For our second day in Osaka, we headed to Universal Studios to check out the new Super Nintendo World theme park they opened in 2020. Since this park opened during the COVID pandemic we are some of the first foreigners to enter the park which is cool. Joe and I played the Super Mario Bros video game a lot as kids so we were looking forward to seeing this world brought to life.
On a side note, this was the one day it rained while we were in Japan. I can’t really complain since it was just one day out of 20 but I wasn’t prepared so I bought this minions-themed poncho.
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
We couldn’t enter Nintendo World until 11:50 AM because you had to buy a timed slot to enter (I did this about three weeks in advance of our trip) so we headed to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter first to kill some time. This park is an exact replica of the one in Florida that we visited last year so we had seen it before, but I still loved it.
Hogsmeade Village
We tried some hot butterbeer, yum. It tastes like cream soda.
Enjoying our drinks under some cover to avoid the rain
Super Nintendo World
At 11:50 we headed over to Nintendo World
Actually, before we entered we went to pick up the powerbands that we ordered in advance. These come in handy in Nintendo World where a lot of the park’s features are blocked off to powerband users only.
We both picked Mario-themed powerbands.
So cool, it looked just like the video game!
Toad-themed cafe with Bowser’s castle in the background.
Joe in front of Bowser’s castle
Toad
Inside Bowser’s castle
Peach’s castle
Do we need to bring this home with us?
Yes, we do! Joe bought one.
Not the best food options in the park. I was disappointed that you had to have a timed entry slot to go into Toad’s cafe because I didn’t read that anywhere prior. So we had to settle for the snack food. The only vegetarian option was a bun filled with noodles and cheese. Kinda weird.
In line at the train station heading back to our hotel.
The park was fun, but it was so crowded despite the timed entry. There were several “challenges” you could complete with your powerband, but the line for each was over 45 minutes long and the challenge itself takes less than one minute and only one person can do it at a time. Once you complete three challenges you can do the final challenge to win back the keys to the castle. We didn’t stick around to complete the challenges because it would have meant standing in line for several hours. Plus I was hungry and wanted to eat a real meal and once you leave Nintendo World you can’t go back in right now. So we left for the day.
P.S. Super Nintendo World is coming to the US in 2023, so get ready!
Next up: Back home to Ohio for a week before I leave for Egypt. Leave me a comment below or email me if you’ve enjoyed reading about our time in Japan. I can’t tell if anyone reads these, and I would love to hear from you and what you think about Japan after reading my posts 🙂 did you add it to your bucket list?
Hi Jessica, I’m so inspired by your journey. We met once at Duke and started talking about my travels and yours. You gave me your email and I can’t thank you enough. I’ve enjoyed your trip to Japan. The pictures are beautiful. I love Asian countries. I will definitely put Japan on my list. I see you’re going to Egypt next. I’ve been and I fell in love with all I saw there. I can’t wait for your posts. Be safe and enjoy.
Hi Jessica, I’m so inspired by your journey. We met once at Duke and started talking about my travels and yours. You gave me your email and I can’t thank you enough. I’ve enjoyed your trip to Japan. The pictures are beautiful. I love Asian countries. I will definitely put Japan on my list. I see you’re going to Egypt next. I’ve been and I fell in love with all I saw there. I can’t wait for your posts. Be safe and enjoy.
Thanks for following along Janette! I’m glad you enjoy the photos. I’m happy to hear you loved Egypt, I’m really excited to visit.