Universal Studios Japan - Harry Potter times?

Thank you all for such good information! However the Express Passes available online are allowing for only 6.40pm admission to WWOHP (and we will be there for just one day). Is it still worthwhile getting the Express Passes? Or is it better to just try to get to USJ extra early (what time would count as extra early?) and try to get into the park and (a) make a dash for it to WWOHP and hope I'm early enough not to need a timed pass or (b) get into the line to get a timed pass for WWOHP? Assuming that I am stuck into a multi hour line at a ride, can I assume that I can stay in the line 'for' my kids and they can take my place when I get to the end of the line? Many thanks for all your help!

I visited USJ on the 13th of March, a Friday

The park was supposed to open around 9 am but opened at ... 8:45 maybe?

I immediately went to get Shingeki the real ticket and had to wait like 30 minutes... So I got to the HP timed ticket machines actually quite late.

Maybe around 10 am? I was asked my desired times, could choose from noon maybe.

But waiting time for forbidden journes was like 280 minutes without the express pass so I didn't line up

Getting an Express Pass gives you both timed entry to Harry Potter and a reserved time to ride Forbidden Journey.

Hi all,

New here but had a few questions myself and also wanted to add my 2 cents to save someone else the trouble.

I wanted to elaborate on previous comments and confirm that it is possible to purchase both entry passes and express passes online. First option obviously is via the USJ website however as someone mentioned earlier, it's all in Japanese.

However I came across a really helpful blog, if you have the patience, this blog gives you a step by step guide on how to purchase the tickets on the Japanese USJ website:

http://www.dondelaofertamelleve.com/p/how-to-buy-usj-tickets-online.ht...

I have also found another website (in English) which purchases the tickets on your behalf and either send it via email or have it delivered to your hotel:

https://www.govoyagin.com/activities/get-tickets-for-universal-studios...

Personally, I think I will try my luck with ordering it via the USJ website because it worked out to be cheaper than purchasing it via govoyagin ... the merchandise I hear isn't cheap so every dollar counts.

However I still have a few questions that I hope someone can help me with.

I'll be in Japan on the first week of June and planning to visit USJ on the 2nd/June and possibly the 4th/June.

Q1. Does anyone know how far in advance you can purchase express tickets?

When I try to purchase them via the USJ website I get an error message saying out of stock - I'm assuming that it's not possible to purchase the express tickets so far ahead although I had no trouble purchasing the entry tickets into USJ.

Q2. For the 2 day passes, can I split up the 2 days of when I want to use the passes or do they have to be used within consecutive days?

I felt that 1 day wasn't enough to see/do most of what I want at USJ however I wanted to allow myself a rest day in between visiting the park.

Any info would be great,
D.

Hi all, I don't know whether the original posters and repliers still need information, but I went to USJ yesterday (a Sunday before Golden Week vacation) and here are my experiences:

I arrived at the ticket booths before 9 AM and the lines were long but they went pretty quick. It took maybe 15-20 minutes for me to buy my ticket. By the time I got in line both the Express 7 and the Express 3 (the most expensive and the cheapest) were sold out so I got the Express 5. It cost an extra 5200 yen. I went solo and I ONLY used it on the Forbidden Journey ride, which made my wait time less than 15 minutes. That being said, when I bought my express pass, it automatically gave me an entry time for WWoHP for 6:30 PM (the cashier asked me if that was okay). I read online that they weren't too strict about entry times so I went in around 6 PM and there was nobody checking tickets and people were coming in and leaving as they pleased. The line for the Forbidden Journey stated a 55 min wait time and the Hippogriff ride was 35 min. There weren't any lines to enter any of the shops but Ollivander's was closed (you could still purchase wands next door but the "wand-choosing" events were done for the day, I suppose.

If you're going in a group I definitely recommend the Express passes otherwise you can get on the single rider lines and skip most of the waits entirely. I felt like I wasted my money for the Express pass, but live and learn. Hope this helps.