The official announcement that Donkey Kong Country was opening in Universal Studios Japan on December 11th 2024 was a BIG surprise.
I thought they’d have a much bigger build-up, but no, they just threw it out there. So, here’s what you need to know if you want to visit…
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What’s in the Land?
Donkey Kong Country sits within the Super Nintendo World area of the park, accessed through a tunnel that keeps it slightly separate.
It looks very different from Super Nintendo World, which is all brash, bright colours and blocks. Donkey Kong, on the other hand, is jungle-themed, with the imposing Golden Temple at its heart.
The Ride
The main draw is Mine Cart Madness, a rollercoaster-style ride in which you are blasted out of the Golden Temple on a runaway mine car as you try to protect the Golden Banana from the Tiki Tak tribe who have infiltrated the temple.
The ride uses amazing technology, and the car you’re in actually ‘jumps’ the tracks.
According to the USJ press release, the ride lasts two minutes, and you ride in parties of four.
Anyone over 107cm can ride, but those between 107cm and 122 cm will need a chaperone with them.
As expected, it’s pretty popular – I’m updating this on the first weekend after the ride opened, and at one point today the predicted queue time was five hours!
Some people in my Facebook group were there on a soft opening day and got to ride it before it officially opened, and they said it was really fun.
New Games
New Donkey Kong Country Power Band games involve collecting the letters for the word ‘Donkey Kong’ to earn points.
You can buy a special Donkey Kong powerband for this, or they have confirmed that the Super Nintendo Power Bands will also let you play the games in Donkey Kong Country.
I guess this means your US bands will also work here.
There’s also a cute-looking drumming game that will see you summon Rambi if you get the beats right.
Food and Merch
Of course, it wouldn’t be USJ without some monkey-themed merch to buy. Foods include a banana-based shake and an avocado-sauce-topped hot dog that will only be available in Donkey Kong Country.
Merchandise will be available from Funky’s Fly N Buy – although when I was there a few weeks ago, they also had some in the main store in Super Nintendo World.
Meet Donkey Kong
Yes, the big man (monkey) himself will be available for photo opportunities outside his treehouse within the land.
I Need to See More…
You can watch the announcement video and see inside the land here.
How Do You Get into Donkey Kong Country?
You will need a Timed Entry Ticket to get into Super Nintendo World, access to Donkey Kong Country will be included as part of this.
Is There an Express Pass for Mine Cart Madness?
Yes, they have added it to the Express Pass 7 – so you now have to choose between Flying Dinosaur and Minions and Hollywood Dream and Jaws.
There are also a couple of Express Pass 4s that also include Mine Cart Madness.
See the newest offerings here on Klook.
Both passes are also available directly from USJ, obviously, but that doesn’t always work well with foreign cards.
If you want to try and work out which pass will work best for you, try our interactive Express Pass quiz.
Don’t Forget to Buy Your Studio Pass
Everyone who visits USJ needs to buy a Studio Pass. You can buy a simple one that lets you into the park, or, if you buy them early, you might find the Klook special that also includes Super Nintendo World. Tickets are now released two months before the date you want to enter the park, so, check if they’re available now for your dates.
What Will This Mean for Crowds?
My prediction – it will be bonkers. If you want to go to USJ in December and you haven’t already got a ticket that allows you into SNW, or an Express Pass that does, and your trip will be ruined if you don’t get into SNW, let alone Donkey Kong Country, buy a pass NOW as the Annual Pass Holders will be out in force and competition will be fierce for the free passes as most local visitors won’t pay for the Express Passes.
If you’d rather take your chances, or the Express Passes, or the special Donkey Kong Passes are already sold out for your dates, get there very early. I can’t say how early until we see the queues, but if I was going in the first week and wanted to ensure I got into SNW without a pass, I’d be there two or maybe even three hours before the park is supposed to open.
Today’s patterns seem to indicate that is a good plan. This is the first weekend the area has been open and the ride was up to a five-hour wait by lunchtime Japanese time, as I guess people rushed to Super Nintendo World before the timed entry began and went straight to Donkey Kong. Then the people with morning SNW entry piled in too.
The wait time did go down as the day went on. I’m typing this at 3.30 Japanese time, and it’s down to 150 minutes.
If you’re getting a pass with SNW entry that doesn’t have Express Pass access to Mine Craft Madness, keep track of queue times on the app for a week or so before you need to buy. This morning surge might be a weekend pattern, and the weekdays might see times getting longer in the evening when annual pass holders come in after work. Keep an eye on things and try to pick your timed entry for when the queues might be lower on the day you’re visiting. I wouldn’t expect the queues to die down completely for a few months.
Interestingly, the wait time for the rest of the park was also very low for most of today – Flying Dinosaur was at 30 minutes, Hollywood Dream at 40 minutes and Demon Slayer, which is normally at three hours, was 90 minutes – I guess everyone who would normally ride those was queuing for Mine Craft Madness.
Right now, that’s all we know. But I’ll keep this updated when I learn more.
