March 2012, it contains three themed sub-zones including Snoopy Studios, Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue, and Sesame Street Fun Zone.
Snoopy Studios
Based on the Peanuts comic strip. Snoopy Studios was originally its own standalone area, opening with the park in April 2001 before becoming part of Universal Wonderland in 2012.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| The Flying Snoopy | 2012 | An aerial carousel ride with Snoopy-themed cars. |
| Snoopy's Sound Stage Adventure | 2001 | An indoor playground attraction themed to a film set. |
Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue
Themed to Sanrio's Hello Kitty franchise.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hello Kitty's Cupcake Dream | 2012 | A Balloon Race ride with cars themed to different cupcakes. |
| Hello Kitty's Ribbon Collection | 2012 | A themed indoor meet-and-greet with Hello Kitty. |
Sesame Street Fun Zone
Based on the children's television series Sesame Street. It is split into three areas - "Sesame Street Plaza", "Sesame Central Park" and "Elmo's Imagination Playland".
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Abby's Magical Party | 2012 | An indoor play area filled with larges spheres and stars. |
| Abby's Magical Tree | 2012 | An indoor rope-climbing attraction themed to a tree. |
| Bert and Ernie's Wonder: The Sea | 2012 | An indoor ball pit themed to Bert and Ernie's bathroom. |
| Big Bird's Big Top Circus | 2012 | A carousel ride with Sesame Street themed animals and characters. Formerly the "Magical Oz Go-Round", it was the only attraction from the "Land of Oz" area to be repurposed for Universal Wonderland. |
| Big Bird's Big Nest | 2012 | A large climbing rope attraction. |
| Cookie Monster Slide | 2012 | A slide with Cookie Monster's tongue as the slide. |
| Elmo's Bubble Bubble | 2012 | A small log flume-like ride for children. |
| Elmo's Go Go Skateboard | 2015 | A Rockin' Tug ride that looks like Elmo's skateboard. |
| Elmo's Little Drive | 2012 | A driving school attraction with Elmo-themed cars, aimed for young children. |
| Ernie's Rubber Duckie Race | 2012 | Guests race rubber duckies down a small river of water. Originally known as "Central Park Duckie Race". |
| Grover's Construction Company | 2012 | An indoor play area themed to water pipes. |
| Moppy's Balloon Trip | 2015 | A high tower ride that affords a view of the area. |
| Moppy's Lucky Dance Party | 2012 | A live interactive show themed to Universal Studios Japan's exclusive "Moppy" Sesame Street character. |
| Sesame's Big Drive | 2012 | A driving school attraction with Sesame Street-themed cars. |
| Water Garden | 2012 | A water fountain play area. Originally known as "Central Park Springs". |
WaterWorld
Based on Universal Pictures' 1995 film of the same name.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Waterworld: A Live Sea War Spectacular | 2001 (original version) 2018 (current version) |
A live water stunt show showcasing many special effects. |
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Based on Warner Bros Discovery's Wizarding World franchise.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey | 2014 | A motion-based dark ride that takes guests through scenes inspired by the Harry Potter books and films. |
| Flight of the Hippogriff | 2014 | A junior roller coaster based on the creature featured in the books. |
Super Nintendo World
Based on several Nintendo franchises, focusing on Super Mario and its Yoshi spin-off series. An expansion themed to the Donkey Kong Country spin-off series is under construction.
| Name | Opened | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge | 2021 | An augmented reality-type dark ride attraction based on the Mario Kart series. |
| Yoshi's Adventure | 2021 | An omnimover attraction where guests board a Yoshi and ride around Super Nintendo World. |
| Power-Up Band Key Challenges | 2021 | Several interactive mini-attractions where guests can interact with Mario enemies and Bowser Jr. These require separately sold Power-Up Bands. |
| Kinopio's Cafe | 2021 | A restaurant themed to the inside of a Toad House. |
| Yoshi's Snack Island | 2021 | A quick-service location that serves Yoshi-themed drinks and snacks. |
| Pit Stop Popcorn | 2021 | A quick-service location that serves flavored popcorn and themed popcorn containers. |
| 1-Up Factory | 2021 | A merchandise store themed to the inside of a factory. |
| Mine-Cart Madness | 2024 | A roller coaster themed to the Donkey Kong franchise. |
Seasonal overlays
The park is consistently installing seasonal attraction and show overlays. Some include Halloween Horror Nights, Christmas, Easter, Summer, and Cool Japan. The park's "Cool Japan" seasonal attractions have been based on popular Japanese anime and video game franchises, including: Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Attack on Titan, One Piece, Detective Conan, Lupin III, Monster Hunter, and Final Fantasy.
Former attractions
| Name | Opened | Closed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abby's Magical Garden | 2012 | 2014 | Outdoor play area. It was removed to make way for Moppy's Balloon Trip. |
| Animal Actors Stage | 2001 | 2006 | A stageshow featuring multiple animals performing stunts and tricks. It was rethemed to Toto & Friends in 2006. |
| Animation Celebration | 2001 | 2017 | A show attraction. It was closed to make way for another show – Playing with Curious George. |
| The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man - The Ride | 2004 | 2024 | A 3D dark ride based on Marvel's Spider-Man. In May 2023, the park announced the attraction would be closing. The park ran a "Spider-Man The Ride - Final Campaign" from July 4, 2023, until the ride closed exactly twenty years after it first opened at the park on January 22, 2024. |
| Backdraft | 2001 | 2020 | A special effects attraction based on the Universal film of the same name. Temporarily closed in September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2023 the park announced it had no intentions to reopen the attraction. |
| Back to the Future – The Ride | 2001 | 2016 | A simulator ride based on the franchise of the same name. It closed to make way for Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. |
| Big Bird's Climbing Nest | 2012 | 2014 | Outdoor jungle gym. It was removed to make way for Elmo's Go Go Skateboard. |
| E.T. Adventure | 2001 | 2009 | An indoor dark ride attraction based on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It closed to make way for Space Fantasy – The Ride. |
| Linus' Green Department | 2001 | 2001 | A maze attraction. Removed to expand Peppermint Patty's Stunt Slide. |
| Magical Starlight Parade | 2009 | 2016 | |
| Monster Make-Up | 2001 | 2003 | A live show attraction based on Universal Studios Florida's version of the show. |
| Motion Picture Magic | 2001 | 2002 | A live show attraction. It was hosted by director Steven Spielberg, and was originally designed by experience designer Bob Rogers and the design team BRC Imagination Arts, provided a tribute to the Universal Studios brand of motion pictures. During the show, the theater transformed into a multi-screen presentation and when the show ended, the main screen raised to present a real motion picture set in which the audience would cross through as they continued through the attraction show building. After closure, the building was turned into the 4D Theater, and plays Shrek 4-D and Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic. |
| Peppermint Patty's Stunt Slide | 2001 | 2013 | A water slide complex located within the Snoopy Studios area. It originally was a two-slide complex before expanding to four slides in 2002. It was closed in 2013 and demolished to make way for attractions in "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter". |
| Pig-Pen's Prop Plaza | 2001 | 2011 | A sub-section of the Snoopy Playland area. Removed to make way for new attractions in the Universal Wonderland expansion. |
| Snoopy's Great Race | 2001 | 2020 | An indoor roller coaster. It did not reopen after the initial COVID-19 closure in February 2020, and was removed from the park's website in March 2021. |
| T2-3D: Battle Across Time | 2001 | 2020 | A 3D/live-action show based on Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Temporarily closed in September 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2023 the park announced it had no intentions to reopen the attraction. |
Western
The Western Area, and with it, The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show and the Animal Actors Stage show, were revamped to become Land of Oz in 2006. This involved completely re-theming two live shows, one restaurant and a number of retail facilities.
| Name | Opened | Closed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wild Wild Wild West Stunt Show | 2001 | 2006 | A stunt show based upon a wide variety of Universal's Western films. Located in the Western Town section of the park, the show featured several cowboy-themed actors surviving death-defying stunts, shootings and explosions. The show closed in 2006 and has since been replaced by Wicked. |
Land of Oz
The Western Area was replaced for 2006 with an area based on L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz book series.
The land closed in February 2011 to make way for Universal Wonderland.
| Name | Opened | Closed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wicked | 2006 | 2011 | An abbreviated one-act version of the musical, presented in Japanese. It closed in January 2011, a month prior to the land's closure. |
| Toto & Friends | 2006 | 2011 | An animal trick show, featuring dogs, birds and other trained animals. |
| Magical Oz-Go-Round | 2006 | 2011 | An Oz-themed carousel. This ride was retained during the Universal Wonderland transformation and was rethemed as Big Bird's Big Top Circus. |
Parades
The park has held a variety of seasonal parades throughout the past two decades, including Festa de Parade, Universal Summer Parade – We Are One, and Minion Hacha-Mecha Christmas Party Parade.
Universal Studios Japan currently offers the nighttime Universal Spectacle Night Parade. This parade premiered on 17 May 2018, and features floats, performers, and characters based on the Harry Potter, Transformers, Jurassic World, and Minions franchises.
The park also offers a daily daytime parade, titled No limit! Parade. The parade held its first preview performance on 27 February 2023, and officially premiered on 1 March 2023. It features floats, characters, and performers based on Mario Kart, Pokémon, Minions, Sing, Hello Kitty, Sesame Street, and Peanuts. While Mario and Pikachu appeared on Universal's No Limit!-marketing float at the Midosuji Autum Party in November 2022, the No limit! Parade is the first time these franchises have appeared within a Universal Studios parade.
Characters
Much like with the previous Universal parks, USJ has characters both from Universal and third-party companies. USJ has the Japanese license to use the Sesame Street, Peanuts and Sanrio characters, and alongside many others.
Awards
In 2011, USJ's Christmas tree was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most illuminated Christmas tree in the world having 260,498 lights.
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – The Ride
- 2001 Screamscape Ultimate No.1 Favorite Overall Non-Coaster Thrill Ride
- 2002 Theme Park Insider World Best Theme Park Attraction
- Animation Celebration
- 2002 THEA Award (presented by TEA) WINNER in Attraction
- Peter Pan's Neverland
- 2007 THEA Award (presented by TEA) WINNER in Event Spectacular
- The Gift of Angels
- 2009 Big E Award, Best Overall Production (presented by IIAPA) WINNER in the category "Best Overall Production, More Than $2 Million"
- Hollywood Dreams Parade
- 2009 Big E Award (presented by IIAPA): Honorable Mention in the category "Best Overall Production, More Than $2 Million"
- Space Fantasy – The Ride
- 2011 THEA Award (presented by TEA) winner in Outstanding Achievement
Attendance
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,000,000 | 8,160,000 | 8,500,000 | 9,700,000 | 10,100,000 | 11,800,000 | 13,900,000 | 14,500,000 | 14,935,000 | 14,300,000 |
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Worldwide rank (2019) | ||||||
| 14,500,000 | 4,901,000 | 5,500,000 | 5 | ||||||
Official hotels
There are five official hotels at or near the park:
- Hotel Keihan Universal City
- Hotel Kintetsu Universal City
- Hotel Keihan Universal Tower
- Hotel Universal Port
- Park Front Hotel at Universal Studios Japan (Tokyu Hotels)
Incidents and accidents
In November 2004, a 35-year-old woman from Osaka Prefecture suffered nerve damage in her right wrist, affecting the use of two of her fingers. This occurred when her hand got stuck in a safety bar of the E.T. Adventure attraction as an employee pulled it down to secure it.
The Yoshi's Adventure attraction suffered two accidents in late 2021, with a Goomba stack animatronic falling onto the ride during operation on August 12, 2021, and a fire starting in one of the ride's indoor areas on November 23, 2021. This caused everyone to evacuate from the ride and the rest of the park. Neither accidents led to any park guest injuries.
In October 2022, an employee at the amusement park found human bones in shrubbery along a road west of the premises.
See also
In Spanish: Universal Studios Japan para niños
- Incidents at Universal parks
- Tourism in Japan
