- 6 Licensed Green Plate Companies for Private Tokyo Airport Transfers - 14 April 2026
- Hakone’s Venetian Glass Museum – The Biggest Surprise in Town - 19 March 2026
- How to Fill in Your Visit Japan Web Arrival Documents for Japan - 18 March 2026
USJ just shook up the Express Passes – alongside the Express Pass 7 and Express Pass 4s that we’re used to, you can now also buy Express Pass 8 and Express Pass 5. Here’s what you need to know…
The new passes are coming in because the Minion Area of the park has expanded, and a new ride, Illuminations Villain-Con Minion Blast, has opened. Because this is likely to be very popular, the park has added it to the Express Pass formula. However, rather than adding this to the Express Pass 7 or 4, which would mean losing one of the other headline rides, they’ve now created Express Pass 8 and 5.
The Express Pass 8 – Variety and Theatre
This pass now includes the following rides…
Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Yoshi’s Adventure, MineCart Madness, Illuminations Villain-Con Minion Blast, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Detective Conan: 4D Live Show: Jewel Under the Starry Sky and The Flying Dinosaur or Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
The Express Pass 5 Options
There are two versions of these.
Both contain the following rides….Illuminations Villain Con Minion Blast, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The difference between them is the fourth and fifth rides.
With Express Pass 5 – Fun Variety
You can ride both Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem and JAWS
With Express Pass 5 – Race Special
You can ride Yoshi’s Adventure and then pick between Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem or Hollywood Dream.
Other Questions
Do the New Passes Let You Into Super Nintendo World
Yes – any Express Pass that contains Yoshi’s Adventure, Mario Kart: Koopa’s Challenge or Minecart Madness also includes a timed entry to Super Nintendo World.
Where Can I Buy Them?
Currently, the Express Pass 8 and Express Pass 5 are available through Klook. Remember, you also need a Studio Pass to enter the park itself. Express Passes only help you jump the queue on rides.
As I write this on July 25th 2025, neither pass is available on the official USJ English site.
Save Money with Klook & Japlanease
If you plan on buying tickets or tours from Klook for when you’re in Japan, you could save up to 10 per cent by using the code JAPLANEASEKLOOK at the checkout. Click here to see what’s on offer.
T&Cs apply. Some items, including Tokyo Disney and USJ tickets, are not available for discounts.
What Does Time Designated Mean?
On some of the rides included in the Express Pass, 8 and 5 are listed as time-designated. This means there will be an allocated time slot for you to join the queue for these rides. When you purchase your Express Pass, you’ll have the option to choose from a variety of time slots.
This can be a bit overwhelming if stocks are high, as there will be lots of combinations, so have a rough idea of when you might want to enter the park and leave the park, and when you want to be in Super Nintendo World. Then choose the slots that work best around those times.
Why Do the Prices Vary So Much?
USJ prices tickets differently by date. If you haven’t yet booked a confirmed date for your visit, you can save quite a bit of money, especially as a family, by visiting on a cheaper date.
For example, as I look at it now, October 10th is selling for AU$352, but October 11th, a Saturday, is AU$418. That’s a big difference.
Why Is There No Stock for My Date
One of the most frustrating aspects of buying USJ Express Passes is that they often seem to be out of stock – that might not be the case, though. So, let’s go through the reasons you might see that for the Express Pass 8 and 5s.
You’re Looking for an August or September Date
It appears that the Express Pass 8 and 5s will start from the beginning of October, at least on the international site. If you’re going before then, you won’t be able to buy them.
If you want to ride Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast before early October without queuing, there is an Express Pass 4 called Minions and Adventure that covers Yoshi’s Adventure, Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast, Detective Conan 4-D Live Show: Jewel Under the Starry Sky and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
You’re a Large Group
Another reason you might see no stock is that you’re trying to buy more than four tickets at a time via the official USJ site. It doesn’t like this. You’ll need to break it into two transactions.
The downside of this is that you’ll then need to ensure the timings for the rides match for both orders so make sure you make a note of those.
Normally, when you get to the page for selecting riding timings, you’ll also see a note of how many tickets are left for each variation – if you need to complete one transaction, and then go back in to buy another pass, pick timeslots with the most tickets left to reduce the chance of them selling out between orders.
You’re Looking for a Date, Not Released Yet
As of the date I am writing this (July 25, 2025), USJ is shifting back from releasing tickets 93 days in advance to two months in advance. The shift starts for tickets for entry after October 13th.
If you’re looking for dates after that, they will likely go on sale on August 14th, but nothing official has been confirmed yet. It’s also unclear whether they will continue releasing tickets one day at a time or revert to the system of dropping a whole batch on a single date.
They’re Genuinely Sold Out
Lastly, the final reason it may say no stock is that they really have sold out. Express Passes pretty much do always sell out. However, while it used to be the case that once they were gone, they were gone; they do now sometimes release passes randomly nearer the time, so if you do miss out, keep checking.
Can I ride Jurassic Park and Villain-Con on any Pass?
No – right now, Jurassic Park is included as an option on the Express Pass 7 Minecart and Selection, and on the day I write this, this doesn’t yet have an Express Pass 8 option.
Can I ride the New Donkey Kong Ride and the New Minion Ride on any Pass?
No. The new Donkey Kong ride, Minecart Madness, also doesn’t have a pass that combines it and Villain-Con. It doesn’t mean it won’t – they may also turn Minecart and Selection into an Express Pass 8 if demand is good.
And I think that’s everything. If you do have any questions, though, head to our Disney and USJ Facebook group and someone will do their best to help.
