Universal Studios

Yesterday was the biggest day on our trip, from the perspective of the kids. For months, we had told them we were going to visit the Children's Temple in Osaka and that it wasn't just a normal temple, but much more fun.

When we set the alarm for early in the morning, we felt we had to tell the truth about where we were really going. It goes without saying that they were super excited!

After a 40 minute journey on 3 trains, we arrived. There were lots of people lined up for tickets and waiting for the gates to open. I was a bit worried that there would be so many people there and that we'd spend most of the day lining up and not be able to enjoy any rides.
As soon as the gates opened, we rushed to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which we knew would be a favourite with the kids. The streets were built like in the movies and seeing their delighted faces made it so worthwhile, as did the constant and continual hugs, cuddles and 'thank-yous' throughout the day. The first ride had a line of about 40 minutes and was amazing. Part roller coaster, part virtual reality, it took you through Hogwarts, a game of quidditch and the Forbidden Forest, all on broomstick. Such a clever and fun ride. There were a few stomach lurching moments!
Next was the Flight of the Hippogriff, a more family friendly rollercoaster. This was all outdoors and still fun, but aimed at slightly younger children.

Wanting to avoid lines as much as we could, we then ran to the Jurassic Park area, rather than spend time looking around. There were also 2 rides here. The first ended in a pool of water and we got very wet!! Not so good on a cold day.

The second ride, the Flying Dinosaur, put you in a horizontal position so you felt like you were flying like a Tyranodon. This was longest line up, at about an hour. The kids were so good with all the waiting. We had brought books, but didn't need them. I was a bit worried that this ride would make me sick, but it was really fun. Ella and Angus loved it!

By this time it was 12.30pm, and with the scary rides done, we thought it was safe to eat lunch. At the Discovery Restaurant in Jurassic Park, we had Japanese style dinosaur rice bowls. They were overpriced, but surprisingly big and tasty.

With full bellies, we then went to the Spiderman ride, which Angus wanted to do. This was a virtual reality 3D ride and was really fun too.

Next in the list was Despicable Me Minion Madness, part minion training, part ride. This was also virtual reality with moving scenes and bumping in a vehicle. So clever.

We then went back to Harry Potter to look around the shops. In Ollivanders Wand Store, Ella was chosen to let her wand select her. Unfortunately, the wand she was given at the end of the show, we actually had to buy. At the equivant of $70, We politely declined!

After a stein of warm butterbeer, we went on the Forbidden Journey ride again, the line shorter this time.

By now it was starting to get dark and cold, so we went to Hollywood for the Hollywood Dream rollercoaster. This had a wait of 1 hour, but was definitely worth it. We did the forwards version, as backwards had a wait of over 1 1/2 hours.

The park was much less busy than I had expected, so we managed to double up on quite a few of the rides. In all, we managed 12 rides in 11 hours. A long day, but worth every cent!!

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