Osaka's Universal Studios Japan (or USJ) is one of our favourite attractions in Japan. With places like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Minion Park and the JAWS ride, USJ is perfect for everyone! Good news, USJ just announced that they will be reopening from 8 June 2020 onwards ?
While we still can't travel right now due to COVID-19 restrictions, this news is certainly making us dream about our next trip to USJ!
After being closed for around 3 months since March 2020, USJ will start its "soft opening" phase to annual pass holders living in Osaka from 8-15 June 2020. From 15-18 June 2020, all residents living in Osaka prefecture will be allowed to enter the park.
For both periods, visitors will need to schedule their visit in advance. It's only from 19 June 2020 onwards that USJ will allow visitors from 6 nearby regions - Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama and Shiga. But admission will still be limited to guests with an annual pass or other studio passes.
This news comes after Japan lifted its state of emergency for Osaka prefecture and its surrounds on 21 May after the fall in the number of COVID-19 infections in the area.
Credit: Dick Thomas Johnson on Flickr
New guidelines to observe after reopening
Of course, you can expect new safety guidelines when visiting USJ in the future. Here are some of them:
- Wearing a mask is required
- Temperature screening will be done at the entrance
- Guests will have to sanitise their hands at the sanitation station at the entrance
- Guests will have to maintain a social distance with each other
You can find out more info about this on their website. According to SoraNews24, the park might also enforce staggered park admission in order to control the number of visitors.
The careful reopening of Universal Studios Japan definitely gives us a peek on what to expect when other theme parks around the world start allowing visitors in. With this good news, here's hoping that Tokyo Disneyland will reopen soon and that it'll also be safe for us to travel to Japan again ? For now, you can still dream about your next trip with these useful articles: