Nintendo World, Japan (April 16, 2026)
5am wakeup time to catch our 5:30am train to be lined up at 7am even though the Universal Studios park doesn’t open until 9am. Why? So that we can RUN from the entry gate to Nintendo World’s Mine Cart Madness (just over 1 kilometer) and be on the first ride within the first 30 minutes of the park opening (PRO Tip: Use the Singles Line even at that hour to cut the waiting time from 90 minutes to 30). Yes, we all had Express Passes, but even those have significant restrictions to specific rides at specific times and rarely the rides you want most.
Violet (as Sukuna), Will and Me (as Kenjaku) from Jujutsu Kaisen
Are the lines really that bad? Have a look for yourself. This was at 7am and BEFORE the security check which is in front of the actual gate entrance. Several hundred to be sure and thousands more afterwards.
Hundreds line up at 7am for a 9am park opening
It’s really tricky to get that first ride in by 9:30am and why is it so important? The most popular attraction in all of Universal Studios, Japan is Nintendo World. So that means they have to block access to it (sometimes by 10am, an hour after opening) because it’s so crowded.
We made it on the first line for Mine Cart Madness together
By the way, I still think it’s funny that all the sayings are in Japanese (as they should be) EXCEPT the words “Golden Banana.” So waiting in line, you hear a very excited “Cranky Kong” telling the story and plot for this ride all in Japanese and then strong emphasis on the two words, “Golden Banana.”
The words “Golden Banana” will ring in my brain for MONTHS now
And, of course, all of this is totally worth it because Nintendo World has the most incredible theming of any theme park we’ve ever visited (and that includes the incredible world of Harry Potter also at Universal).
The RFID chip on the arm band is worth it with exclusive private games
Once Will had his wrist band, he could activate all sorts of interactive games spread out through the park. Unlike the wands in Harry Potter World, these were fully immersive experiences with games, digital collectables and keys that unlocked even more. Small kids can use them, but adults have just as much fun (and arguably more so).
Will collects one of his many power ups as well as coins in the park
We just happened to be in Universal Studios during a limited showing of a 4D experience with Jujutsu Kaisen, which is why Violet and I painted our faces to look like characters from the show.
Violet (as Sukuna) and Me (as Kenjaku) from Jujutsu Kaisen
No less than 20 different fans recognized us and either smiled, pointed to our faces or, our favorite, gave us a “domain expansion” pose. This is like a secret hand shake from fans.
But the best part was that no one could believe that a 53 year old man from the US with a white beard had even heard of Jujutsu Kaisen, much less was willing to paint his face and “react.” By which I mean I pretended to pull off my skull revealing my cursed energy. My new friends would play their part and “gasp in horror” and throw up their hands in shock at my big reveal.
It was SO fun — for all of us. If Violet and I were in the US, we’d be in full cosplay. It’s just that we’re in Japan and don’t have the room in our single bags for costumes (as much as we’d love to include them).
Violet demonstrates the domain expansion of Sukuna
And yes, Will, Violet and I all enjoyed the 4D experience of Jujutsu Kaisen, even though it was fully in Japanese with no English available. Then again, does the plot really matter all that much when the show is really about fighting cursed energy in 4D? Dialogue takes a back seat to the rich 3D experience as your chair rubles, dry ice creates clouds of smoke and the obligatory water is used to “make contact” with the audience during the fight scenes. All good.
Unexpected “surprise and delight” in the Minion’s bathroom!?!
If you’ve visited Universal Studios Harry Potter World and needed to use the bathroom, chances are you had a laugh listening to “Moaning Myrtle.” Nice work. But have you visited the bathrooms with the Minions? I wasn’t expecting the loud fart noises and then the laughter of the minions. I cracked up. Unexpected and totally on brand. Nice work, minions!
All in all, we had a wonderful day together exploring Universal Studios after our deep dive in Nintendo Word.
I almost forgot. As it’s Nintendo World’s 25th anniversary, there’s a special cake you can buy at the restaurant. It’s supposed to “serve 4” but any one of us could have taken it down solo. Even split three ways, it was a “reasonable” portion, but didn’t feel like too much for just one person, let alone three. Here it is.
It’s closest to Will’s birthday (next month in May), so he got first pick
Lunch at Kinopio’s Cafe was more reasonable than anticipated
And finally, Violet and I discussed how there should be a real life “Villain Con” after going through the Despicable Me attraction. Yes, the theming is awesome and we enjoyed the whole experience, but as ComicCon continues to grow, why not have one dedicated to just Villains? (As in heroes turned away at the door). I think it could be really fun and the interactive experience in Universal has many “thought starters” that one could run with. Something to consider.
