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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jdaneau on 2025-07-29 14:26:44+00:00.
Just got back from a day at Universal Osaka, mainly to see Super Nintendo World since my girlfriend and I are both big Nintendo fans and it's been on our bucketlist for a while. In general it was a fun time and I would probably recommend it, but with a few caveats. If anyone is on the fence about going, hopefully this post may help influence your decision.
First, I'll mention the things I really liked. The overall decoration and immersion of the area is fantastic. The green hills, spinning coins, piranha plants, giant Mario actors, etc. Really fun just to look around and take pictures. The shops had a lot of fun souvenirs that didnt feel TOO overpriced (still overpriced, but its a theme park so that's to be expected), and they're a nice break from the scorching summer sun. The employees were kind and helpful enough, though they all walk around with a gigantic forced smile which feels a bit distopian. The two big rides were fun. Mariokart VR is a little bit sketchy but it works well enough. The rules of the shell shooting weren't that well explained but it really doesn't matter for your enjoyment of the ride. Donkey kong was a great roller coaster with fun tricks and turns. The food stalls were fine enough- I didn't get the hot dog but the DK shake was pretty good and came with a souvenir mug. They also sell frozen mangoes or pineapples which is really nice on a hot day.
Now for the cons. The most glaring problem is the crowds and the waiting times. Dear god the waiting times. We followed all the social media advice of getting to the park an hour before opening and it barely made any difference; we still had hundreds of guests who arrived before us and all beelined it straight to Nintendo World, so they were pretty full already when we got there. It's a small area with not that much space to walk around, and there are so many people walking around at any given time. Combine that with really hot summer weather and you can become irritable pretty quickly. We went on all three of the major rides (Mario Kart, DK Minecart, Yoshi Adventure) and we waited a combined 6 hours in line. Note that we didn't have an express pass because they were all sold out months in advance. Donkey Kong took 3 hours by itself, partially because there was an hour delay caused by... something??? (Not really sure, but I think a guest might have dropped their phone on the ride) Where the line just sat still and didn't move. Theres a big section of the queue that sits right in the open sun, so I can imagine those people were suffering. I don't know how often these delays are but there seemed to be at least three on the day we visited. While the ride itself is fun, it's not really worth the 3 hours wait. It's a cool short roller coaster ride but nothing more. We had an easier time queuing for Mario Kart because of the single riders line. The queue was all indoors so it was not as bad to be stuck in. Yoshi's adventure was cute and had nice views over the area, but the ride itself was basically nothing. It's mostly for little kids. In general there's nothing wrong with the park but the rides really do not justify the waiting time. Maybe if you get in early and run straight to Donkey Kong you can shave an hour or two off the wait. There's also the whole mess of trying to get a timed area entry ticket when you enter the park; we were able to go straight in because of showing up early, but after a couple of hours you have to reserve a timeslot through the app and they probably go pretty quickly.
Another con (related to our visitation date) was the heat. Japan is extremely warm in the summer and Nintendo World is nicely out in the open sun, inviting all the ultraviolet into your skin. We conbatted this with a combination of parasol, sunscreen, gatsby wipes, and lots of fluids. But even then, my back was still completely soaked with sweat the whole day. If you're not used to high temperatures it can be quite a challenge. I can imagine the Orlando park has the same problem. For anyone with kids on summer vacation, I would be cautious about going. They will get very hot and tired and cranky very quickly and I'm sure standing still in a line for three hours won't help with that. You can much better try to get an express pass, but good luck.
Lastly, I want to mention the monetization. They try to get you to buy a special "power up band" that enhances your experience for a few thousand yen p.p. We didn't end up getting them, but it's a shame a whole set of attractions in the area are locked behind a paywall. The drinks, food and snacks were certainly not cheap, which is to be expected. There was at least free water fountains around the park and, very nicely, inside the DK ride queue. If you plan on getting a few souvenirs that'll of course also rack up your bill.
TLDR: Here are my thoughts summarized
- Nintendo World looks amazing and will be worth it to see if you're a Nintendo fan like myself
- The area is small and crowded and the rides consistently have the longest wait times in the whole park, reaching above 200 minutes sometimes.
- The food and shops are fun, but not cheap.
- Some of the smaller attractions are locked behind a wristband that you need to buy separately.
- It's extremely hot in the summer and you will probably sweat through your clothes.
- Kids will get cranky from the heat and the waiting if you don't have an express pass. For adults, maybe consider not going if you aren't that big of a Nintendo fan.
That's pretty much all I have to say! I hope this might help out anyone who was considering going but is on the fence. Remember that you can have plenty of fun in Japan with things that aren't universal related.