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Planning a trip to Osaka? Got your sites set on stopping by Universal Studios Japan in Osaka? Be prepared for sticker shock if you go in August, as USJ just announced a record price hike to handle the Obon crowds.
USJ ticket prices to cross 10,000 yen mark
According to the pricing calendar on its Web site, USJ will set the price of a one-day adult Studio Pass, the base park admission ticket, to 10,400 yen (tax included) from August 11th to 20th. It’s the first time in the park’s history that ticket prices have crossed the 10,000 yen line.
USJ has moved to a dynamic pricing model for its Studio Pass in order to help with crowd control. The popular park is already dealing with a huge influx of visitors due to the lifting of masking restrictions inside of Japan and the resumption of inbound tourism. Spending on travel to Osaka jumped over 700% compared to last year during Japan’s recent Golden Week holiday.
The price hike falls during Obon, the holiday during which people in Japan pay respect to their departed ancestors. While not an official public holiday like Golden Week, many people vacation during the week of Obon. Domestic travel sites rank it one of the park’s busiest times of the year, next to Golden Week, Halloween, Christmas, and Spring Break in March.
Universal Studios Japan will also host several special events during the summer, including One Piece (July 5th to October 10th) and Super Mario Brothers (July 5th to August 24th) themed summer events.
Opening in 2001, Universal Studios Japan hosted up to 15 million visitors a year prior to 2020, with one in every 10 guests an inbound foreign tourist.
The increasing cost of travel in Japan
Both inbound foreign and domestic tourism in Japan are booming as the world returns to a new normal. However, the prices of many tourist-related services are increasing as vacationers flock back. More and more municipalities across Japan, for example, are imposing lodging taxes on hotels and traditional onsen.
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