This is what we (especially Violet) came for!

*Violet shows Bill and Elena her childhood fantasy world*

The theming was incredible. But let me back up. We got up at 5am because there was a (nasty) rumer online that the park sometimes opens up early. The stated time is 8:30am. We left our hotel at 6am and arrived at the park at 7am to a Taylor-Swift-concert-level line:

*90 minutes before park opening and it’s packed with thousands!*

The park opened promptly at 8:30 with everyone running to Super Nintendo World (including us). I had no idea that this morning would start with the running of a 5k to get to a 90 minute line first thing in the morning. OMG! When I say run, I mean it. No one was trampled (thank GOD), and everyone was about as polite as you could be while racing for your life to get to this section of the park before it filled up and they literally closed out people who could enter this section. Not ride. Not get in line. ENTER. WTF???

The park pass … just to get in … was $165 per person off peak on a Tuesday (November 4th). But the Fast pass for Super Nintendo World for an HOUR for ONE PERSON was three times that. Let’s just say that this day was, by far, the most expensive day in Japan. Elena and I didn’t even try to get the same Fast pass as it wasn’t available on the website. I later learned it was because we couldn’t buy three at a time, but we could have bought them individually. My bank account is happy we screwed this up and didn’t find out until afterwards.

Instead, Elena and I got the simple non-Nintendo World Fast Pass for Harry Potter and other roller coasters which ended up being just fine with us. But I digress. The main event we can to see was Super Nintendo World and it didn’t disappoint.

One of the funniest things was the one and only ride all three of us did together, the Donkey Kong Mine Cart ride. There’s a “back story” which you can watch here on YouTube in English. But, of course, we were in Osaka, so the whole story was told in Japanese. And then throughout the rest of the line, we heard a repeating looped audio track, again all in Japanese with just TWO WORDS in English, GOLDEN BANANA. And whoever recorded this track was having so much fun saying those words in every possible emphasis.

So much so, that Violet and I began repeating it to each other — much to the disappointment of Elena who was not amused. Throughout the rest of the day, whenever there was a lul in the conversation, yup, you guessed it, either Violet or I would break the silence with one of the many variations of the emphasis of those two words. Endless fun for us and endless eye rolling for Elena who, funny enough, was never amused no matter how often we continued trying on new variations.

*Violet, for you. It will never not be funny.*

And yes, this is one of those, “you had to be there” inside jokes that doesn’t translate. And, as Elena will attest, she was there and it still wasn’t funny to her. Everyone’s sense of humor is different. You’ll just have to: (1) Travel to Osaka, (2) Spend a small fortune to go to Super Nintendo World, (3) Get up at 5am so that you can, (4) Get in line 90 minutes before the park opens so that you can (5) RUN a 5k to get in line for the ride, and (6) wait the 90 minutes to see for yourself.

Or you can just take my word for it.

Quick, who wore it best?

Okay, I get it. Elena is cuter. I agree, it looks better on her. I tried to get her to buy it, but she just wouldn’t. I could totally see Elena wearing this all winter in New York. Yes, she’d have to lug it around Thailand for the next few weeks, but then what an awesome hat all winter. So warm. So cute. So … ELENA. But no go.

We did have fun poking around in the Hello Kitty store. I wanted to get a picture with Elena and Hello Kitty when she arrived, but Elena didn’t want to wait out the crowd forming around the character. It was fun (for me anyway) to watch Hello Kitty getting her picture taken with all the various aged people losing their minds (from 5 to 75). No wonder Hello Kitty is till a multi-Billion dollar brand.

*Violet’s favorite hat was “Toad” and it suited her well*

I decided to get a few pictures in front of all the Snoopy exhibits for my mom who loves anything Charles Shultz who spent much of his life in my home town of Santa Rosa, California (where my mom still lives).

And finally, onto Harry Potter world. Violet didn’t bring her wand and I totally understand. It would have been a lot to protect this relatively fragile RFID object for an hour or so of fun in a theme park. But it was fun listening to “Moaning Myrtle” go on in Japanese in the Men’s bathroom stall as well as all the talking portraits and videos in Japanese. Gave a new spin on rides we’d done before.

Also, for my musical fans, they now have a “dueling” wizard quartet with one wizard from each house which was quite fun. They are singing rivals and while they work together in song, they are competing for the limelight. Seems like they are playing around with some of the broadway musical success with Puffs, the Hufflepuff show.

Before we wrapped up our day, we found a “New York” pizza place and while it was not local, Port Washington “Ginos” level, it was certainly better than what we’d had in quite some time. Everyone was thrilled to have a taste of home. We left the part at 7:58pm (closing time was 8pm), so we were there from open until 2 minutes to close. Overall, a really long, but great day at Super Nintendo World, Osaka Japan.

And then we got to see they fun advertisement on the subway. Something about a new gummy (not weed based, just a Japanese candy from what we could surmise).

*Giant advertisement on the metro line going home. Nice one.*

And one final departing message as I wrap up my day. Perhaps this one is a better image and quote to complete our journey through Japan:

Super Nintendo World, Japan (November 4, 2025)

Osaka Aquarium (November 3, 2025)