The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Since the beginning of the Harry Potter book series, who hasn't dreamt of a day to be part of its fantasy world beyond the movie franchise? If crossing the continent to learn the secrets of The Making of Harry Potter films would be far-fetched, purchasing one of the collectible items online would already be an alternative; so the Asia fandom rejoiced when a themed park was built at the Universal Studios Japan.

Following the quickest and most convenient route I prepared before the trip to experience Hanami in Osaka, we reached Universal Studios with no difficulty and got into the park in no time. I tried getting advanced booking for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter but it seemed no travel agency in Hong Kong was aware of it, at least not the ones I enquired from.

Defence against a Boggart

A Timed Entry Ticket is the reservation system offered by Universal Studios Japan to ensure The Wizarding World of Harry Potter can be enjoyed by as many guests as possible. Not necessarily required but recommended because at peak times when the park is congested, you may not be able to enter without one – the risk we didn't want to take.

We didn't travel all the way from Shinsaibashi to Sakurajima early in the morning to be denied entry. We didn't intend to leave our chance to luck or potion or charm or spell; because if we did and by accident cast evanesco instead, then it was gone! Not blurred, not made invisible but disappeared. Puff! The entrance to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter vanished into thin air...

We thought of a counter spell – riddikulus! Upon entering USJ, we immediately found our way to Central Park to queue for the said Timed Ticket. The test of tenacity against the ticking of the clock. Only when we obtained our numbered tickets, which were free by the way, inclusive and nothing extra on top of the USJ admission, that we had the desire to stroll around to see what other attractions would entice us while waiting for our timed entry.

The Amazing Spiderman

The friendly neighbourhood Spidergran!

We walked aimlessly, simply because we spared the day for Harry Potter, until we saw The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman – The Ride. It was intriguing, so we thought we’d find out the thrills that set Peter Tingle tingling.

It was a whole new ride with unbelievably convincing imaginary and impactful effects. My daughter was enthralled by the mechatronics that set it apart, realism beyond 3D. It was a super immersive experience that after the ride, my mom was able to perfectly copy, or not, spidey’s web shooting form. Pow, pow!

Rain showers are nature’s way to mark the seasonal transition. Our trip coincided with Japan’s season changing from winter to spring, so I expected sprinkling of rain every now and then. Imagine our photographs in ravishing wet look holding an umbrella, a merchandise I grabbed at the gift shop by the entrance, thwarting the picturesque backdrop altogether. It was regrettable, but we kept marching on and didn’t let it rain on our parade.

Revelio!

Drenched and hungry, we raised our wands, err pointer fingers, in R form and chanted revelio! A Japanese restaurant named Saido came to our visibility. Without delay, we stepped in and browsed what the shokudō, a Japanese term for casual dining restaurants, offered for lunch. There were only 3 costly meals to choose from. We expected the prices inside the theme park to be more than the usual so without hesitation we gave it a go, exhilarated to know how the dishes would fare.

Chawanmushi - savory egg custard dish

The verdict? It was heavenly! The chawanmushi, which literally means steamed in a tea bowl, was the best way to warm up rain-soaked chicks like us. It was a delicate and savoury egg custard dish and this one was silky like no other I’d tasted thus far.

Chawanmushi is one of my favorite Japanese dishes which I only happened to notice after returning from residing in Japan for a year. I like savouring it before a meal, like a soup before an entrée.

Salmon and Cuttlefish Sashimi

The lovely plate of sashimi, fresh and raw slices of salmon and cuttlefish, was in the truest sense of an appetizer. It was palatable, both pleasant-looking and pleasant-tasting, that would keep you wanting more. It was delicately prepared, with no fishy smell or aftertaste.

My daughter and I had the same Tempura Set. Although I am not a fan of red beans and any glutinous rice cake and whatnot, I managed to finish the dessert that was included in the meal.

Tonkatsu Set - pork cutlet meal

My mom, on the other hand, had the pork cutlet as she wouldn’t eat anything raw (she’d be missing a lot in Japan, I must add) other than greens. We helped her finish her plate; and why wouldn’t we? Her tray was a whopping JPY 2800 to put a thing or two to waste!

We certainly regained energy for the next phase of wandering about USJ. We continued our track, stopping once in a while to take a photo or two, back to Central Park where we could find the path leading to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Alohomora!

Welcome to Hogsmeade Village

The long-awaited entry time arrived. We strode along a passage tucked in lush Japanese Cedar, I supposed, giving off a mysterious vibe of the forbidden forest.

We reached the gate to the village, alohomora, and the High Street of Hogsmeade came to view.

The iconic Hogwarts Express, stationed at the fore right, greeted us upon entry. It supplies commemorative photo for purchase but we took a few snaps with our own camera and proceeded our way into the heart of the village.

The array of shops, frequented by students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, tempted us to go in and fill our basket with sweets and supplies, but we were adamant to tick our bucket list first before shopping for gifts and such.

Butterbeer

Butterbeer Mustache

If we had gotten an earlier admission, we would have dined at the Theee Broomsticks. Since we were still full from our sumptuous lunch, we searched for the barrel-shaped kiosk to have at least a taste of the ever popular butterbeer, a non-alcoholic beverage that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

This sweet beverage, reminiscent of butterscotch, comes hot or cold. We tried both – my mom preferred the hot butterbeer to douse the cold; while my daughter and I shared the cold one.

Who would pass the golden opportunity to mimic Hermione Granger in her endearing butterbeer-mustache look? I wouldn’t, neither did she.

Hogwarts Castle Walk

We walked towards the Hogwarts Castle to fully discover the world of Harry Potter. We wanted to see the interior behind the mystique exterior, so we queued up for the Castle Walk. There was a big crowd as expected, so we followed the end of the line, only to find out that there was more than met the eye.

Moving Portrait Corridor

We took a step and turn. Step, step and we were very careful not to take a wrong turn to get us killed or worse expelled. I was just reminded of that classy acerbic line of Hermione Granger. In my head, there was an explosion of remarkable scenes and dialogues as we traversed the corridors and halls of the cardinal edifice of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Seeing the Portrait Corridor was overwhelming – murmurs, noises, flashes of light; like Ron Weasley said, we couldn't expect them to be in one place, now could we? The idea of them moving was amusing, but relocating from one portrait to another was indeed out of this world (referring to the real human world). The Portrait of the Fat Lady gave more entertainment and character to the technology and drama that mobilise them.

It was also astonishing to witness the gargoyle moved aside and revealed the spiral staircase leading to the Headmaster’s office. We had a mental picture of it, but no photograph whatsoever. It was either densely packed with onlookers that I couldn't maneuver or I was stupefied to move a muscle.

That was a quick tour for a seemingly endless period of waiting in line for our turn. It was twilight when we got out of the Hogwarts premises, although that included few minutes or so browsing through memento items at the gift shop.

Hogwarts Castle at Twilight

We moved our legs briskly away from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade entertaining a couple of the most ghastly thoughts after dark. What if we'd face a Dementor that would kiss and suck the happiness out of us; or be chased by a Death Eater or any follower of he-who-must-not-be-named and forcibly obliviate our memories of the occasion. It would be a tragic incident to not remember our magical day, but these were no more than phantasmagorical figures and self-inflicted fears; delusions caused by the eerie landscape over our shoulders, the dimly lit Hogwarts Castle. No harm inflicted.

In muggle words, we had to set off as it was getting late. On our way out, we didn’t forget to stop by Honeydukes to check out the Chocolate Frog we saw earlier, excited to get the collectible card with the famous wizard Albus Dumbledore as another keepsake of our fantastic day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Lumos Maxima

Universal Night Parade

We arrived just in time for the Night Parade. It was a dazzling spectacle of the beloved characters and movie themes of Universal. The procession of floats illuminated not only the streets but brightened the hearts of the park guests, to the max!

Universal Studios Japan was the first of the Universal theme parks that we visited. It was a marvellous experience that we couldn’t wait for the next escapade. Needless to say, we’d want it to be another park with The Wizarding World of Harry Potter; and if opportunity would allow a Warner Bros. Studio Tour we didn't know exists when we went on a trip to London.

The magical quill protested to write any further. I had to pause but I’d send an owl to let you know of the next adventure.

Lights-out, nox.

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