Japan: Universal Studios

Our first stop at Universal Studios Japan was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! First, we popped into the souvenir shop where I picked up a chocolate frog to send back to Joyce in England. She really wanted to go to Japan too but couldn’t because of Uni. Next, we headed up to Hogsmeade. There’s an unwritten rule that you have to try the Butter Beer if you go, so that’s exactly what we did. There was a long queue (as you’d expect) but it went down quite fast. The Butter Beer itself had a subtle lemonade taste topped off with a sickeningly sweet evaporated milk froth. It took me a while to wash down. I’m so happy I got to keep the mug as a souvenir!

Feeling quite happy that we’d ticked an item off our bucket list we queued for a ride called ‘Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey’. We were queueing for about an hour and I started to wonder if it was worth it. The queue snaked around an outside replica of Hogwarts castle so at least we could take pictures while we waited. When we finally reached the front of the queue, we suddenly forgot how long the wait had been. As soon as we stepped onto the dark, cobbled floor in the entrance we were greeted by employees that were dressed in the Hogwarts uniforms! It was so cute! I wish I had taken a picture but at this point it was getting darker and the queue began to move quite fast. We were lead up a staircase and all the portraits on the wall were moving – I loved how they’d thought to include these details!

The ride itself was definitely worth the wait! You fly around Hogwarts and even take part in a Quiddich game. It was so much fun, even if it was slightly confusing hearing Malfoy shouting at you in Japanese.

After queueing for ‘Bio-Hazard’ and a few more rides we sat down and waited for the parade. We were all a bit peckish at this point so we each had a turkey leg from a nearby stall to snack on – it seems to be the norm at amusement parks in Japan!

I have to say, the parade was stunning! All of the dancers were so happy and enthusiastic. Halloween seems to be celebrated the whole of October in Japan. So they let all the people who had come dressed up to be part of the parade!

All in all, it was a great trip out and the weather wasn’t bad either.

You can view the rest of my posts from Japan here:
1. Land of the Rising Sun
2. Mr. & Mrs. Katsui’s house
3. Exploring Nara
4. Lost in Kyoto
5. Universal Studios (now viewing)
6. Sayonara