TPR in Japan - 2018 - Theme parks and Japanese Fun!

[bert425]

this was a fantastic update, and the post Earthquake picture is BRILLIANT.

 

and wow, that Yakiniku restaurant looks fantastic. I've had sorta-similar Korean meal like this, but never a Japanese one. Will have to look if I have anything near me like this to try.

 

of course, my takeaway is that I now want a "Panda-Mouse" coaster car in my living room.

 

 

(my Spouse would never let me buy one to have, but he can't take away my *want* for one).

[Hoppy]

I love Osaka and the fact you had a few days there plus went to quirky Misaki Park and Adventure World makes it a win-win stop. Gosh I miss my travels all over Japan and the Shinkansen definitely made life MUCH BETTER with travel to and fro. I love how efficient Japan is even with an Earthquake to boot!

Edited June 18, 2018 by Hoppy

[hauntguy]

So Robb, you were in a train station and experienced Disaster! ...starring you!

 

Was it better than Orlando's?

[ytterbiumanalyst]

The earthquake story is amazing. I'm not sure how big 5.9 is--we do have earthquakes in Missouri but I've never experienced one bigger than 3.0. 5.9 sounds like a big deal. To have them just shake it off and get things running so quickly is astonishing.

[coasterbill]

Am I the only one who can’t see any of these photos? They all show a plain white outline box for me and text that says “image”. It’s like that on the full site and mobile site (on my phone).

 

It’s only this thread for some reason.

[bert425]

Am I the only one who can’t see any of these photos? They all show a plain white outline box for me and text that says “image”. It’s like that on the full site and mobile site (on my phone).

 

It’s only this thread for some reason.

 

what browser are you using? maybe that's it? I use Firefox, and have no issues seeing the pics either at home, or on my Work computer.

[coasterbill]

Firefox for mobile. That’s weird, I’ve never had an issue with it and it’s only this thread but it’s also not a very popular browser so it’s really a non issue. I blew the dust off of safari and it worked. Sorry for bringing that up now that I realized the issue since I’m pretty sure it’s an issue limited to me and like six other people.

 

Great report! Japan sounds amazing. The way the recovered so quickly from that earthquake is seriously impressive.

[MayTheGForceBeWithYou]

Can testify that the Dotonbori wheel/oval was running in mid-April when I was out there, bummer it was down for you guys though.

 

Still, if I find myself back in Osaka, I wouldn't mind checking out those smaller parks since they flew under my radar last time.

[grimby]

this was a fantastic update, and the post Earthquake picture is BRILLIANT.

 

and wow, that Yakiniku restaurant looks fantastic. I've had sorta-similar Korean meal like this, but never a Japanese one. Will have to look if I have anything near me like this to try..

 

Fun fact: It's the same thing. It is actually Korean BBQ, Japanese people call it 韓国のバーベキュー. Basically Korean BBQ

Yakiniku just translates into "grilled meat". You can see on the tables in the pics there is some diced radish kimchi.

 

Korean food has become very popular in Japan over the last 10 years.

[OldJJman]

Seeing the Shinkansen footage (with AWESOME clarity!) brings back some GREAT memories. I need to get back to Japan!

[robbalvey]

Am I the only one who can’t see any of these photos? They all show a plain white outline box for me and text that says “image”. It’s like that on the full site and mobile site (on my phone).

 

It’s only this thread for some reason.

It must be because all the photos are linked to Twitter. But I assume based on all the comments the problem is on your end.

[coasterlvr]

 

and wow, that Yakiniku restaurant looks fantastic. I've had sorta-similar Korean meal like this, but never a Japanese one. Will have to look if I have anything near me like this to try.

 

 

gyu kaku is very good and have a lot of locations around the nation. but yes, this is Japanese and not KBBQ. they both have grills, but imo, that's where a comparison stops.

[robbalvey]

gyu kaku is very good and have a lot of locations around the nation. but yes, this is Japanese and not KBBQ. they both have grills, but imo, that's where a comparison stops.

Agreed, I've had so many people look at our pictures from Gyu-Kaku and say "Oh, I have a Korean BBQ near me!" but that's not even the same thing at all. Not even close, IMO. That's like seeing someone with a bowl of rice in Japan and going "Oh, I have a Chinese food place near me." I think people sometimes don't understand that Asian food is very VERY different from culture to culture.

[Afterburner]

Firefox for mobile. That’s weird, I’ve never had an issue with it and it’s only this thread but it’s also not a very popular browser so it’s really a non issue. I blew the dust off of safari and it worked. Sorry for bringing that up now that I realized the issue since I’m pretty sure it’s an issue limited to me and like six other people.

 

I've also had problems seeing this thread on my laptop, were I use Firefox, but it works fine on my phone, where I use chrome. I've also noticed embedding issues with Twitter on other sites when I use Firefox, but apparently it works fine for other people? :shrug:

 

Anyway, this whole trip looks amazing. Even without the parks, Japan looks like a place I could explore for weeks and never get bored.

[bert425]

I think people sometimes don't understand that Asian food is very VERY different from culture to culture.

 

the only solution, is that I have to go to Japan to try all this food

 

starts a Japan-savings-account for an eventual trip. . maybe next year!

[PKI Jizzman]

Loving the updates in real time on twitter, but also re-capping them here since I usually miss some posts due to the time difference. Japan looks fantastic, and glad you're all safe!

[robbalvey]

REGISTER for our forum to leave a comment!

 

Click HERE for an index of all our Japan 2018 Trip Updates

 

Follow our LIVE updates on Twitter and Instagram Stories!

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So we went to Universal Studios Japan...

 

Look where TPR is at today! Universal Studios #Japan!!!

 

Jaws > Potter

 

I can’t be the only one who would LOVE to see a giant B&M flying coaster towering over one of the #Orlando Universal parks, right?

 

Dear Universal Japan - It would be really REALLY nice if you could have posted that three of your major rides were closed before people bought tickets for the park. Flying Dinosaur, Hollywood Dream, and Backdrop were NOT on your “closed rides” list at the ticket booth today. These rides were closed ALL DAY today and you never updated your closed rides list at your ticket booths. I'm sorry but that is a "dick move."

 

Pro Tip! If you don’t care about Final Fantasy just take your VR Goggles off! Most of the Space Fantasy props are still there minus some of the lighting, audio, and video! Even with the missing stuff that’s still better than a VR coaster IMO!

 

The queue and everything for the Final Fantasy ride was pretty cool, but of course I was told to put EVERYTHING in a locker so no photos, sorry! Most of the old Space Fantasy props are gone in case anyone was wondering

 

There are certain areas of Universal Studios Japan that were lifted right out of @UniversalORL! It’s sometimes hard to tell the difference!

 

LOVE this Jaws shirt!!!

 

I admit that I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan so I often miss some details in the lands but is this view of the castle with the water available at @UniversalORL or not? It looks GREAT here at Universal Studios Japan!

 

Megan is having a Harry Potter Churro and a Butterbeer! LIKE or RT if you want one, too!

 

Here’s what the entrance area to Hogsmede looks like at Universal Studios Japan. Looks familiar to the other lands, doesn’t it?

 

This is an odd policy at Universal Japan. The park has an inconsistent “no reentry” policy. When we said we wanted to leave the park to go to City Walk, we were told we needed to buy another admission to come back in. If we said we were going to the hotel, we got a hand stamp.

 

So we went to the “deep fry stuff on sticks at your table” place in City Walk. We have two deep fryers at our table. What could go wrong?

 

At this place you have 90 minutes “all you can eat” and you go to the “stuff on sticks” bar, grab what you want, then go back to your table and deep fry! Come back as much as you want for 90 minutes! It’s delicious!

 

Here’s a few of the characters out on the streets today at Universal.

 

[twitter]

[/twitter]

 

Don’t eat here. There are plenty of great Japanese restaurants and quick service locations at Universal Japan City Walk. You would be doing yourself a favor by trying any of those over eating at TGI Friday’s which isn’t that much different than it is in the US.

 

Back to the Future has recently become the “Minions” area including their own ride!

 

More areas of Universal Studios Japan that closely resembles @UniversalORL!

 

 

I’m not exactly sure what “Thousand Needle” Churritos are but I’m sure someone who is into Final Fantasy can tell us!

 

The proper way to visit a Universal park! Drink your way through it!

 

In 2016 I posted this image from Universal Japan as a foreshadowing of what was to come in Orlando...

 

... At least today this doorway more closely matches the Orlando version!

 

[twitter]

[/twitter]

 

This may be the greatest piece of theme park merchandise ever!

 

Where @UniversalORL has Mummy... Universal Japan has Spider-Man!

 

Oh, hey, look! If Universal Japan ever wants to add Diagon Alley they already have the entrance!

 

These ride vehicle models they have in Guest Relations at Universal Japan are pretty cool!

 

And yes, Spider-Man is hanging out in the model of the “Scoop!”

 

An icon of Universal theme parks!

 

A few more scenes from #UniversalJapan’s version of the Wizarding World of #HarryPotter! LIKE or RT if you wish you were here, too!

 

Choose the one you’d rather have on your butt...

he Jaws “hole” or the Minion “eye?”

 

[twitter]

[/twitter]

 

Quite possibly the best moment of my Universal Studios Japan visit!

 

While I’ve kept this update mostly positive our overall Universal Japan visit was anything but. Aside from closed rides poorly communicated; park operations, guest services, & my interaction w/ the communications/group sales departments fell way below expectations & made for a frustrating visit. The last time I've had this frustrating of a day at a Japanese park was actually at Fuji-Q. And our frustrations began before the Earthquake and many of them fall outside of that incident. It's a real shame. This used to be my #1 Universal park.

 

EDIT: Two Days Later...

[twitter]

[/twitter]

 

Now, POST YOUR COMMENTS!!!! After all, we took the time to write this report, the least you can do is post something nice about it!

 

Click HERE for Part Fifteen of our TPR Japan 2018 Update!

Edited June 21, 2018 by robbalvey

[michaellynn4]

That's a real shame to hear you all had such a less-than-satisfying experience. USJ has been very high on our priority list whenever we discuss a proposed Japan trip (especially since Flying Dinosaur opened), but we may have to reconsider. Especially when the alternative is one more day for Tokyo Disney!

[robbalvey]

That's a real shame to hear you all had such a less-than-satisfying experience. USJ has been very high on our priority list whenever we discuss a proposed Japan trip (especially since Flying Dinosaur opened), but we may have to reconsider. Especially when the alternative is one more day for Tokyo Disney!

Don’t go to Universal. Take the bonus day at Disney.

[bert425]

while I absolutely love the Godzilla boxers from the other day?

 

I think I have to agree with you, that this is the greatest product ever offered at a Theme Park.

 

 

the placement of the tube, the splayed legs (that if the boxers were on an actual person, would be coming out of the crack?). . just sheer perfection.

 

I'd have a difficult time buying it, because I'd be giggling so much at the counter.

 

sorry that you had to deal with so many frustrations at Universal Japan, from the pics, the park looks lovely. (and i also like that logo shirt in the Jaws shark shape).. so it's a shame that the operations don't live up to the promise of it.

[BlahBlahson]

If Jaws, Flying Dinosaur, Hollywood Dream, and Space Fantasy were all inoperable, I would also be extremely frustrated. That's literally the list of rides I would travel to the park for.

 

Glad to see you got some Noms though. These Japan updates are AWESOME and keep them coming.

[robbalvey]

If Jaws, Flying Dinosaur, Hollywood Dream, and Space Fantasy were all inoperable, I would also be extremely frustrated. That's literally the list of rides I would travel to the park for.

 

Glad to see you got some Noms though. These Japan updates are AWESOME and keep them coming.

And it wasn’t even just the closed attractions. The way they are communicated, my dealings with their groups sales/communications departments, the inconsistent policies and operations, and the lack of any understanding or care when we asked for a refund because THREE of the seven rides on the express pass we bought were closed, and keep in mind Japan does express passes very differently. They don’t have a “global” express pass, you have to buy express passes that are good for specific rides. We spent $300 per person for ONE day at the park and each express pass we bought (one was for seven specific rides, and one was for four) had multiple rides closed and they initially were not offering any refunds. I had to fight to get a partial refund. It was just unbelievable.

 

Imagine going into a restaurant and ordering two items and they are out of one but you still have to pay for it anyway, even though you didn’t get it. That was the same logic used at Universal Japan. We were floored just how terrible their guest services were.

 

Fuji-Q level of customer service here.

[Garet]

For those who haven’t been, there’s also the fact that it isn’t just specific rides, even with the most expensive passes they are ‘or’ passes meaning you have to pick a ride and then line up for the ones you didn’t pick and staff won’t let you interchange for closed attractions. So you could be holding a ticket for flying dinosaur that would probably save you 3 hours of waiting on a good day but find it closed and not allowed to exchange it for backdraft with a 50min line because you used that ticket for terminator. I’m using an example because I don’t remember the current line up

 

The flight to Osaka is only 2 hours from here and cheap so we used to go often but we honestly stopped going which is a shame because I love USJ but honestly it wasn’t worth it. We always buy fast passes when we travel but we started to find the cost was so high we’d sacrifice other parks or nice places we wanted to eat. As the park got more popular we found ourselves reserving earlier and earlier and having to shape our vacations around that day. Even with Fuji q we can check the weather and hop the bus on the day and get fast passes on a good weather day anytime we want. Coupled with little things like we were not allowed to use a Jurassic fast pass we paid for because the line wasn’t that long (it wasn’t an or ticket back then) and completely different from the policies we had in Singapore on a single use fast pass and we realised we weren’t enjoying it anymore.

 

USJ was taking over the vacation schedule. Flying dinosaur is really high on my bucket list so I will end up back there at some point but it’s a shame. Worth Robbs description of operations I’m curious if the coasters had opened if they would have let you on past your time slot or left you with a useless ticket because ‘you missed your time slot’

 

On he subject of no re entry Lotte world has or used to have a no rentry policy. I have a picture of it on TPR somewhere. Before they put fences in the restaurants that share the park and mall I walked out to go grab a bottle of water and the manager chased me down.

[MrSum1_55]

^^I only have experience with Universal parks in the US, and I have noticed their operations and customer service have been getting worse over the years. Sad to see that this has spilled over to outside the US.

 

I would literally expect better from Six Flags, let alone a theme park chain attached to a massive studio.

[Mr Stratosphere]

So I have to ask... has the Yodobashi song gotten stuck in anyone's head yet?