How to Buy USJ Tickets | Studio Pass Types, Universal Express Pass, Area Timed Entry Ticket
Based on official USJ information, this guide covers the Studio Pass, the admission ticket to Universal Studios Japan (USJ): its types and age categories, where to buy it, the Universal Express Pass that shortens wait times, and how to get an Area Timed Entry Ticket to enter Super Nintendo World.
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Overview
Universal Studios Japan (USJ) is a theme park in Osaka. The USJ admission ticket is called a “Studio Pass.” It includes entry to the park and use of the attractions inside the park (except some paid attractions).
- When you buy a Studio Pass, you choose the date you will enter the park. The price differs depending on the date you enter.
- You can buy a Studio Pass from the Official Web Ticket Store, which the official USJ website directs you to, or from a travel agency. You cannot enter the park with a resold ticket.
- The Universal Express Pass, which shortens attraction wait times, is a ticket you buy separately from the Studio Pass.
- Depending on the day, some areas such as Super Nintendo World can only be entered with an Area Timed Entry Ticket or an Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking. You get an Area Timed Entry Ticket from the official USJ app after you enter the park.
Where to buy
Types of Studio Pass
The main Studio Passes sold at the Official Web Ticket Store are the following three.
| Studio Pass | Days and hours you can enter |
|---|---|
| 1 Day Studio Pass | One day you choose, from opening to closing |
| 1.5 Day Studio Pass | Two consecutive days. On day 1 you can enter from 15:00; on day 2, from opening to closing |
| 2 Day Studio Pass | Two consecutive days, from opening to closing on both days |
For every Studio Pass, the price differs depending on the date you enter. When you choose the entry date on the purchase screen, the price for that date is shown. There are also many other types of Studio Pass, such as ones that limit the hours you can enter.
Where to buy
The official USJ website lists the following two places to buy a Studio Pass.
- Official Web Ticket Store: An online sales site you can reach from the English version of the official USJ website. It is run by an authorized USJ sales agent. You do not need to exchange tickets you buy there for a Studio Pass at a park ticket booth. You can enter the park directly with the QR code of the ticket you bought.
- Travel agencies: The “Travel Agency” page of the official USJ website lists travel agencies that sell tickets. The agencies listed differ depending on the language version of the official website.
The types of tickets you can buy differ depending on where you buy them. If you stay at a USJ partner hotel, you can also buy tickets at the hotel. The hotel sells only tickets whose entry date is either your check-in day or the following day.
Conditions
Age categories
The price of a Studio Pass differs by age category.
| Category | Age |
|---|---|
| Child | 4–11 years |
| Adult | 12–64 years |
| Senior | 65 years and over |
- Children aged 3 and under are free and do not need a Studio Pass. Everyone else needs one Studio Pass per person.
- A person who will start junior high school in Japan in April is in the child category if the date they enter the park is March 31 or earlier, and in the adult category if it is April 1 or later.
- For everyone else, including people who do not attend school in Japan, the category is decided by their age on the date they enter the park.
After you buy
- A Studio Pass cannot be canceled after purchase.
- With any Studio Pass other than an annual pass, you cannot re-enter the park after leaving.
- For a 1 Day Studio Pass, 1.5 Day Studio Pass, 2 Day Studio Pass and similar passes bought at the Official Web Ticket Store, you can change the entry date from the purchase confirmation email. There is no fee, but if the price for the new date is higher, you pay the difference. You cannot change the ticket type, the number of tickets, or the age category.
- A Studio Pass combined with another ticket, such as a Universal Express Pass, cannot have its entry date changed.
Booking
Universal Express Pass
The Universal Express Pass is a ticket that lets you enter specific attractions through a dedicated line that is shorter than the regular line. To enter the park, you also need a separate Studio Pass.
- The attractions you can use are set for each type of Universal Express Pass. The types on sale and their prices differ by day.
- It can only be used on the date printed on the ticket.
- For attractions with a set entry time, that time is printed on the ticket. Arrive at the printed time. If you are late, the time cannot be changed and the ticket cannot be refunded.
- Each person needs one ticket. You cannot share one ticket with someone you are visiting with.
- It cannot be canceled after purchase.
- Attractions have requirements such as height. If you do not meet the requirements, you cannot ride that attraction even with a Universal Express Pass. Before buying, check the requirements for each attraction on the official website.
To use it, show the whole screen of the ticket with the QR code to a staff member at the attraction’s Universal Express Pass entrance. Print the ticket in advance, or save a screenshot of the whole screen.
Areas
Entering Super Nintendo World
Depending on how crowded the park is, there are days when some areas such as Super Nintendo World can only be entered with an Area Timed Entry Ticket or an Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking. On some days you can enter without either.
To get an Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking or an Area Timed Entry Ticket, use one of the following two methods.
- If you want to secure entry to the area before you enter the park, buy a Universal Express Pass that includes an Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking, or use a travel agency package that includes an Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking.
- After you enter the park, get an Area Timed Entry Ticket in the official USJ app.
The Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking and the Area Timed Entry Ticket are separate tickets. You arrange the Area Timed Entry Ticket: Advance Booking before you enter the park, while you get the Area Timed Entry Ticket in the official app after you enter the park.
Steps to get an Area Timed Entry Ticket in the official app
- In the official app, scan the QR code of your Studio Pass to register it. You can also register the Studio Passes of the people you are visiting with at the same time. Registering before you enter the park makes things quicker on the day.
- After you enter the park, get an Area Timed Entry Ticket for the area you want to enter from the official app. The Area Timed Entry Ticket shows the time at which you can enter the area.
- At the time shown, go to the area entrance and enter.
- The official app works on iPhone with iOS 17.0 or later, and on Android with Android 9.0 or later. Before using it, update the official app to the latest version.
- When visiting as a group, register everyone’s Studio Pass and get Area Timed Entry Tickets for everyone at the same time.
- Area Timed Entry Tickets can only be obtained inside the park. Once obtained, the time, number of tickets, and area cannot be changed.
- If you delete the official app before you use your Area Timed Entry Ticket, the ticket you obtained becomes invalid.
Good to know
- Attractions, restaurants and shops in the park may be suspended or may have stopped accepting guests. Before you go, check the operating schedule on the official website.
- To get an Area Timed Entry Ticket in the official app, you need to use a smartphone inside the park. How to stay connected during your trip is covered in Getting Online in Japan | eSIM vs SIM Card vs Pocket Wi-Fi, What to Check First, and Airport Pickup.
- How to get from Kansai International Airport to central Osaka is covered in From Kansai International Airport to Osaka and Kyoto | Choosing between the Kansai-Airport Express HARUKA, Nankai Rapi:t and the Limousine Bus, and the IC cards you can use in Osaka are covered in Where in Japan can you use Suica and ICOCA? | IC card areas and what to know when riding between areas.
- Prices, types and conditions may change. Before buying, check the latest information on the official USJ website.