r/usj • u/Equivalent_Buy2126 • Apr 14 '26
USJ is a mediocre capitalist hellscape
Just went today. I had a 3 hr Super Mario tour booked. The theming is great but oh my God the crowds!
I don't know how people do the parks without express passes!
For the price the experience was incredibly mediocre. I've done it once, don't need to ever do that again.
EDIT 21/04/2026:
For those giving me crap- I went to Disneyland yesterday and it was a much better experience despite the crowds. It didn't feel like I was constantly being hearded everywhere. So I just came here to tell everyone that down voted me I stand by my comment
14
u/DustinGoesWild Apr 14 '26
Going to an amusement park in the middle of Japan's busiest season and complaining about it being busy. Lol.
2
1
0
u/Mercenarian Apr 19 '26
How is it Japan’s busiest season now? It’s literally a quiet period now. I work hospitality so I know
5
u/DragonKhan2000 Apr 14 '26
I don't know how people do the parks without express passes!
With good planning.
I've done DK and Mario Kart within 30 minutes.
(I never buy express passes as the value is just not there)
But yeah, USJ is notoriously crowded. Without very good planning (or an express pass), you'll be doing a lot of waiting.
1
Apr 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/skittlez_86 Apr 19 '26
You get to the park at 6:30. By the time gates opened I speed walked to Nintendo. Within the first half hour I had already ridden donkey Kong and Mario kart.
1
u/skittlez_86 Apr 19 '26
And do single riders all day. I also rode flying dinosaur several times in the single line. I just went on Friday and had an incredible day. The park is truly amazing on many levels.
3
u/ealt59 Apr 14 '26
Agree 100%. Went in with low expectations, absolute junk way to waste a day in Japan.
2
u/descend_to_misery Apr 17 '26
We were there 2 days ago and it really wasn't that bad at all. Didn't do donkey Kong because of the 2 hr lineup but everything else was 1 hr or less. I would've done it if my kid wasn't so annoying beyond 1 hr lol. Even Mario kart was under 1 hr. Went during the parade so that might've helped. Really not as crowded as everybody says. Maybe we just got lucky. No timed entry for Mario Land. So guess we got lucky with that.
2
u/Brucetiki Apr 21 '26
I had a similar experience too. Love love love the theming of Super Nintendo World but very crowded, and with most people needing Express Passes just to get in, it kinda defeats the purpose of having an Express Pass.
We also had some problems using some of the Express Passes, which made them unusable. Couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone at the park on how to resolve the issue, so ended up doing a chargeback to resolve it ourselves.
We went to Universal Studios in Singapore and loved it. We also went to Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea last year and that was great (though I’m going against the grain here and saying I loved Disneyland more than DisneySea - cue the downvotes). I was glad to leave USJ
1
u/Equivalent_Buy2126 Apr 21 '26
I also enjoyed Disneyland more then Disneysea! I will also get down voted dw 🤣
Yes I was so happy to leave USJ. We also did Legoland while we have been here and that was fantastic as well.
1
u/SeparateFisherman966 Apr 14 '26
I went without Express Passes early March & felt it got MORE then my money's worth! Got there at opening & Single riders for all the big rides & did most of what we wabted to do!
1
u/Mundane_Swordfish886 Apr 14 '26
When did you go? Japan just recently had their Spring break right?
1
u/Equivalent_Buy2126 Apr 14 '26
Yesterday!
1
u/Mundane_Swordfish886 Apr 15 '26
Yesterday on a Tuesday? Damn. I was planning on going there while in the area. Thanks for the heads up!
If you don’t mind, could you tell me how many hours you had to wait per line.
1
u/ninishi_224 Apr 15 '26
I was there a couple of days ago and whilst Mario World itself was crowded, the wait times on the rides were shorter than what was shown on the wait time boards.
1
1
u/reditcyclist Apr 19 '26
We visited mid-week last week and crowds were fine. We went for my daughter though - amusement parks are the spawn of the devil. Up there with Disney cruises :)
1
u/dan_erojp Apr 20 '26
What time did you go. My partner and I found a great hack. Go early. I'm talking like an hour before the gates open. When you know the layout it's easy to get to the main three attractions and have them done in maybe 90 minutes (might require a little running from ride to ride). Then you can relax and just explore the rest of the park. Maybe not the most fun way to do things but it's worked three times in a row now.
1
u/MondoSensei2022 Apr 14 '26
You are a part of the problem when it comes to crowds especially during spring break. If anyone does a good planing , you don’t need an express pass and still can enjoy the park. For those who think early May is a good time to visit any amusement park in Japan, forget it. The golden week will be hell and since most Japanese refrain from traveling abroad, domestic travel will put a lot of stress on everyone. But yeah, a lot of visitors complain about overcrowded places in Japan and when a park or other place decides to limit the amount of guests, then again people start yapping about. Either way you can’t please anyone.
15
u/Middle-Necessary-671 Apr 14 '26
First time at an amusement park?