Universal Studios vs. Osaka city and malls

We only have a few days in Osaka and wondering if Osaka Universal Studios worth visiting, in substitute of a day exploring the city centre?

We enjoyed our trip to Disney Seas last time, but we have never explored Osaka city before.

So we are planning to have a full day to explore:
1. Osaka Station City
2. Grand Front Osaka
3. Hankyu Entertainment Park
4. Dotonbori at night

Is it worth exchanging all of these for a full day at Universal Studios?

Any opinions?

"Hankyu Entertainment Park" is generally called HEP Five.

I'd recommend the city tour, and go to USJ the same day as you visit the aquarium - one day is enough to do both.

If you have limited time to spend, I'd definitely choose to explore the city instead of wasting a day to visit a theme park. Unless you guys are diehard Harry Potter fans or movie fanatics of somesort.

It is:

Made in USA vs Made in Japan, in Japan. Take your pick ^^;

if the day you have for Osaka is on the weekend, I suggest to avoid USJ. It is croooooowded. (2h waiting lines at least)

Aquarium and Shin Seikai are very nice spots. I don't like the center of Osaka much, too crowded and packed with shopping malls.

Yes, that's the conundrum we're having. It seems most of the attractions in Osaka city centres (Umeda and Namba) are mostly shopping malls.

We thought perhaps USJ might be a better experience, although we're not really Harry Potter fans =)

We will definitely stop by Dotombori, Shinsaibashi and Den Den Town on another day.

However, squeezing both the Kaiyukan and USJ on a single day might be too much?

I went there before HP opened and really enjoyed myself, despite the crowds.

The rides were pretty amazing.

I went un USJ some years before, at the oppenning of "spiderman". Cool!http://www.soleilrouge.org/universal-studios-osaka-le-cinema-dans-tous...

Shinsekai is one of the places I do like in Osaka...http://www.soleilrouge.org/shinsekai-deep-osaka

I'd prefer to go to spend one day in Tennôji area than Tempozan.

You can fit in aquarium and USJ. You need to start with the first one as early as possible and then go to USJ after 3 pm (cheaper tickets). It is doable but very tiring imo.

Don't go to Tennoji ZOO. I can't recommend that one!

Have you guys actually seen Osaka? there is a lot more than shopping malls (and I do love them).
Have you checked the hundreds of restaurants, cafes etc. in the lower floor of Hankyu san bangai. No, not to try, just to see the variety..

Are you so shallow that you aren't interested in all sorts of residential streets in Kita, Namba, Tennoji etc. to see what type of housing they have, what small neighbourhood shops look like, he way natives park cars in the smallest spaces possible, inches from a wall..and more

What about temples and shrines,cemeteries etc. What about the different types of transportation, including small tramways...

What about the 2.6 km long, roofed over, Tenjinbashi-suji car-free shopping street? what about the park/museum with all the old houses moved from various areas