rockysam382

Good to know! Would I need to purchase my bullet train tickets several days in advance or could I just go to the station like usual and purchase the tickets on the actual day of travel there?

That's good to know Elissa! I always had the impression that Nagoya's pretty far away from Osaka haha. Did you guys take the bullet trains or coach buses to Universal from Nagoya? It potentially looks like I could drastically cut my travel time with the bullet trains, but would I need to purchase my ticket several days in advance? Also, are cabs horrendously expensive in Japan which is what I've been lead to believe? I did not board a single cab during my stay in Tokyo recently because I realized the trains were able to get me just about anywhere?

Guess what Elissa? I totay forgot about Nagoya when planning for my trip Do you think Nagoya's feasible as a day trip from Osaka? I know Nagoya's far closer to places like Parque Espana or Nagashima Spa Land as well right? I just spent 5 awesome days at Tokyo Disney earlier this month so nothing's gonna beat that though!

Hey Elissa! Well I would say I am probably somewhere in between a hardcore Universal fan and an average one? I am much more of a Disney fan though! But yes I'll be willing to spend money on as many express passes as I could afford mainly because I see myself re-riding rides like Jurassic Park, Hollywood Dream, Spidey and Jaws several times over? And I an pretty sure Jaws in Japanese would be awesome! I'll be going on a weekday some time in late January during the off season? On another note, what other reccomendations in terms of activities would you have for the Osaka area?

Yes trust me I've had my fair share of that when doing the parks in the Tokyo area earlier this month too! This is probably a little off topic but is one day good enough for Universal Osaka? Also, how is it compared to the rest of the Universal properties?

Hey Robb my thoughts exactly!! So the park was pretty much empty most of the time? I'd be going on a weekend though so hopefully Pyrenees gets a few more riders to make it that little bit faster! But how are the park operations like though? It'd be pretty sad if I went there and the two big credits were down If the operations are anything like Fuji-Q, I'd fear for my life haha.

Would it be possible for me to find out which rides are down before going to those parks? I've been to the websites of some of them but it's all in Japanese so guess I'll probably take my chances! Parque Espana looks really really tempting though and my heart is telling me to go there And yes my aim on this trip is to get at least 1, if not more B&M inverted credits in haha. Seems strange that a B&M invert would be located in the middle of nowhere though. Is Parque Espana worth going the extra mile just for the two awesome credits there though? On the many occasions you guys have been there, have the coasters there been closed at any point in time throughout the day? Sorry that I am asking so many questions!

Good to know! Thanks for reassuring me Elissa! Just came back from Tokyo and spent 4 awesome days at Tokyo Disney! Will be going back in January to Osaka to hit Universal and hopefully a few other parks! Going with you guys on tour would be the most awesome thing ever though!

Hey guys!Mind if an Asian man from Singapore joins the Japan Tour? Do you usually have Asian guys joining the tour? (Sorry if this sounds like a really silly question!)

Hi guys! I'll be in Osaka this coming January and needless to say, I'll be spending some time at Universal Studios Osaka. In fact I am looking at staying on property there in order to maximize my time at the park. At the same time, I'll be looking to do one additional park on week long stay in Osaka. After checking out the TPR Forum and TPR Japan Trip Reports over the past years, I've decided that I want to do either Parque Espana or Nagashima Spa Land. I am sure both parks are awesome in their own ways and I wish I had the time to do both but the truth is I do not, partly because my partner is not very much of a theme park junkie. My only concern is that both places are a bit away from Osaka and would require at least 2 hours of travelling time. I've also checked the operations calendar for Parque Espana and realized that it'd be closing for an entire month from 28th Jan 2013 till some time in late Feb, which is presumably the off season. I'm looking at doing Parque Espana on the 27th of Jan which is a day before it closes for the off season. Since it's the last day of operations before closing, will everything in the park still be open? My main concern is that Parque Espana does not have too many credits and it'd be a waste if I went all the way there and everything was closed. Do they close coasters at the slightest sign of bad weather? If so, I would probably do Nagashima Spa Land instead as there's a whole lot more credits so even if some were closed, there would still be a fair bit left to ride. Not to mention they've got some pretty kick-ass flatrides as well. My heart tells me Parque Espana as the theming's lovely and Pyrenees plus Gran Monsterrat are two awesome coasters I do not want to miss out on. But common sense tells me Nagashima Spa Land because there's a whole lot more credits and stuff to do as well. Most importantly, are these two parks worth going all the way from Osaka? Or should I stick to Hirakata Park or Himeiji Central Park where they've got a B&M invert as well? Hope you can guys can answer my questions. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice! Kinda bummed that I will not be able to make it to Universal Studios in Osaka this time round but at least the 4 days spent in Tokyo Disney Resort will make the trip worthwhile on it's own? Speaking of TDR it's gonna be smack in the middle of Halloween when I get there so what advice do you have for doing as much in a day as possible at Disneyland or DisneySea?

Thanks for the reply Elissa! Argh dang! Well guess that gives me another reason to come back to Japan huh? You guys think Fuji-Q's a safe bet? I am really afraid of getting there only to find all the coasters have been closed due to foul weather or something. What other parks in Tokyo are worth a visit? Hmm.

Hey guys! I'll be in Tokyo for about 10 days or so in October, with 4 days being spent at Tokyo Disney Resort only. Been thinking should I do a side trip to Universal Studios in Osaka while I am in the country? Is travel to Osaka much of a hassle from Tokyo itself? Also any time spent in Osaka will significantly reduce the time I have left to spend exploring the city of Tokyo itself so it's honestly not an easy decision for me to make? Would love to hear some advice from those who have been there and thanks in advance!

Problem is I love both Disney and rollercoasters in equal measure so thats gonna be a tough one! My partner very much prefers Disney though so she might get annoyed at the long queues and bad operations? What would you do in my shoes Elissa or Robb? Oh does it take under 2 hours to get from Tokyo to Fuji-Q? What about the return trip? And is taking train a feasible choice as well? I have also never sat a 4D coaster before and Takabisha does look like one kick-ass Eurofighter haha!

Thanks a bunch! Your a really great help man! Hope you do not mind if I ask another question but is Fuji-Q worth the long trek all the way up from Tokyo in your opinion?

I will be going down to Tokyo in October but I have still have my doubts as to whether I should give Fuji-Q a try or not? Is it worth the long trek down from Tokyo in your opinion? Also did you go on a weekday or weekend?

Oh Wow thanks a bunch! That will really help me out with planning for my trip in October! If its not too much trouble, could ya post the links for Tobu Zoo and Yomiuriland as well? Thanks once again!

Oh haha you travel alone often or something? In your opinion is Fuji-Q worth the long trek up from Tokyo? The coaster selection has me drooling but I an afraid the sucky operations there might ruin my entire day? Also is it a challenging place to visit for someone who does not speak Japanese since I believe non-locals are very much in the minority over there? I guess I am not just referring to Fuji-Q but the rest of the parks like Yomiuriland and Tobu Zoo?

Oh man! Saturday would be a really bad day to visit though I guess? If I skipped Fuji-Q, I could easily do Tobu Zoo and Yomiuriland in an entire day so there are some hard choices for me to make haha! Sea Paradise and Cosmo World look like good places to spend a couple of hours at though. Is Joypolis worth the jaunt there?

Wow so you've booked all the necessary accommodations already? Enjoy your trip in Japan and do post a trip report if it aint too much trouble haha. By the way, is it worth if I were to do a day-trip to Fuji-Q if I stayed at somewhere like Shinjuku or Shinagawa? I've checked the trains and it looks like it'll take me the best part of 2 hours to get there? Would the bus be necessarily faster?

You guys out there who have not had the chance to ride on Transformers, you simply do not know what your missing HAHA. And now that Jurassic Park River Rapids are back up and running, the park is finally starting to fulfill its potential should I say?

Hey guys, I am not sure if it'll work, but would getting hotel staff to call up whichever theme park you intend to visit and check on stuff like ride closures, operating hours etc be feasible? I am also thinking of doing Fuji-Q during my Japan trip in October but the bad operations there are kinda holding me back. I mean they certainly have a real awesome coaster selection there, but I do not want to be spending my entire day just queuing up for stuff, esp since my partner is not exactly keen on coasters? Additionally if rides suddenly close because of rain or fog, that'll really put a dent in my mood?

Really sad to hear that its closed but multiple rides on Kawasemi and Regina should make up for it! But are there any other decent credits in the park?

Alright Sir I'll bear that in mind! If I can spend less time covering all the credits at the park, that just means I'll have more time to cover credits at other places! Oh would you happen to know if they close the coasters the moment it starts raining? I know the weather in Japan can be pretty unpredictable at times? Is that Crazy Looping Mouse still there as well?

Wow a Japanese Haunted Swing that was built in-house? That is something I have yet to see? OMG I am sure Kawasemi is gonna be friggin awesome though!