Is the Universal Studios Japan Express Pass worth it with kids?

Is the Express Pass worth it with kids? For us, yes, and we'd buy the same one again.

We had the Express Pass 4 Minecart Special for our Universal Studios Japan (USJ) day in September, with our boys Darrell and Ernie, then 10 and 8. It gave us set ride times for Mario Kart, Mine Cart Madness, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, one go on JAWS whenever we liked, and an Area Timed Entry Ticket, which is a booked time to enter Super Nintendo World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The catch is that the pass wasn't in USJ's official web ticket store line-up as at 15 October 2026, so the rest of this page turns our day into a method you can use on today's passes. An Express Pass earns its price when your kids are tall enough for the rides on it and those are rides you'd otherwise queue for. Check heights first, must-do rides second and price third.

This page is only about the Express Pass. For the park itself, the zones, the arrival plan and getting there, see our Universal Studios Japan family guide.

What an Express Pass actually is.

An Express Pass is an add-on, not a park ticket. You still need a Studio Pass, which is USJ's name for its admission ticket. The Express Pass then gets you into the shorter Express lanes at a set list of rides. The full conditions are on USJ's Express Pass page, and as at 15 October 2026 four of them shape every decision below:

• Each ride on the pass is used once. Where the ticket pairs two rides as a choice, you pick one of them.
• Every pass is dated and belongs to one person. It's valid only on the date printed and can't be shared, so each of you needs your own.
• Some rides are time-designated. You have to turn up at the time printed on the ticket. The others can be used once, any time during operating hours. Our booking note put it plainly. "For attractions without the time specified, you are able to join once during the selected date."
• Prices and passes change by date. USJ says the types and prices on sale vary by day and the content can change without notice.

What ours covered, and how the day went.

We got to the gates at opening. Across the day all four of us rode Villain-Con Minion Blast, Minion Mayhem, Forbidden Journey, JAWS, Mario Kart, Mine Cart Madness and Jurassic Park. Ernie and I also rode The Hollywood Dream, which Lyndsie's diary sums up in two words, "super scary". The boys did the two Snoopy rides, and Super Nintendo World meant the Power-Up Band challenges. Lunch was Mel's Diner, where we stalked a table, and we caught a taxi home.

Four of those rides were on the pass, three of them at set times and JAWS whenever it suited us. Lyndsie's tip in her diary was short. "Express passes are awesome."

USJ was day five of the trip, and you can see where a park day fits in our two-week Japan itinerary. Later in the same trip we did Tokyo Disneyland, and Lyndsie's notes compare the two. USJ was more expensive, but we enjoyed it more. It had better interactive spaces to play in between rides, in the Wizarding World and Super Nintendo World, and in her words, "we also had a semi-express pass so that helped". That semi-express pass is the Minecart Special. We also walked further at USJ. Her notes say Disney suits younger kids, or kids who don't love super scary rollercoasters, better. The full comparison is in Universal Studios Japan vs Tokyo Disneyland.

Both boys were tall enough for everything on our pass. That's the detail from our day most worth carrying over, because it's the first thing to check for your own kids.

Start with your kids' heights.

At Universal Studios Japan, an Express Pass doesn't change the height rules. Crew can measure a child at the ride entrance and give them a handstamp, and a child under the limit doesn't ride, Express or not. As at 15 October 2026, every Express Pass is sold at one all-ages price. A ride your child can't board is a slot you've paid full price for and can't use, which makes height the first filter, ahead of which rides you want.

These are the limits on USJ's height requirement page for the rides on the passes discussed here, as at 15 October 2026.

A supervising companion has to be of junior high school age or older and meet the ride's own requirements. An older sibling who's still at primary school doesn't count. So a child under 122 cm needs a parent, or another rider of junior high school age or older, with them on every ride in that table they're tall enough for.

Both of ours cleared everything on our pass, and Ernie, at 8, was tall enough for Hollywood Dream too, so what follows by height is our reading of USJ's rules rather than our experience:

• Under 107 cm. Mario Kart, Mine Cart Madness, Forbidden Journey, Jurassic Park, The Flying Dinosaur and Hollywood Dream are all out. A pass built on Mario Kart and Mine Cart Madness is a poor buy for that child. Look for one built around Yoshi's Adventure (92 cm), Minion Mayhem (102 cm), Minion Blast and JAWS.
• 107 to 121 cm. Mario Kart, Mine Cart Madness and Jurassic Park are possible with a supervising companion. Forbidden Journey, The Flying Dinosaur and Hollywood Dream are not. Pick a pass that lets you choose JAWS or Jurassic Park and doesn't lock in Forbidden Journey.
• 122 to 131 cm. Forbidden Journey opens up, and Mine Cart Madness no longer needs a companion. The Flying Dinosaur and Hollywood Dream are still out. A pass like ours works here, as long as any slot that offers Forbidden Journey or The Flying Dinosaur goes to Forbidden Journey.
• 132 cm and up. Everything in the table is open, including The Flying Dinosaur and Hollywood Dream.

With two kids in different bands, we'd let the shorter one decide. Each needs their own pass at the same price, and each can only use the rides they're tall enough for. Measure them at home before you choose. The ride entrance is a bad place to find out.

Which pass to look for today.

As at 15 October 2026, the official web ticket store listed 26 Express Pass products, from EP4 passes starting at ¥10,800 per person up to Express Pass Premium from ¥41,000 and Premium Unlimited from ¥99,000. None of them was the Minecart Special.

The nearest by contents is EP4 Mine Cart & JAWS. It includes Mario Kart and Mine Cart Madness, then a choice of Forbidden Journey or The Flying Dinosaur, and a choice of JAWS or Jurassic Park The Ride. It also includes guaranteed timed entry to Super Nintendo World. Two differences from ours are worth knowing. The store's details for it don't mention Wizarding World entry, which ours had, and they don't say which of its rides are time-designated. Your ticket shows which rides have a printed time. Treat it as the nearest equivalent, not the same pass.

If your kids are 122 cm or taller and Mario Kart and Mine Cart Madness are the rides they care about, EP4 Mine Cart & JAWS is the one we'd look at first. For other families, this is where we'd start on the store, as at 15 October 2026:

• Younger kids. The store labels EP4 Minions & Theater "Fun for the whole family!". It covers Yoshi's Adventure, Minion Mayhem, Minion Blast, and a choice of JAWS or Detective Conan 4-D. Yoshi's Adventure still needs 92 cm and Minion Mayhem 102 cm.
• Kids between 107 and 121 cm. Look for a pass whose ride list leaves out Forbidden Journey and The Flying Dinosaur, or offers them only in an either-or slot where the other choice suits your child. EP4 Minecart & Jurassic Park was one such pass on the store. It lists Yoshi's Adventure, Mine Cart Madness, Minion Mayhem and a choice of Jurassic Park The Ride or JAWS, and the store tags it with Super Nintendo World timed entry. Under 122 cm, every ride on it needs a supervising companion.
• Everyone 132 cm and up. You can take The Flying Dinosaur in EP4 Mine Cart & JAWS's either-or slot, or look for passes with The Flying Dinosaur and Hollywood Dream on them.
• Not for families. The Resident Evil and Halloween passes exclude children 14 and under, and they don't include Super Nintendo World entry.

Names come and go. The pass we'd buy again wasn't in the official store's line-up as at 15 October 2026, so match the ride list, not the name, and check what's on sale for your date.

What it costs a family of four.

There's no child price for an Express Pass. Each guest needs their own ticket at one all-ages price, and only children aged 3 and under go without one.

For EP4 Mine Cart & JAWS, the store's calendar as at 15 October 2026 showed ¥16,800 to ¥26,800 per person on the dates that could be selected, from late October to mid-December 2026. None of them showed the ¥10,800 "from" price on the store's list, so budget from the calendar price for your date. Many dates in that window were crossed out with no price, the store doesn't say what a crossed-out date means, and nothing after mid-December could be selected.

For four people, the Express Pass alone comes to:

• 4 × ¥16,800 = ¥67,200 on the cheapest of those dates
• 4 × ¥26,800 = ¥107,200 on the dearest

Those totals don't include park entry. You need four Studio Passes on top. As at 15 October 2026 an adult 1 Day Studio Pass started from ¥8,400, and Studio Pass prices also change by date. Child tickets cover ages 4 to 11, but the store's list didn't show the child price, so check it on your date.

I haven't included what we paid in September. The figure isn't in our notes, and an old price wouldn't help you anyway. For where theme park days sit in a whole trip, see our Japan family budget.

The rules that catch families out.

These are USJ's rules as at 15 October 2026, and most of them cost you money if you get them wrong:

• Be on time for timed rides. If you're late for a time-designated ride, there's no refund and no new time slot.
• Buy the whole group's passes together. Ticket numbers are limited, and buying separately may give you different ride times.
• You can't cancel. Once bought, tickets can't be cancelled.
• You can't change the date. Some Studio Passes bought on the web store can move to another date, but passes that include an Express Pass aren't eligible.
• Don't buy second-hand. Resold tickets are invalid, and USJ cancels their QR codes.
• A closed ride means a swap. If a ride on your pass isn't running, you use another eligible attraction instead, which excludes time-designated ones.
• Heights are still checked. Express doesn't override a height limit, which is why the table above comes first.

Getting into Super Nintendo World.

As at 15 October 2026, USJ's store says that to enter Super Nintendo World you need an Area Timed Entry Ticket, booked in advance or claimed in the official USJ app once you're inside the park, or a VIP Tour booking. Area Timed Entry Tickets can run out early on the day, after which standby tickets are issued. USJ also says there are times you can get in without one.

To have Area Timed Entry sorted before the day, USJ says you need certain Express Passes or a select travel agency. Otherwise it's the app on the day. That's a real reason to choose a pass with Super Nintendo World entry included. Mine Cart Madness sits inside the area, so if that ride is the one your kids want most, guaranteed entry matters. EP4 Mine Cart & JAWS includes it. Not every pass does, so check the details before you buy.

Our pass also came with timed entry to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. USJ's timed-entry pages say only that, depending on attendance, you may need a ticket to enter "some areas", and the store's details for EP4 Mine Cart & JAWS don't mention the Wizarding World. If Harry Potter matters to your kids, check the pass details and the app for your date.

When it isn't worth it.

Skip it, or rethink which pass, if either of these is you:

• Your kids are too short for most of the rides on the pass. With one all-ages price, you'd be paying for rides they can't take.
• You're happy to do the big rides at opening and queue for the rest. If you'll be at the gate when it opens and only one or two rides are must-dos, the money may do more elsewhere in your trip.

Two other USJ systems can help either way. These come from USJ's own pages rather than our day:

• Child Switch. When one child doesn't meet a ride's requirements, Child Switch lets the rest of your group take turns riding while someone waits with them, without queuing again. It runs at Mario Kart, Mine Cart Madness, Forbidden Journey, JAWS and others. Ask a crew member for details.
• Single Rider. Separate single-rider lines run at Mine Cart Madness, Mario Kart, Forbidden Journey, Minion Mayhem, The Flying Dinosaur, Jurassic Park, JAWS and others, though they may be closed. You ride apart from your group, so at best it suits kids old enough and tall enough to ride without a parent beside them.

Where to buy it.

USJ sells Express Passes through its official web ticket store and through travel agencies. If you're staying at one of USJ's partner hotels, you can also buy on your check-in day and the day after. USJ notes that the passes on sale vary depending on where you buy. Whatever a seller calls a pass, match its ride list to the one you picked above, check the date, and check it includes Super Nintendo World entry if you want it.

For the day itself, from arrival to the zones, head back to our Universal Studios Japan family guide. If USJ is part of a longer stay, our Osaka family guide covers the rest of the city.