Is the USJ Express Pass Worth It? "Expensive, but It Is Convenient": Who Japanese Visitors Say Should Buy One

What Japanese visitors said — picked from the top 150 of 223 comments

• I go to Universal a lot, and I'd say these wait times are on the really short side.

  ユニバめっちゃ行ってるけどこの待ち時間はめっちゃ早い方やと思う

  — @除菌しーと937 likes

• Express is seriously good, but there's no getting around how expensive it is...

  エクスプレスめちゃくちゃ良いんやけどどうしても高いんよね…

  — @Shirousagi5480280 likes

• I buy the 7 every time, and if you think of it as using the time you'd have spent queuing on meals and breaks, it's fair... more like a necessary expense, honestly.

  毎回7買ってるけど本来待つ時間を食事と休憩に使えると思ったら妥当…むしろ必要経費やわ

  — @臣綾161 likes

• The other day we bought two different Express Pass 4s, for two people each, and used them on the same day! It cuts the waits massively, so it's not cheap, but for people like us who only come once every few years it's essential! The day we went, the regular queues added up to over eight and a half hours, so think of it as buying that time. Thanks to it we had a really worthwhile day!

  先日、同一日にエクスプレスパス4をアトラクション違いで2種×2人分購入して使用しました！ 待ち時間ちょー短縮できるから、安くはないですが数年に一度しか行かない民としては必須！ 私達が行った日は通常待ち列の合計が8時間半を超えていたので、その分の時間を買ったと思えば。 おかげで有意義な時間を過ごせました！

  — @ramunikunohimathubushi117 likes

• That's a buy...!! If 20,000 yen saves you six hours, the value is almost too good 😭😭

  これは買いですね……！！ 2万で6時間も短縮できるならあまりにもコスパが良すぎる😭😭

  — @君だ代100 likes

• Getting on rides quickly like this is nice, but chatting and playing games with friends while you wait is fun too, lol.

  こうやって素早くアトラクションに乗るのも良いけど 友達と待ち時間に雑談したり ゲームしたりするのもオモロいんだよね笑

  — @aru6169139 likes

• If it's just adults and you can put up with it, I think you're fine without buying one, but for people with kids, where waiting is hard, buying it is totally reasonable 😊 If buying time gets you a lovely day, I'd want to buy it.

  大人だけで行って我慢できるなら買わなくても良いと思うけど、待つのが大変な子供連れの場合とかは買うの全然アリだなって思います😊 時間をお金で買って素敵な１日になるなら買いたいな

  — @はるのいと127 likes

• Using paid leave or a long holiday, paying for transport from far away, paying for a hotel, and then for some reason skimping on the one thing, the paid fast pass (the Express Pass at Universal), making the kids queue for hours and ending up with crying kids: I've always thought those parents are the biggest waste... Back when Disney had free FastPasses, students from nearby had far too big an advantage 😅 So a paid one is actually a blessing for people with kids!

  有給休暇や大型連休を使って、遠くから交通費もかけて、ホテル代も使って、 何故か最後の最後に有料ファストパス(ユニバーサルだとエクスプレスパス)だけをケチって子供に数時間並ばせて、子供に泣かれてる親とかが一番勿体無いなといつも思ってましたねぇ・・・ ディズニーが無料ファストパスの頃は近隣の学生が有利すぎました😅 なので、有料のほうが子持ちには有り難いですよね！

  — @子持ちのオッサン6 likes

• Stupidly expensive, but if you're coming for one day I think it's totally fine. In summer it's too hot to queue for long anyway (personal opinion).

  バカ高いけどonedayで来るなら全然いいと思う。 夏なんか暑すぎて長時間待てへんしなぁ(個人的意見)

  — @もんごえ-m5o23 likes

• I went with an Express Pass 7 at the end of October. Sweeping past the whole regular line as you enter feels amazing. The price is pretty steep, but it gives you breathing room in your day, so I'd especially recommend it for people coming from out of the prefecture.

  10月末にエクスプレスパス7で行きました。一般入場の人を一気に抜かしながら入場するのが爽快で最高です。金額はかなり高めですが時間にも余裕ができるので特に県外からこられる方はおすすめです。

  — @epyoooo21 likes

• I actually kind of like waiting in line. The reason is that there are little gags on the queue walls and things to look at while you wait, and they're pretty fun. With Express you don't get to see any of that.

  列待つの結構好きなんだよな。 何故かというと待ってる間に列の壁とかに小ネタとかがあって結構オモロい。 エクスプレスだとそういうの見れない

  — @crreamuu7 likes

• In the ten or so years I hadn't been, it's gotten sooo expensive. My image of it was around 7,000 yen. It's convenient, but... on top of admission, this is, for ordinary folks... hmm.

  10年くらい行かんうちに、めっっっちゃ高くなったなぁ。 7000円くらいってイメージやった。便利やけど…入場料別でこれは、庶民には…ぬぅ。

  — @おきりげ5 likes

• Back in the day there was a black unlimited-ride Express, and that thing was godlike!!

  昔、乗り放題のブラックのエクスプレスあったけど、あれは神やった！！

  — @Akr-sb4wu22 likes

• Is this something you pay for separately from the park admission?

  これってパーク入場する時の料金とはまた別に払う感じですか？

  — @ササ-m5e34 likes

• I've only ever gone with an Express Pass 🎉 Once you get used to this there's no going back to queuing 😂

  エクスプレスパスでしか行った事ない🎉 これを覚えるともう並ぶのは無理😂

  — @ぷちこ-t4g10 likes

• I need to psych myself up before a ride, so I watch the scenery from below and go, okay, I can do this, that little kid's riding it, I can do this, over and over in my head before I can get on 😂😂

  アトラクションに乗るまでに心の準備が必要だから、乗ってる風景とか下から見ながらよし、行ける。あの小さい子でも乗ってる、いける。って何回も心の中で復唱しないと乗れない😂😂

  — @しらたま-f8m45 likes

• It gets more expensive as the date gets closer, and buying on the day is the most expensive, right 😅 Last year I bought an Express Pass 7 (the Space Fantasy one) a month and a half in advance for 10,800 yen. Maybe some people would say at 10,000 yen it's worth it?

  日付が近づくにつれて高くなって、当日に買うのが一番高いですよね😅 エクスプレスパス7(スペファン)を、去年、1ヶ月半前に買ったら10,800円でした。 1万円だったらアリ！って方もいらっしゃるかな？

  — @みくにNamist19 likes

• If you're coming from far away after a long gap on a guaranteed-packed day like spring break or Halloween, buy it. Unless it's seriously crowded or you're someone who can't queue, you can ride a fair amount without one.

  春休みとかハロウィンの混雑確定日に遠方から久しぶりに来る人とかなら買うべき よっぽど混雑か並べない人じゃない限り無くても割と乗れる

  — @あ-v1v3 likes

• For people who've been a few times on trips, having your movements locked to time slots is a pain, and from an annual passholder's point of view, paying this much to still wait up to 26 minutes means you'd just queue normally. So it ends up being recommended for people going on rides for the first time who don't know where anything is and would otherwise run around lost.

  旅行で何度か行ったことある人には行動を時間枠で制限されて辛いし、年パス勢からすればこれだけのお金払って最大26分待つなら普通に並ぶ。になる。 結果初めて行くアトラクションやその他の場所も分からず右往左往しちゃう人におすすめ。って感じ。

  — @ふらすこ5304 likes

• SaveUniversal Studios Japan↗ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパンKonohana, Osaka

  The park itself. What the comments settle is not whether to go but which queue-skipping pass, if any, to add to your Studio Pass.

Named in the source comments. Where a note gives a price, opening status or rule, we checked it against the linked source on the date shown — everything else is what the comments said. All of it can change; check the map listing before you go.

Is the USJ Express Pass worth it?

It depends on who you are, and the comments draw the line clearly. Buy it if you are visiting with children, coming from another prefecture, or only get to Osaka once every few years: a family who did that saw the regular queues total more than eight and a half hours on their day (117 likes), and a regular who buys the 7 every time calls it a necessary expense (161 likes). Skip it if you are adults only and can put up with waiting (127 likes), or if you hold an annual pass and would rather queue than pay for a pass that still means waiting up to 26 minutes (4 likes).

Do you need a Studio Pass as well as an Express Pass, and how much does it cost?

Yes. The Universal Express Pass is not an admission ticket; you need a Studio Pass for the same day, and the Express Pass price changes with the entry date. The figures in the comments are the visitors' own: around 20,000 yen for a pass that saved six hours (100 likes), an Express Pass 7 bought a month and a half ahead for 10,800 yen (19 likes), and a returning visitor whose memory of the old price was about 7,000 yen (5 likes).

Sources: usj.co.jp — checked 2026-09-03

Which Express Pass should you buy, the 7 or the 4?

The people who buy every time buy the 7 (161 likes). A family covering two rides sets bought two different Express Pass 4s for two people and used them on the same day (117 likes). The most-liked complaint is that every version bundles a thrill ride or a horror attraction, so people who ride neither have nothing to buy (1,317 likes), and a repeat visitor warns that the timed slots lock your movements for the day (4 likes).

What do Japanese visitors do instead of paying the walk-up price?

They buy early: the price rises as the date approaches and is highest on the day, which is how one visitor got an Express Pass 7 for 10,800 yen six weeks ahead (19 likes). They also pick their day, since a weekday is often reasonably quiet (7 likes), and one commenter points out that the price of a pass is close to that of the cheapest annual pass (3 likes).