It was a really faithful creation of the actual Gringott’s bank from the movies – complete with the goblins moving about too. It was really like being teleported into the Harry Potter universe in the movies. And like the movies, the people in the photo frames talk and move too.

The ride itself is a 3D motion-simulated thrill ride. Riders go through the ride experiencing a short Harry Potter 3D film with a roller coaster integrated into it. The coaster follows a track with drops and at times converts into a motion simulator that shakes depending on what’s happening. When a troll on screen “grabs” the roller coaster and “throws” it, the rider experiences the movements in real life. The plot itself immerses riders in the Harry Potter universe, fighting the forces of Lord Voldemort, riding through underground vaults, and facing dragons.

The centerpiece of Diagon Alley is Gringotts Bank, with towering dragon statues guarding the entrance, with the one at the top breathing fire every fifteen minutes. Diagon Alley also features wand shops and pubs selling butter beer.

Throughout the area, there are various locations that interact with wands allowing guests to perform “spells” ranging from making water fountains spray water to levitating objects.

We also got to visit Springfield from the Simpsons. I didn’t go to any rides here, but it was cool just to see the different elements of the show in real-life like Duff Beer, Kwik-E-Mart, Krusty Burger, Moe’s Tavern, etc. The attention to detail here is excellent.

I also felt like compared to before, there’s now a noticeable shift towards motion simulator rides with 3D movies. Back then, the rides had to rely on physically built special effects, like for example, when Terminator statues would light up or when a character got thrown into the screen in the movie and then suddenly appear in real life running away. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for the way things were. One thing’s for certain is that these 3D movies allow for special effects that weren’t possible before.

See more of Universal Studios here

Back to the Future is definitely one of my favourite movies and since USJ had this ride there, I had to go (even if I saw it as a kid). It was a motion simulator ride where everyone sat in a Delorean that shook as the car traveled through time to places like Hill Valley in 2015 and eras like the time of the dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the dialogue was all in Japanese!

The Delorean outside the ride definitely attracted a lot of attention too.

Parts of the park was designed to look like an American city, but with one big difference: the streets are much cleaner in Japan. Part of this pseudo-American town was a recreation of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

The big gate into Jurassic park with the vegetation was a really nice touch too.

They really did a good job in making people feel like they were actually there – complete with a 10,000V electric fence, a broken jeep and raptors.

The Jurassic Park ride was really awesome too. As the roller coaster passes the destroyed gate and electric fence, dinosaurs begin to appear, and they are screaming and roaring. The acid spraying dinosaurs spray water at the visitors, and of course at the end, the almighty T-Rex appears as the roller coaster goes through a steep drop into the water, making a huge splash. I was soaked at the end of the ride.

I forgot how awesome Terminator 3D was when I was a kid. It was cool to see Terminators at the side of the theatre light up and start shooting things. Even cooler was when the screen showed Arnold riding a motorcycle and then having a real motorcycle come out of the screen and appear on stage fighting another actor playing T-1000.

At the Jaws ride, naturally there’d be a large shark on display right outside of it. The ride took visitors on a boat ride as the shark attacks. The boat driver, wielding a shotgun, begins to defend the passengers. Lots of splashing, with a fiery ending.

Because it is Japan, there has to be cute stuff and that is Snoopy. There aren’t many things cooler than flying Snoopy’s.

If people like old school American-style diners, they have that here too!

Definitely worth a visit if one is willing to spend 7000 yen. I certainly enjoyed reliving the same things I saw when I was a kid as an adult and it gave me quite a huge feeling of nostalgia.

Links to more photos: here

Let’s Cross The Street… Diagonally!

This is no surprise really. There are lots of people in Tokyo. The crazy thing is that at the Shibuya crossing, the lights for cars can be red at the same time for all directions, and allows pedestrians to cross the intersection in any direction they want.

Their Metro System Is Complicated

That picture there shows only the metro lines operated by the JR Railway Company. There is another set that is run by other companies such as the Tokyo Metro Company. Route planning apps save the day!

Nintendo Is Big Around Here

Akihabara has many shops that sell used gaming consoles like Gameboys, Super Nintendos, and N64’s. They even sell tons of used games for them too. I managed to pick up a used copy of Tetris DS before I left.

I Finally Played TGM3 at the Arcade

TGM3 is a Japanese variation of Tetris that is designed to be very very hard (see this). The video starts getting crazy at about 3 minutes and becomes completely insane at about 5:08. Ever since playing lots of Tetris during my undergrad and learning about this game, I finally got the chance to play this at the arcade and not on an emulator. This was at HEY (Hirose Entertainment Yard) in Akihabara.

People Still Like Pokemon

I don’t think kids today in North America still watch Pokemon, but in Japan it’s still popular – popular enough for Pokemon themed stores.

Japanese War History

Yasukuni Shrine is a shrine that commemorates those who died serving the Empire of Japan. Some of these commemorated people happen to be considered war criminals, where 14 of them are A-Class war criminals, which makes this place quite controversial. It was reported that Shinzo Abe, as the Prime Minister of Japan, visited this shrine, which angered the governments of China and Korea. Near the shrine itself, there is a museum that chronicles Japanese war history, known as the Yushukan, where visitors can see various relics and artifacts from the different wars that Japan has been involved in.

The Future Is Here

The Miraikan, also known as the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, displays the latest cutting-edge technology from Japan. Asimo, the Honda Robot is one of the main attractions here, as well as the display of humanoid android robots (like the picture below).

Odaiba, A Less Busy Part of Tokyo

Odaiba is an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, and has lots of attractions like scenery, museums (like the Miraikan), shopping, and amusement parks (like Legoland and Joypolis).

Lots of Temples and Shrines

Tokyo has no shortage of temples and shrines. The Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is among the famous ones. To me it is that Japan is to temples and shrines as Europe is to churches and cathedrals.

Scenery at High Places

Tokyo Skytree is the tallest structure in Japan and features an observation deck that allows visitors to see the surrounding area. I felt my ears popping as the elevator took me to the top because of the sheer height of the building. At the observation deck, there are touch screens that give information on various landmarks that can be seen. On a clear day, it is possible to see Mount Fuji from here.

For Collectors of Figurines

The Akihabara Radio Hall has a collection of stores with lots and lots of figurines from various anime series. Other stores even sell models of tanks, battleships, etc. There was one in particular that sold giant models from blockbuster Hollywood movies like Robocop, Batman, and Terminator. Would have liked to take a better picture, but they had a strict no photography policy.

WTF

It’s true. Japan has lots of weird stuff. That picture below is for a place called the Robot Restaurant. It’s hard to explain. It’s better to watch this (it starts off pretty weird and just gets weirder).

Links to more photos:

• Tokyo
• Akihabara
• Asakusa
• Yasukuni Shrine
• Odaiba
• Tokyo Skytree