I remember the walk through the park gates at Universal Studios Japan. I’d planned every detail of the trip down to the last station stop, and within the hour I was standing in a line that moved slower than the sunset. That’s the thing about Osaka’s theme park: it’s the busiest I’ve ever visited, and queues for almost every ride sit at 1-3 hours throughout the day, no matter how early you rise.
There’s one quiet fix for all of it, and it’s called the Express Pass. I wouldn’t visit USJ without one, because I’ve learned the hard way that standing in line all day is not my idea of a holiday. Here’s everything I wish someone had told me before I booked it.
How the Express Pass works
The pass gives you fast-track access to a set of rides. You’ll find a separate Express line at the entrance to each ride, and you show your pass to the crew to enter. For the most popular attractions, you’re assigned a specific time slot — a 30-minute window, like 12:30 to 13:00. You can usually arrive 10 minutes early or a little late, but flexibility isn’t guaranteed, so treat the time as real.
In practice, the Express line took me 5-15 minutes on every ride we did. The one exception was Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, where we waited about 25 minutes. Honestly, we didn’t mind — the queue winds through Bowser’s Castle and the details are worth it.
Some passes also include Timed Area Entry to Super Nintendo World, and that part is the real reason to buy. More on that below.
One trap to avoid: an Express Pass does not get you into the park. It’s an add-on, not a ticket. You also need a Studio Pass (the actual park admission), and I’d buy that in advance too. Mine went through Klook, an authorised reseller, which made paying in my own currency painless.
Do you actually need one?
Here are the average wait times at USJ in 2025, from Queue Times data:
- Mine Cart Madness — 140 minutes
- Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge — 97 minutes
- Flight of the Hippogriff — 73 minutes
- Hollywood Dream Backdrop — 70 minutes
- Yoshi’s Adventure — 65 minutes
- Hollywood Dream — 60 minutes
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey — 59 minutes
- The Flying Dinosaur — 52 minutes
- Despicable Me Minion Mayhem — 47 minutes
- Jurassic Park — 38 minutes
- JAWS — 37 minutes
Those are averages. In busy season, Mine Cart Madness peaked at 201 minutes of queue. Some rides have single-rider lines, but they don’t usually save much — I watched one wait 60 minutes on the single-rider line for The Flying Dinosaur while the regular line sat at 70. One or two rides at opening with short waits? Possible, if you arrive at least an hour before the gates and stand in the entry line. But once you’re in, it’s in for the day: you can’t leave and reenter.
With a pass, we strolled in during the late morning and stayed until closing, which is how I’d rather spend a day in any park. If the park runs late, the final hour tends to be calmer, though not on the top attractions.
How much time does it save?
On one trip, a 7-ride pass saved us 565 minutes of queuing — over 9 hours. On the last trip I went with an Express Pass 4, covering just four rides (Mine Cart Madness, Mario Kart, The Flying Dinosaur, and Jurassic Park), and it still saved 286 minutes. That’s the part that surprised me: I’d never have queued 140 minutes for a ride, no matter how good it is, and now it was just another stop on the day.
Which rides are worth putting on the pass?
Start with the two longest queues in the park: Mine Cart Madness and Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge. Both are inside Super Nintendo World, so if that area matters to you, the pass choice almost makes itself. The Flying Dinosaur is the other ride I’d fight to keep on the list — it’s an intense coaster, and the best kind. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a strong fourth.
The Hollywood Dream coasters are lovely but rarely appear on the best passes these days. And for Despicable Me, JAWS, or Jurassic Park, a pass matters less — their waits come down in the evenings. It really comes down to what you’d refuse to queue for.
Super Nintendo World entry
This is the quiet powerhouse of the whole system. Many Express Passes include Timed Area Entry to Super Nintendo World, which is the surest way in. Without it, you either arrive at opening and hope to get in first thing, or you play the free lottery in the app for time slots later in the day — and you might not win.
Even with a pass, you can still enter the lottery, which comes in handy if you want a second visit later in the evening. The area is wonderful, but it’s loud and bright, so the ability to step out and come back on your own schedule is part of what I’d actually be paying for.
What it costs
The honest answer is: it’s a lot, on top of a park ticket that already runs around 8,900 yen ($56). Prices vary by pass type and by date — busier times cost more, weekdays cost less than weekends — so it’s worth comparing the options for your actual dates rather than assuming the bigger pass is always the better deal.
A few reference points from when I was booking:
- Express Pass 7 – Minecart & Selection: 24,000 yen ($151) in May
- Express Pass 4 – Minecart & JAWS: from 20,000 yen ($125) in May, or 17,000 yen ($107) in June
- Express Pass 4 – Flying Dinosaur & Jurassic Park (the cheapest, if Super Nintendo World isn’t your thing): from 12,000 yen ($75)
On some dates the Express Pass 4 and 7 are the same price, so check both before you decide.
How to buy one
You used to be able to buy Express Passes at the park. You can probably still try, but stock there is nearly gone now. Buy online, around two months ahead, and note that once you book, the pass generally can’t be cancelled.
For international visitors, the smoothest route I found was Klook, an official authorised reseller: you choose the date on a calendar, compare the passes side by side, and see exactly which rides each one covers. International cards work, and so do Apple Pay and Google Pay. If your dates are still flexible, it’s a good trick to pick a pass first and then scroll the calendar — prices change day by day, so you can spot the cheaper date at a glance.
After you book, you get an email with a PDF pass carrying a QR code and your ride times. That’s what you show at each Express entrance. I printed mine out, though the phone screen works fine.
The official USJ website is the other route, and it does have more availability at times — but the main site is in Japanese, you need a Club Universal account, and international cards can be temperamental. There’s an English version too, run by an authorised reseller, with more limited stock. If your dates are hard to find, it’s worth checking all three; otherwise the reseller route saved me the hassle.
When do passes go on sale?
I wish this had a simple answer. They usually go on sale about two months before your visit — as of 10 April, passes were available from 62 days out — but the schedule shifts. When I booked for November, the release slipped a few days, and one pass type appeared before the other. My advice: start checking around 65 days out and watch when new dates appear. A quick search for “62 days before [your date]” is all it takes to set a reminder.
On timing, passes often appear on the USJ site around midnight Japan time, with resellers a few hours behind. I never found a consistent release time, and I suspect it’s not worth losing sleep over.
Which pass to choose
The options change fairly often, so treat the list below as what I’d recommend if you’re starting from zero.
Express Pass 7 – for first-timers
Seven rides, and the one I’d reach for on a first visit if the budget allows. The current top option, Express Pass 7 – Minecart & Selection, covers Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Yoshi’s Adventure, Mine Cart Madness, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, plus a choice of The Flying Dinosaur or Despicable Me Minion Mayhem (I’d take the dinosaur) and JAWS or Jurassic Park (I’d take Jurassic). Timed entry for Super Nintendo World is included, with specific times for the three Nintendo rides and Flight of the Hippogriff; the rest are usable anytime. The big omission is the Hollywood Dream coasters. This is very close to the pass that saved me over 9 hours of queueing, and you can buy it directly on Klook.
Express Pass 4 – the focused pick
Four rides, and not always much cheaper than the 7 — especially if you want Mine Cart Madness in it. The one I used on my last trip, Express Pass 4 – Minecart & JAWS, saved us nearly 5 hours of queuing. It covers Mine Cart Madness, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, a choice of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or The Flying Dinosaur, and a choice of JAWS or Jurassic Park — with Timed Entry to Super Nintendo World included. Available on Klook if you want the leaner version.
Premium Pass and VIP Tours
If money is no object, the Premium Pass covers 13 rides, each usable once at any time. When I checked for April it was 50,400 yen ($317) against 29,000 yen ($182) for the Express Pass 7. I don’t think it earns the difference. The other alternative is a group VIP Tour — the one I saw ran 38,000 yen ($239) on top of the park ticket, for a 3-hour guided visit that skips to the front of Mine Cart Madness, Mario Kart, Yoshi’s Adventure, and JAWS, plus four Express rides of your choice afterwards. A splurge, but a real one.
Choosing your times
The decision that matters most is your Super Nintendo World entry time, which doubles as your first ride in the area. Early slots go fastest. I’d book something midday — we chose 12:30 on our last visit, which kept the morning free for a gentle start and still left time to sink into Nintendo World for hours. An evening slot is lovely too (we had one at 7:40 when the park ran to 10pm, and the area glows after dark), though you won’t make it through everything.
When the park stays open late, the last hour is the calmest part of the day, so I like to stay for it — with the caveat that you can’t step out and come back in. And I’d avoid booking morning ride times, so there’s still energy left for the long evening.
Is it worth it?
It’s expensive, yes. But if standing in a 2-hour queue is the thing that ruins a park day for you, the pass is the difference between a day you tolerate and a day you remember — and if Super Nintendo World is on the list, the guaranteed entry alone makes it easier to justify. If you can afford it, buy the pass, book it early, and spend your day actually riding.
FAQ
Does the Express Pass get me into the park?
No. It’s a fast-track add-on for selected rides. You still need a Studio Pass (the park ticket), which I’d buy separately in advance.
How far in advance should I book?
About two months. Passes usually go on sale around 62 days ahead and they do sell out — booking the day they’re released gives you the most ride-time options.
Can I buy a pass at the park?
Technically yes, but stock there is nearly gone now. Online is the reliable route, and it’s where you’ll compare pass types and dates properly.
A note from Luna: I used to think a day at a theme park was about the rides. It’s not. It’s about how little time you spend standing still. The Express Pass doesn’t buy you magic — it just hands the afternoon back to you.