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Universal Studios
Japan, Osaka
The first Universal Studios experience
outside the US opened in 2001 and
it’s done amazingly well, combining
American Hollywood hype with
Japanese cutesy charm. Hello Kitty
is a major presence in Universal
Studios Japan, mingling with
Elmo of
Sesame Street
,
Charlie Brown, and a
slew of other TV and
movie stars drawn from
Universal Studios’ cast
of characters.
The park consists of
nine areas with a mix of
rides, theater-style features
and street shows. Its rides allow
guests to relive the thrills of their
favorite movies. The Jaws ride, for
instance, climaxes with a great white
shark snapping at the guests’ tram.
And the Waterworld show re-creates
the movie’s climactic battle at the atoll,
complete with acrobats on jet skis.
Even if you don’t go
for the rides, there’s plenty
of action on street level. Universal
Studios Japan puts on street shows
daily, culminating in a night parade
with neon-lit floats based on favorite
movie characters.
To get to Universal Studios Japan,
ride the JR Yumesaki line to Universal
City, and walk five minutes from the
station to the park entrance gate.
2-1-3
Sakurajima Konohana-ku, Osaka; tel:
+81 6 6465 3000, www.usj.co.jp
Cebu Pacific flies to Osaka from Manila.
www.cebupacificair.com
A S I A ’ S A W E S O M E T H E M E P A R K S
Osaka
Finished the rides
at Universal Studios
Japan? Don’t worry;
there are still plenty
of sights and shows
to see; (below) set
aside a few minutes to
take a memorable shot
of the iconic Universal
Studios sign
PHOTOS
ALAMY