Universal Studios Japan Express Pass Explained

The Universal Studios Japan Express Pass allows you to skip lines for certain rides at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka.

This is the busiest theme park we’ve ever visited, with queues for almost every ride at 1-3 hours throughout the day.

The only way to guarantee you’ll get on all the top rides is to pay extra for the Express Pass. I wouldn’t visit USJ without one, as standing in line all day is not my idea of fun.

Express Passes are confusing because there are many options that include different rides.

They also sell out, but it’s not always clear when they go on sale—frustrating for planners like me!

In this post, I explain everything you need to know about the Universal Studios Japan Express Pass to make your visit more fun and less stressful.

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How Does Universal Express Pass Work?

A USJ Express Pass gives you fast-track access to certain rides. There are lots of passes available (see below), so you can choose one that includes the rides most important to you.

For the most popular attractions, you’ll be assigned a specific time to ride. A few rides can be ridden at any time.

At your allocated ride time, you can use a separate Express queue—show your pass to the crew to enter. You will use a different line with only a minimal wait.

We usually wait 5-15 minutes in the Express line. The exception is Mario Kart, which usually takes us 25 minutes, but the queue through Bowser’s Castle is so cool that we don’t mind.

Your time slot is a 30-minute window, such as 12:30-13:00. You can usually arrive 10 minutes early or a little late (but try to be on time, as flexibility is not guaranteed).

Some Express Passes also include a Timed Area Entry to Super Nintendo World, which is a major perk (more on that below).

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Do You Really Need an Express Pass at Universal Japan?

If you are unsure whether an Express Pass is really necessary, these were the average wait times at Universal Japan in 2025, taken from Queue Times.

• Mine Cart Madness – 140 minutes
• Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge – 97 minutes
• Flight of the Hippogriff – 73 minutes
• Hollywood Dream Backdrop – 70 minutes
• Yoshi’s Adventure – 65 minutes
• Hollywood Dream – 60 minutes
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – 59 minutes
• The Flying Dinosaur – 52 minutes
• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem – 47 minutes
• Jurassic Park – 38 minutes
• JAWS – 37 minutes

These are average times, so during busy times of the year, they can be much higher. The average maximum queue time for Mine Cart Madness in 2025 was 201 minutes!

Many of these rides do have single-rider lines, but they generally don’t save much (with the exception of JAWS). For example, Simon waited 60 minutes in the single-rider line for The Flying Dinosaur, while the regular line was 70 minutes.

You can also probably get on one or two rides at the beginning of the day with shorter waits, but you’ll need to arrive at least an hour before park opening and join the long lines to enter.

With an Express Pass, we usually stroll into the park in late morning and stay until park closing (you can’t leave and reenter, unfortunately).

If the park is open late, the last hour of the day is another chance to find some lower waits, but not for the top attractions.

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How Much Time Does an Express Pass Save?

Express Pass 7

On one trip, a 7-ride Express Pass saved us an incredible 565 minutes (over 9 hours) of waiting in lines!

Express Pass 4

On our latest trip, we went for an Express Pass 4. Even with just four rides included (Mine Cart, Mario Kart, Flying Dinosaur, and Jurassic Park), it saved us 286 minutes (4 hours 46 minutes) of queuing.

Most importantly for us, we got to ride attractions like Mine Cart Madness that we would never have waited 140 minutes for.

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Which Rides are Best with a USJ Express Pass?

The two rides with the longest lines are Mine Cart Madness and Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge.

Both these rides are inside Super Nintendo World, so if that area is important to you, definitely choose a pass that includes them.

The other must-do ride for us is The Flying Dinosaur (an intense rollercoaster), so we try to include that if we can.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is also a great option.

The Hollywood Dream rollercoasters are nice to have, but they are rarely included in the best passes these days.

It really comes down to your priorities.

Express Pass is less necessary for Despicable Me, JAWS, and Jurassic Park, as wait times usually come down in the evenings. Most Express Passes usually include one of these, though.

Super Nintendo World Entry with an Express Pass

Another major bonus of the Express Pass is that many of them include Timed Area Entry to Super Nintendo World.

This is the best way to guarantee entry to the area. Otherwise, you’ll need to arrive at the park very early—you can usually get in first thing without Timed Area Entry.

Or, for the rest of the day, entry to the area is run by lottery. You can select a time slot for free in the app (once you’ve entered the park), but you might not win.

If you have an Express Pass, you can still enter the lottery for Super Nintendo World, which is useful if you want to visit again later in the day (Simon got lucky with an evening spot).

The area is amazing, but it’s very loud and overstimulating, so being able to take a break is a nice bonus of the Express Pass.

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Universal Studios Japan Express Pass Price

Unfortunately, Universal Express Passes are expensive—they cost considerably more than the park ticket, which is reasonable in Japan at around 8,900 yen ($56).

You have to pay for a Studio Pass (park ticket) plus an Express Pass.

Pass prices vary widely depending on the type of pass and when you are visiting—busier times cost more. Check on Klook for prices for the next two months.

As an example, my current top recommended pass for first-timers, Universal Express Pass 7 – Minecart & Selection, costs 24,000 yen ($151) in May (a moderately busy time to visit).

The pass we used last time, Universal Express Pass 4 – Minecart & JAWS, costs from 20,000 yen ($125) in May or 17,000 yen ($107) in June.

On some days, it’s actually the same price as the Express Pass 7, so it’s worth checking the different options.

If you don’t care about Super Nintendo World, the cheapest pass currently is Universal Express Pass 4 – Flying Dinosaur & Jurassic Park, which costs from 12,000 yen ($75).

Weekdays are cheaper than weekends and holidays.

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How to Buy a Universal Studios Japan Express Pass

You used to be able to buy Express Passes in the park, but it’s very unlikely there will be any available these days.

I highly recommend buying yours online around two months in advance.

Note that passes or tickets can not be cancelled.

Klook

The easiest way to buy USJ Express Passes for international visitors is on Klook. They are an official authorised reseller and have a user-friendly website and app.

You can choose the currency and pay in your local currency if you want (and they don’t rip you off with exchange rates). International cards work without issue, or you can use Apple Pay or Google Pay.

To buy a pass, go to the Universal Studios Japan Express Pass page on Klook.

Choose a date from the calendar, scroll through the various passes, and select one. Click Package Details to see which rides are included.

Or, if you aren’t sure of your dates, select a pass and check the calendar to see prices for different dates.

Once you have clicked Book Now, you are taken to a page where you can “Select Session”, which means choose ride times (more on that below). You’ll need to create a Klook account to get to this page.

On this page, you can also choose to add on a Studio Pass (entrance ticket) to buy everything in one transaction. Or wait until closer to the time to buy your ticket separately (they don’t sell out as quickly as Express Passes).

Once you’ve paid, you’ll receive an email with a PDF pass that includes a QR code and your ride times. This is what you need to show to enter each ride. We print it out to make it easier, but you could show it on your phone.

USJ Official Website

Booking Express Passes on the official Universal Studios Japan website is more complicated.

The main USJ site is in Japanese. You can use a translation service to read it (I use Google Translate in the Chrome desktop browser), but it does feel harder than Klook.

Even if you make it through the booking process, many people have trouble using international cards (apparently, Amex works best).

You’ll need to create a Club Universal account to use the site, and enter your name in Japanese characters. Use your Japanese hotel as the address.

On this site, you have to add a Studio Pass to your cart before you can add on an Express Pass.

The main advantage of the Japanese site is that they often have more availability than Klook, and passes may be released a little earlier.

However, when I tried using it, I had trouble getting the website to work, and I actually found more availability on Klook (at the same prices), so I just booked with them and saved myself the hassle.

There’s also an English version of the USJ website, but it’s run by an authorised ticket reseller and has more limited availability than the Japanese site.

If you are struggling to find availability for your dates, it’s worth checking all three sites, but otherwise, Klook is the easiest option.

When Do USJ Express Passes Go on Sale?

I wish this question had a simple answer!

The short answer is that USJ Express Passes usually go on sale about two months in advance.

Express Passes do sell out, and you’ll have the most ride-time options if you book on the day they are released.

As of 10 April, you can buy passes until 11 June. So currently, you can buy passes 62 days in advance.

That can and will change, though.

When I was booking for November, the release was delayed by a few days. And then Express Pass 4 passes were available a few days before 7 Passes. This may have been because the pass types were changing.

There seems to be no way of knowing what’s going on for sure, so the best thing is to keep checking. I would start looking around 65 days before your visit and see when the previous days are being released.

What time of day are Express Passes released?

I haven’t found a consistent answer about what time passes are released.

Often, they appear on the USJ site at midnight Japan time. Resellers like Klook might get them a few hours later.

If you have any more information on the release schedule, leave a comment below!

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Types of USJ Express Pass

Choosing a USJ Express Pass is confusing, as there are many passes that include different rides.

To make matters worse, the available passes change fairly regularly.

Here are the main types of passes and the ones I currently recommend. Although the best Universal Studios Express Pass really depends on which rides are a priority for you.

Express Pass 7

The Express Pass 7 includes seven rides. This is what I recommend for first-time visitors if you can afford it. You’ll be able to ride many of the best USJ rides without queuing.

All of these passes include Area Timed Entry to Super Nintendo World.

Currently, my top pick is the Universal Express Pass 7 – Minecart & Selection.

It includes:

1. Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge
2. Yoshi’s Adventure
3. Mine Cart Madness
4. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
5. Flight of the Hippogriff
6. The Flying Dinosaur OR Despicable Me Minion Mayhem (I’d choose Flying Dinosaur)
7. JAWS OR Jurassic Park – The Ride (I’d choose Jurassic Park)

You get specific times for the three Nintendo rides plus Flight of the Hippogriff. The others can be ridden at any time.

The major rides missing are Hollywood Dream and Backdrop.

This is similar to the pass we had that saved us over 9 hours of queuing!

Buy the Express Pass 7 on Klook here.

Express Pass 4

Express Pass 4 includes four rides, but it’s not always significantly cheaper than the 7 pass, especially if you want to include Minecart Madness.

My current top pick is Universal Express Pass 4 – Minecart & JAWS.

This is the pass we used last November that saved us nearly 5 hours of queuing.

It includes:

1. Mine Cart Madness
2. Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge
3. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey OR The Flying Dinosaur (we chose Dinosaur)
4. JAWS OR Jurassic Park – The Ride (we chose Jurassic Park)

Timed Entry to Super Nintendo World is included, and you choose a time for the two rides in that area. The other two can be ridden at any time.

Buy the Express Pass 4 on Klook here.

Premium Pass

You could also purchase a Premium Pass, which includes 13 rides, each valid for one use at any time.

When I looked for April, it was 50,400 yen ($317) vs 29,000 yen ($182) for the Express Pass 7.

I don’t think it’s worth it, unless money is no object, but it would mean you could get on absolutely everything.

VIP Tour

An alternative to buying an Express Pass is taking a group VIP Tour.

You can buy these in the Studio Pass section on Klook, where you buy tickets.

When I looked for April, there were only a few slots available, and they cost 38,000 yen ($239) in addition to a park ticket. More expensive than an Express Pass 7 but not ridiculously so.

The 3-hour tour includes a special entrance to the park (no waiting in the usual long line), priority access to Super Nintendo World and visiting these rides with a guide:

1. Mine Cart Madness
2. Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge
3. Yoshi’s Adventure
4. JAWS

You don’t even have to wait in the Express line for these rides—you skip straight to the front.

You are also given Express Passes for four additional attractions of your choice to use after your tour ends.

Private VIP Tours are also available, but these are very expensive.

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Best Express Pass Times to Choose

The biggest consideration will be your Super Nintendo World Area Entry time (which will be the same time as your first ride in the area). Earlier times book up fastest.

Last time we chose 12.30pm, so we didn’t have to arrive at the park too early, but we still had plenty of time to explore Nintendo World (we stayed for over 3 hours).

We’ve had an evening entry before (7.40pm when the park closed at 10pm), which was also pretty cool (the world looks great in the dark), but we didn’t have time to do all the games or go to the restaurant.

Bear in mind that when the park closes late (9pm or 10pm), the last hour is quietest, so we like to stay for that. But you can’t take a break and reenter (I really hate this policy as I find USJ overstimulating).

We don’t choose a morning ride time, so that we have the stamina to stay until park closing.

Also, the advantage of paying for a pass is not having to join the morning rush at opening.

Ultimately, don’t stress too much about times, as you’ll always find a way to make it work.

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Is Universal Studios Japan Express Pass Worth It?

The Universal Studios Japan Express Pass is expensive, but I absolutely think it’s worth it to avoid frustration and make your park day more enjoyable.

If Super Nintendo World is a priority, the pass is even more worthwhile, as it guarantees entry to this fun area.

I wouldn’t visit USJ without an Express Pass as I don’t want to spend my day standing in lines.

If you can afford it, I highly recommend purchasing an Express Pass.

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