Universal Studios, Harry Potter World!

Day 3: Universal Studios Japan

I've been to the Universal Studios in Hollywood, California twice when I was a little boy, so I already have an idea of how Universal Studios Japan (USJ) would look like since some of its rides can also be found in the US. Stepping into this huge theme park took me into a trip down memory lane. I felt like a kid again, and if not for the Japanese-speaking people, I would have thought I was in California.

At the famous "Universal" globe

At the entrance of USJ

We bought our USJ tickets in the train station in Kyoto for about ¥7,200 (Php 2,865 or $60) but take note: there's an express ticket worth ¥10,000 ($85) which, if I'm not mistaken, will allow you to get 'express' entrance to five major rides and three minor rides without falling in line. We went on a Tuesday but the queues were still very long. I did not know this so unfortunately for us we have to fall in line, and this took some time off our trip, so I suggest that you get the express ticket to maximize your one-day stay at USJ and ride as many rides as you can.

Just before you enter the USJ gates, you will pass trough an array of restaurants, souvenir shops, snack bars and hotels

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

This is probably one of the main reasons that pushed me to go to Japan, to see Harry Potter World at USJ! I started reading books because of Harry Potter. I read all books from Book 1 to 7 and watched all the movies. I even line up during the first screenings of all the movies. I also play the video games in my PSP. My favorite book and movie is Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There were just so many new characters and the Triwizard Tournament made both the book and the movie very exciting to read and watch.

Before you can get in the Harry Potter World, you have to secure a schedule stub from a machine near the center of USJ, which will determine what time you can get inside. This is being done systematically due to the immense number of people who are visiting Hogwarts. We were scheduled at 2:30 in the afternoon. Once we were in, we have to fall in line again before we can get inside the Hogwarts Castle...

This is the entrance to the Harry Potter World. This path would lead you to Hogsmeade!

Here I posed in front of Hogsmeade, which is described in the book as the only village in Britain that is purely inhabited by wizards. It is also the place where Harry, Hermione and Ron would go out for a mug of the famous "Butterbeer".

Aha! Ollivander's Wand Shop, where Harry got his first wand! And where I got mine, too! :)

The Hogwarts Express!


Dervish & Banges


Ivy and I got sorted already! I'm Gryffindor and she's Hufflepuff! :)
(Mind you, these robes are so expensive so we just tried it on.)


But of course, before we get officially enrolled at Hogwards, we ought to have broomsticks, the Nimbus 2000 and Nimbus 2001! :)
 
There were so many people trying it on so I just took a photo of this muggle trying to use it. How shameless of me. hehe!

Can you see these owls and the packages they should deliver?


Oh yeah, they also have this Monster Book of Monsters, a vicious textbook that bites!

Watch it move:

And now....

The breathtaking view of the life-size Hogwarts Castle!

Hogwarts and the Black Lake, where merpeople reside!



Can you remember that Hungarian Horntail dragon that chased Harry over the castle?


These are the greenhouses where Harry, Ron and Hermione took their Herbology classes! Remember those screaming Mandrake plants? Luckily for us, they were not around that time, otherwise we would have ended deaf...

After an hour of falling in line, we're finally getting inside Hogwarts!



We're all excited to get sorted!

By the Sorting Hat:


It's kind of scary inside the castle cause it was so dark. Bloody hell!

These portraits on the walls were really moving and talking...



...in Japanese though, LOL! Watch:

Ah, Professor Dumbledore's office:



Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom
Can you see Harry, Ron and Hermione?


This isn't in Jurassic World haha!

Gryffindor common room:

Okay at this point in time, we are about to enter the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey 4K3D, a ride that combines actual real-life figures like haunting dementors, deafening explosions, and sprinkling mist and 3D images that we're reenacted from the movies. I enjoyed the part where we got chased by dementors during a Quidditch match, and I could literally see the Golden Snitch and Harry is in the foreground, just before me, and as if we were actually playing Quidditch together! Whew! It was so intense. This experience was so fantastic and electrifying that for a moment I really thought I was in Harry's world, that I too was a wizard. My dreams were fulfilled. Thank you Harry Potter and Thank you J.K. Rowling for inspiring millions of children (yes, because I was still a kid when Harry Potter series first came out!) :)

To give you an idea of how the ride looked like:

(photos were grabbed from Wikipedia)

Ah after the ride, you know what I did? I grabbed all the Harry Potter items in the souvenir shop that my hands can hold onto, to the point that one of the store's staff already gave me a basket. Blimey! They were all expensive but I didn't care, I just bought all of them! This is once in a lifetime experience anyways! Panic buying? haha!

Look what I bought:

Ooops sorry, the Spider-man item was bought from the Spider-man ride! haha!
Up to this day (January 2016), I haven't eaten the chocolate frog (center) and haven't drank the powdered Butterbeer (yes, they have it!). Total cost of damage: ¥18,000++ :( whew!

Of course, the Harry Potter World experience would not be complete without this:

Butterbeer!!!!

A real one! It tastes so good and so sweet! 

I have yet to taste if the powdered version would taste the same. Who wants to try? :)

This is where we bought the butterbeer.

Enjoying my cup of butterbeer at the Castle's foreground and by the lake...

Oh yeah, Ron Weasley's car (his dad's rather)

Unfortunately, there was no Whomping Willow in the castle grounds...
I would not touch that tree anyway!

Just before we leave Harry Potter World, we dropped by the famous Zonko's Joke Shop that was put up by the Weasley twins, Fred and George.


We also dropped by the Three Broomsticks Pub, but there were so many people and the food was expensive as well!

We're going home now...
Goodbye Hogwarts :( Till we meet again...

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