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 a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast 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 2024, Universal Studios Japan hosted 16 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.
History 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 Universal in 1998 and later that year, construction of the theme park officially began.
In July 1999, Universal sealed a marketing deal with 11 major Japanese companies, including All Nippon Airways and Matsushita Electric, to sponsor the park's attractions.
On February 21, 2001, in preparation for the opening of Universal Studios Japan, All Nippon Airways unveiled the Woody Woodpecker-themed Woody Jet, using the Boeing 767-300, for its domestic flights. The next day, Universal Studios Japan held a pre-opening preview.
The park opened on March 31, 2001. It was Universal's third theme park and the first outside the United States. The park cost US$ 1.7 billion to build.
In August 2026, it was announced that USJ LLC, Nippon Steel and the Osaka city government are in talks for the park to expand to an adjancent former Nippon Steel factory site covering around 60,000 square meters.
Lands and attractions The park covers .
The attractions are spread across ten different areas. 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. The tenth and newest area, Super Nintendo World, opened after several delays on 18 March 2021.
Hollywood Based on the neighborhood of Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Attractions Name Opened DescriptionCinema 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 franchise. 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 Classic Monsters. Playing with Curious George 2018 A show attraction based on Curious George. The attraction uses Pepper's ghost projections and multi-sensory production technology and props. 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.
Restaurants and shops +NameOpenedDescriptionMario Café & Store2020Originally themed as Schwab's Pharmacy, this shop 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 the manga and anime series Case Closed. Kuromi Live: Kuromify the World Tour "Crystal Clear" 2025 A live-action show based on the Sanrio characters Kuromi and My Melody.
San Francisco Located between Minion Park and Jurassic Park, this area right off the lagoon is based on the city of San Francisco, California, and recreates neighborhoods such as Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown. The area does not have any rides, but does have four restaurants: Happiness Cafe, Lombard's Landing, The Dragon's Pearl, and Wharf Café.
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 characters from the Despicable Me franchise. Freeze Ray Sliders 2018 A flat ride featuring spinning cars, focusing on the Minions cooling off the Minion Park Fountain with Gru's freeze ray. Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast 2025 A moving walkway shooter attraction themed to the Minions franchise.
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 film Jaws. Name Opened Description Jaws 2001 A scenic boat ride with special effects and animatronics of the titular shark.
Universal Wonderland Aimed at children and families, Universal Wonderland is home to well-known characters, such as Snoopy and Hello Kitty. Opened in March 2012, it contains two themed sub-areas, Snoopy Studios and Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue. The section originally had a third section; Sesame Street Fun World, which closed in May 2026.
Snoopy Studios Based on the comic strip Peanuts. 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 with a film set theme. Snoopy's Flying Ace Adventure 2025 An indoor roller coaster based on the storyline of Snoopy sitting atop his dog house imagining himself as a World War I pilot, fighting the Red Baron. It replaced the former Snoopy's Great Race.
Hello Kitty's Fashion Avenue Themed to Sanrio's Hello Kitty franchise. Name Opened Description Hello Kitty's Cupcake Dream 2012 A teacups ride with cupcake-themed cars. Hello Kitty's Ribbon Collection 2012 A themed indoor meet-and-greet with Hello Kitty.
WaterWorld Based on Universal Pictures' 1995 film of the same name. Name Opened Description WaterWorld 2001 (original version)2018 (current version) A live water stunt show showcasing many special effects.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (ウィザーディング・ワールド・オブ・ハリー・ポッター, Wizādingu Wārudo obu Harī Pottā) is a themed area based on the Wizarding World franchise. It is a collaboration of Universal Destinations & Experiences and Warner Bros. Entertainment. It opened to the public on July 15, 2014.
It contains the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey dark ride and the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster. The village of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts’ Black Lake are also recreated. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter cost Universal Studios Japan ¥45 billion ($442.2 million) to construct. 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 magical creature featured in the Harry Potter books and films.
Super Nintendo World
Super Nintendo World is wedged in at the northern end of the park, west of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Super Mario Land opened on March 18, 2021, and is focused on the Mario franchise and its spin-off series, Yoshi. On December 11, 2024, an expansion themed to Donkey Kong Country opened.
Guests enter Super Nintendo World through a warp pipe from an entrance plaza. The pipe leads into Super Mario Land, and specifically Princess Peach's Castle. When guests exit the castle, they enter the courtyard on the second floor, immersed in the Mushroom Kingdom with Bowser's Castle across the area. From the back of the Super Mario Land, guests can walk into Donkey Kong Country.
Attractions 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. Mine-Cart Madness 2024 A roller coaster themed to the Donkey Kong franchise.
Restaurants and shops NameOpenedDescriptionKinopio's Café2021A restaurant themed to the inside of a Toad House.Yoshi's Snack Island2021A quick-service location serving Yoshi-themed drinks and snacks.Pit Stop Popcorn2021A quick-service location serving flavored popcorn and themed popcorn containers.1-Up Factory2021A shop selling Mario-themed merchandise, themed to the inside of a factory.Jungle Beat Shakes2024A quick-service location serving food inspired by the Donkey Kong franchise.Funky's Fly 'n' Buy2024A shop selling Donkey Kong-themed merchandise.
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 media franchises, including Sailor Moon, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shin Godzilla, Attack on Titan, One Piece, Detective Conan, Lupin III, Monster Hunter, and Final Fantasy.
Former attractions Name Opened Closed Description 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. Animal Actors Stage 2001 2006 A stage show featuring multiple animals performing stunts and tricks. It was rethemed to Toto & Friends in 2006. Animation Celebration 2001 2017 A 29-minute interactive show attraction, featuring Woody Woodpecker. Manufactured by BRC Imagination Arts, the attraction used special effects and the company's Holavision technology to integrate a live actor with projected animation illusions on stage.
The show began in the pre-show area, where guests visited a working animation studio. A host presented them a video, introducing scriptwriter Matsui (played by Rome Kanda), animator Kyoko, colorist Ayaka, and Gōtokuji (played by Shôji Maruoka), the studio's boss. Matsui explained the animation process used in the making of a Woody Woodpecker cartoon.
Next, the guests entered the main theater, the Digital Studio, which seated 300 guests. In the studio, Tetsuya "Yoshi" Yoshikawa (voiced by Toshihiko Seki), an apprentice animation director, was moments away from completing his first cartoon and demonstrating computer animation. Woody (voiced by Azusa Ichiba) somehow escaped from the animation computer, entered the room as a dimensional figure, and gleefully wreaked havoc throughout the studio.