Because Universal Studios Japan is incredibly popular, it’s a good idea to buy your entry tickets in advance – and, if you choose to buy USJ Express Passes to help you jump the lines, buying early is essential as they sell out quickly. But where is the best place to buy your USJ tickets online?
Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
This post was originally published in February 2023. It is checked annually or when major changes occur to pricing or aspects of ticket purchasing. The last update was December 2025.
Quick Summary
When I first wrote this post back in February 2023, my feeling was that if you could get it to work, you were better off buying your Universal Studios tickets, particularly the Express Passes, directly from the USJ app – now I don’t feel that’s the case.
In 2023, only USJ let you pick the times of your entry for Super Nintendo World, and other rides yourself. If you bought them from Klook, they were just allocated to you, which didn’t always lead to the best options – but now, Klook lets you pick times too.
Klook also takes all foreign credit cards, has special packages that include Super Nintendo World without the need for an Express Pass, has a far less confusing website, and lets you buy more tickets in one go. and that’s why I tend to prefer it now. I bought everything from my last trip from them.
There is still one caveat with Klook, which I’ll explain below, but generally, they would now be my go-to choice for buying both Universal Studios Japan Studio Passes and Express Passes.
The box above might be all you need to know in this post – but, if you do want more options, or need a bit of background before you jump into buying tickets, here’s what you need to know…
Where Can You Buy USJ Passes Online?
You can either buy them directly from Universal Studios Japan on their website or app. Or, you can buy them from one of Universal Studios’ official third-party suppliers – there are a few of these, but, the best knownfor people in the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand is the website Klook.
Both USJ and Klook have their pros and cons, and we’ll go through those in a minute, but before we do, here’s a quick explanation of some USJ lingo that you’ll need to understand to make sense of what we’re saying
The USJ Dictionary
Studio Pass – the entry pass you need to get into the Studios
Timed Entry – a slot during which you’re guaranteed entry to Super Nintendo World.
Express Pass – an optional extra that lets you jump the queue at rides and offers timed entry to Super Nintendo World
If you want more details on any of the above terms, check out our post on USJ tickets explained before you start the buying process, so you know exactly what’s going on.
Pros and Cons of USJ vs Klook
In a nutshell…
Buying From USJ Directly
Pros
Your booking is final. There are no worries about getting stock from a third party.
You can pick times for entry to Super Nintendo World and rides.
Cons
They don’t always take foreign-issued credit cards.
You can’t buy more than four tickets at a time on the USJ app. It lets you try, but then it kicks you out at the last stage.
The USJ layout is awful – they sometimes have tickets displayed that aren’t available any more, and it gets really confusing
Buying From Klook
Pros
Very user-friendly – once you’ve decided what pass you need (we can help with that), just click the button and buy in English.
All foreign credit cards are accepted.
You can book more than four tickets at once.
You can now select your time for rides.
They can have extra special tickets – for example, they sell the Studio Pass + Super Nintendo World bundle, which offers a relatively cheap add-on for timed entry for Super Nintendo World – although you don’t get to skip the queue on any rides.
The cost of this varies depending on how they are packaging it. As I update this in December 2025, it costs about AU$50 more than a normal Studio Pass, but it also includes the Have Fun in Kansai Pass, which gives you free entry to three other Osaka attractions.
This is very slightly cheaper than the cheapest Express Pass 4, which contains Super Nintendo World (The Race &Thrills which costs from AU$133).
Find The Studio Pass + Super Nintendo World option here.
Cons
They are a third party. Very occasionally, Klook takes a booking but then has to cancel it as all Express Passes have sold out before the order finalises. It was more of a problem when USJ released the whole month’s Express Passes in one stressful day – but, it’s rarely a problem now that they drop tickets one day at a time.
However, if you see your order is Pending, not Confirmed, and it isn’t confirmed within a few hours, get onto customer services as there may be a problem. If you have an attachment with your tickets, though, all is okay.
Are You Ready to Buy?
To Buy From USJ Direct
To Buy From Klook
Which is Best For YOU to Buy Your Tickets?
Deciding which online seller to use is a matter of personal preference; both are legitimate and trustworthy, but there are a few occasions when one might be better than the other for you.
Are You a Larger Family?
If you’re a group of more than four, then it’s easier to buy all the tickets together via Klook.
USJ will not let you buy more than four tickets in one transaction, and tying up times for Express Passes can get complicated.
Do You Only Have a Visa Card?
Try USJ if you’d prefer but, you’ll possibly need to buy through Klook, as Visa seems to be the card that has the most problems with Japanese websites; people reportedly have the fewest issues with AMEX.
However, if your card doesn’t use the 3D Secure system (which sends an extra security message when you buy things), you may have problems with many Japanese websites, no matter which card company has issued it as they tend to require this.
Do You Want the Cheapest Option to Get into Super Nintendo World?
Then buy your Studio Pass through Klook and pick the Super Nintendo World+ option for an extra AU$50.
Remember, this only offers you timed entry. It doesn’t let you jump the queue for any of the rides.
If none of this makes any sense, then go to our how to get into SNW where it’s all explained more fully.
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.
Are You Going During Golden Week?
Then, I would, maybe, suggest buying directly from USJ.
As I said, I’ve seen one or two occasions where people have booked Express Passes via Klook, but they’ve not actually been able to meet the allocation and have had to cancel the booking.
It’s very unlikely to happen on say, a random Wednesday in June – but, if you’re trying to visit on one of the incredibly popular times like Christmas, New Year which is huge at USJ or Golden Week, then, you might be better off going directly to USJ.
But if they have sold out, then definitely try Klook, as they might have tickets when USJ doesn’t.
If you’re now asking, ‘What’s Golden Week?’ – it’s one of the biggest Japanese holidays of the year, and everything gets very busy. It occurs at the end of April each year. See what happened when we ended up in Tokyo in Golden Week here.
Are You Tech Savvy?
If you’re not, then go with Klook.
Trying to use both the USJ app and the website can be a bit fraught – the app has been known to go back to Japanese if you haven’t set it up correctly, and the website can throw up mysterious errors.
Klook is all in English, all the time!
Can You Buy From Both Sites?
Sometimes, USJ might have Express Passes available, and Klook won’t – or vice versa. I’m on the USJ booking site now, and there are a couple of days when USJ says they’ve exhausted their allocation, but Klook has passes. So you might be wondering if you can buy your Studio Passes on one side and your Express Passes on the other.
You can. I did this back in 2023, before you could pick times with Klook. I had a Klook discount for my Studio Pass, but I wanted to choose my times for my Express Pass on the USJ website, so I combined the two, and it worked fine.
Other FAQs
When Do Tickets Go on Sale?
Two months to the date of entry and while you can buy Studio Passes close to the day, you need to buy Express Passes as close to that two-month date as you can to get the best choices of pass and time. Express Pass 7s sell out almost immediately.
If you’re not sure what Express Pass to buy, have a look at our guide to whether you need one and how to pick the right one for you in our explainer guide to USJ Express Passes.
Can’t I Just Turn Up on the Day and Buy Them?
No. USJ stopped selling tickets at the gate in 2025.
Is USJ or Klook Cheaper?
Studio Pass prices are the same – I’m looking at a Studio Pass for tomorrow (Dec 18 2025). USJ has it at 9900 yen, Klook has it at AU$96.10 – which converts to 9900 yen at today’s exchange rate.
Express Passes can be a tiny bit more expensive on Klook. The Mine Cart and Flying Dinosaur Express Pass 4 right now, for a date of January 10th 2026, and it’s AU$175.20 on Klook and 16800 yen on USJ – that works out at AU$168.00.
What if They are Both Sold Out?
Then, you could try one of the other official resellers – which include Rakutan JTB, HIS. Flight Centre and KKDay.
Can I Buy Tickets in Japan?
You can buy them via machines at Lawson convenience stores, but you’ll need help from someone who speaks Japanese, or try this guide – but, the chance of error is great so, I’d keep this as a last resort only.
Hopefully, that helps clear things up for you. If you do have questions, head to our Tokyo Disney and USJ Planning Group where lots of people are waiting to help with advice.
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
helplease
am confused on how the countdown party pass
includes the timed entry since it is in the evening
thank you
It’s not something I’ve looked at, but I guess it works the same as in the day and means timed entry will be running late into the night. If that’s the NYE event then I’d guess it’s going to be very busy and so that’s why they are running it. But I might be wrong as I wouldn’t have thought that would be on sale yet.