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| Flight of the Hippogriff at USJ's Harry Potter World |
With school starting up and work kicking into high gear, now is actually the perfect time to go visit a theme park. You'll get your full money's worth thanks to the non-existent lines.
While my friends and I managed to miss the obon holiday period in Japan, we were still met with a wall of people at Harry Potter World in Osaka. I think it doesn't help that it was just opened in July.
Below is an overview of what you can do at Harry Potter World and my review of each option.
Hogwarts Castle
My friend did the math quickly in her head before shouting, "It's four hours??"
Thankfully there were four of us, and while I don't recommend this just because it is a huge pain getting in and out of line, two of us stayed in line while two of us were able to get away and walk around the park. As there are no bathrooms available while you wait the four hours, staff people working the lines seemed accustomed to people ducking in and out of the line for bathroom breaks.
Tips: It was also ridiculously hot. There is no real shelter (except a green house...which was hot, too) so come extra prepared for this one. Bring a sun umbrella. Even if you've never used one before, never thought one would ever come in handy in your entire life, if you are going to Harry Potter World and it is slightly hot outside, now would be the time to go buy your first sun, folding umbrella. Bring spray to cool your skin and clothing down. Bring water. Bring snacks. Above all, bring something to keep you occupied for at least four hours. There is only so long you can talk to the people you're with.
Luckily for us, the wait turned out to be closer to two and a half hours than four. You're expected to shove all of your belongings into a locker, so try not to bring a massive bag.
You hang like you're on a ski lift on this ride, so try not to wear flip flops (you shouldn't be wearing flip flops to a theme park anyway, unless you don't care about your legs and feet).
Review: I have to admit that I am terrified of big, nasty creatures suddenly appearing right in front of you. This ride starts off with you following Harry on his broom as Hagrid asks if anyone's seen his dragon. Lucky you, you get to find that massive dragon, and this ride brilliantly mixes screen work with animatronic work. Suddenly there is this massive dragon breathing fire at you. Aaand...I shut my eyes. I know, it's pathetic. Everyone in my group enjoyed berating me over that one. Why wait two and a half hours to not even see the ride? But there you go.I would open my eyes a little tiny bit to see where we were on the ride, and I saw dementors on the screen so I shut my eyes, then you're in this creepy forest, and again I shut my eyes.
Overview: The people in my group said this ride was actually worth waiting in that long line for. They said it was way better than they had anticipated, and it comes highly recommended. I would suggest that if you (or someone you're with) are squeamish about nasty things suddenly coming within inches of your face, then just skip the ride.
Ollivanders
The wait for this ride was at least an hour, but after Hogwarts, that didn't seem so bad anymore. You go into this tiny room piled high with wands, and this foreigner actor really puts on a nice little show. He will usually pick a kid out of your group and have them try out a wand. There are nice special effects, the actor is actually really good (despite having to serve as his own interpreter in English and Japanese), and then you're shuffled into the wand shop.
Tips: If you have a little one and you don't want to shell out 3,500 yen for a wand, skip this thing altogether. Tell them it's closed or something. Because the kid who's chosen will try out several wands before the actor dusts off one particular wand box, and as soon as that kid holds that wand, music plays, a spotlight turns on, and it's magic. And then a staff member takes that wand and guides you over to the cash register, where you'll be asked to pay for it.
Review: I'd say if you only had to wait five minutes (and your kid already has a wand or seriously doesn't want one, or you're all adults), it's worth seeing this short little skit just for the acting. If it's over five minutes, though, just skip the "ride" altogether and go next door to the wand shop to check it out.
Review of the store: My friend came up with the suggestion that you could go to a computer terminal, take a personality quiz, and then have your wand chosen for you. Unfortunately, that's not how it pans out. It's just a shop loaded with stuff rather haphazardly with display cases along the wall telling you what each wand means. There's no mention of the wand's core - just the wood the wand is made out of (and the wands are actually plastic). If it's not crowded then go ahead and peruse the store, but if it's wall-to-wall, then don't bother unless you're burning to own a wand.
Flight of the Hippogriff
If you're wondering where Hagrid's hut is, and you want to see Syrius' bike, then you'll want to at least line up for this ride. This line was also really long, and as it was raining on and off all day, the ride shut down a few times while we waited.
Tips: Again, time to whip out that sun umbrella because there is no shade while in line. You're also against what I imagine is trying to be the Forbidden Forest, so expect bugs every now and then, too, if you're at the park during a warmer season.
Review: This is a good roller coaster for people who feel they can slightly handle roller coasters. Those who are huge fans of roller coasters (like me, for example) will find themselves disappointed and bored by the experience. It's worth riding if the wait is 20 minutes or less if you're a slight roller coaster fan. It's worth waiting five minutes if you're a bigger fan.
The Three Broomsticks
The wait for this was, you guessed it, long. This is where it's helpful to have snacks in hand so you don't have to rely on restaurants for your food. It's good to go for the experience, though.
Tips: Go when it's not normally time for lunch or dinner. As you're walking between shops and whatnot, keep your eye on the line in front of here and prepare to pounce if it's a short enough wait. If you don't feel like doing this, then go when you're not hungry, because by the time you get through the line, you'll be hungry again.
Review: My friends and I all got something different. It's stereotypical British food with Cornish pasties, Shepherd's pie, and then food like corn on the cob and pork ribs. There's a kiddie menu that didn't look too bad. Be prepared to shell out 2,000 yen per meal. Don't bother with the Cornish pasties unless you're not really hungry because there were only three given to me, and all were bite-size, even by Japanese serving size standards. It's worth eating here just to see the interior, though.
Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice
Review: Butterbeer tastes like a rich cream soda, and it was amazing. I was a fan of the Pumpkin Juice, too (it tasted like melted pumpkin pie to me), but my Japanese friends said it tasted like tonkatsu sauce or some sort of meat sauce, and they could only stomach a few mouthfuls of it.
The Shops
You'd be pleasantly surprised to learn that there were even long waits just to get into any of the shops to buy stuff.
Tips: Try to figure out beforehand what kind of stuff you want to buy, because if you see lines outside the shops, then just assume you won't have time to meander through the store and peruse everything. Not without being shoved around a lot, though.
Review: I'm sure the shops would be better if I'd gone on a day that wasn't wall-to-wall people. Everything is, surprise surprise, overpriced. Just prepare for that. I wouldn't recommend any shop over any of the others, though I was a fan of Honeydukes just because they had American candy in these glass jars that I didn't know existed in Japan (of course, THAT candy wasn't on sale...).
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