I’m a Potterhead; there is no such thing as a denying it. I queued for every e-book on launch day and rushed to see every film on the large display. I then re-read and re-watched all of them many occasions over time, so it’s completely no shock that after I heard the Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo was open, I booked our tickets and headed alongside to test it out as quickly as attainable similar to we did when Harry Potters Wizarding World opened at Common Studios in Osaka.
Let’s begin with an outline of the Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo and a few of our highlights from the day. We’ll drop some ideas alongside the best way after which cowl different frequent questions on the finish. When you have a particular query, please skip on to that part utilizing the index.
That is an official Warner Brothers Studio Tour, which incorporates studio units, props, costumes, and knowledge immediately from the cinematic manufacturing of the movies. It isn’t a theme park. There are some interactive actions, however no rides, and no characters are strolling round in costume. There are many guests in robes, although, and that’s OK right here, even inspired.
Attending to the Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo
The massive footprint of the venue and park signifies that the Harry Potter Studio Tour is just not positioned centrally within the metropolis, however it’s simply accessed by prepare to Toshimaen Station. There are literally two Toshimaen stations, one on the Seibu Line (an above-ground prepare) and one other for the subway. Which one you arrive on will depend upon the place you’re beginning, however they’re subsequent to one another, and it actually doesn’t matter both means.
For those who take the Seibu Line from Ikebukuro, your Harry Potter journey begins earlier than you even get on the prepare. You’ll discover that the Ikebukuro station platform is adorned as Kings Cross and the Toshimaen Station as Hogsmeade. It’s a enjoyable contact when you can construct it into your plan for the day, but it surely isn’t price detouring when you can take the subway immediately from the place you’re staying.
It’s a really quick stroll from the station to the park gates, that are open from 8:30 a.m. The primary tour begins at 9 a.m. The encompassing park has some nice statues of the basilisk and different characters, and strolling by way of the large bushes units the scene for what’s to return.
The Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo expertise
We booked our tickets for the Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour on-line with Klook as quickly as we confirmed our Tokyo dates and flights. Ticket gross sales are open for the present month and three months forward. It appears a very long time upfront, however getting on to it as early as attainable is the easiest way to get the date and time that you really want.
We selected the 10am tour. We deliberate to reach about an hour earlier than our tour began however knew we had a 40 minute prepare journey to get there so didn’t need to have to begin out from the lodge too early. That might then make lunch on the half means level at an inexpensive time. It labored out fairly effectively.
Keep in mind to reach sooner than the time in your ticket. On the ticket time, you’ll begin the tour, which is completed in a gaggle for everybody with that very same ticket time. The primary couple of tour sections are structured, however after that, you proceed at your personal tempo, and the preliminary crowd areas out.
The Entrance Lobby
Once you arrive on the studio, you’ll stroll by way of the park to the principle constructing. There’ll most likely be a queue, however ours moved very quick. They examine your ticket, and also you undergo a safety examine, the place they might look inside your bag. Regular luggage and small backpacks can stick with you all through the day, however bigger luggage and baggage have to be checked into the cloakroom. We didn’t have to retailer something, but it surely appeared a simple and streamlined course of.
You are actually within the entrance lobby. From right here, you may have a big open central area with seating, the queue the place you enter the tour, the present store, the Nice Corridor, aka the Meals Corridor restaurant and Frog Cafe, bogs and the cloakroom at hand in or acquire objects. You’ll begin and finish your tour on this area.
Setting the Stage
We don’t need to give huge spoilers right here, so we’ll hold to the knowledge vital to grasp the circulation of the day and the amenities accessible so everybody could make any vital plans for his or her circumstances.
You’ll line up on the door forward of your ticket time, and so they’ll examine the time in your ticket. Within the first part, you stroll by way of the fortress hallways, with posters from the flicks and wizarding pictures transferring and speaking throughout you. As soon as everyone seems to be assembled within the bigger room, an audiovisual presentation units the stage for the tour earlier than you progress by way of to the theatre and sit down for the introduction. That is seemingly the one level you’ll sit down earlier than the midway level.
Whereas ready right here, they’ve QR codes to scan to get arrange for the interactive actions inside. Don’t fear when you miss it; you are able to do it whereas in line for the primary exercise.
The primary corridor
The Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo is split into roughly two halves, though we spent a bit longer within the first half.
Whereas you will get a digital information to put on round your neck to offer you further data in English and a number of other different languages, it actually isn’t required for English audio system. The place the audio is in Japanese, there are English subtitles, and the knowledge boards present good English data. We’ve got used digital guides prior to now at numerous points of interest and located them extra of a hindrance than a assist, so we skipped them this time.
The Hogwarts transferring marble staircases zoomed overhead to indicate how they really labored. Though we noticed many alternative flights of stairs transfer within the film, solely one of many staircases on set truly moved. The remaining was finished with a miniature mannequin staircase and inexperienced display filming to position the actors into the scaled scene.
Whereas the studio doesn’t provide rides, it does have fairly just a few interactive reveals that assist clarify how numerous cinematic results work. One exercise is collaborating as a part of the gang within the grandstands, cheering in your Hogwarts crew throughout a quidditch match.
Seeing the units up shut was additionally fascinating. The extent of element in what they curated, created and included to get the precise really feel they had been after was wonderful. One other favorite in right here was the potions classroom with all of the steaming cauldrons and the tiny potions bottles full of all types of dried leaves, liquids and plastic bugs.
As you weave in direction of the top of the primary half, you come to the Forbidden Forest. This part is extremely effectively finished with the flying automotive, Arigog, Hagrid and Buckbeak.
The Interlude
You exit the Forbidden Forest at Hagrids Hut, which is the pure break for lunch or refreshments. The Backlot is is the partially out of doors part and the one part the place you may have any concept what the climate is doing. We obtained a little bit of rain, however we nonetheless managed to see every part and sit right down to lunch.
There’s indoor and undercover out of doors seating right here, and the restaurant known as The Backlot Cafe. The meals are usually British, suppose fish, chips and mushy peas, pies and chips, and so on., however there have been additionally some lighter snack choices. We had been glad to cease and sit down with a meal and the meals high quality was fairly good for what’s successfully a theme park. We discover this fairly constantly in Japan vs. at dwelling in Australia.
You’ll additionally discover the ButterBeer bar. For us, it’s a vital a part of any Harry Potter expertise. It is just offered right here within the memento plastic tankard, so it is a little more costly and never very environmentally pleasant, as I think most of them nonetheless find yourself within the bin. It’s undoubtedly price making an attempt, although, and they’re effectively arrange with a station to clean out the cup when you find yourself finished and provide you with a plastic bag to place it in to hold dwelling. The drink is sort of a butterscotch creaming soda, very candy however fairly distinctively butterbeer.
You stroll behind Hagrids hut to see the detailed set inside, sit on Hagrids flying bike and sidecar, go contained in the Evening Bus, the home at 4 Privet Drive, play on the life measurement wizards chess board and take your picture on the Hogwards picket hall bridge. This looks like a small space in comparison with the general website however there’s fairly a bit to do and work together. For many you’re coming into smaller areas so you’ll seemingly need to queue up for every one though we perceive the day we went tickets had been offered out for many periods however the queues had been by no means that lengthy. If you wish to eat lunch too and get a Butterbeer you’ll spend a stunning period of time on this part.
The second corridor
Within the second half of the indoor part there are extra interactive picture opportunties, take dwelling of video of you apparating by way of the flue community, get a photograph of you about to board the Hogwarts Specific and check out the inexperienced display expertise for a photograph of you flying over the streets of London on a brush.
This part was additionally for these within the ‘how’ of the cinematic course of. There’s lots of element on how a number of the elaborate units are constructed, particularly the Ministry of Magic. The the Flue Community and the Ministry workplaces give an perception into the inventive course of and the extent of creativeness, artwork, structure, engineering, and commerce ability which have to return collectively for every set.
One of many enjoyable interactive experiences on this part is utilizing flue powder to journey by way of the fireside community; it’s tremendous enjoyable and takes a video of you doing it linked to the QR code scan to be able to obtain it later. Clearly we are able to’t observe path very effectively, so it’s hystirical however not fairly the seamless social media snippet they most likely imagined. Sorry guys. We most likely ought to have checked it earlier than we moved on,the queue was fairly quick so may simply have finished it once more to get it proper.
The ultimate sections embrace a stroll by way of of the Diagon Alley set together with Gringotts the Wizards Financial institution, Ollivanders wand store and Flourish and Blotts. There are show circumstances alongside the partitions with props used within the films, you may think that any outdated little bit of paper will do as a prop however regardless of how small or briefly in body every merchandise that makes it on set is meticulously created to be on level.
Do I have to e-book upfront?
We extremely suggest reserving on-line as quickly as you realize your journey plans or when ticket gross sales open on your most popular date. The favored occasions e-book up quick, and entire days e-book out effectively forward of time. If you wish to do the tour whereas in Tokyo, you do have to e-book forward.
View accessible dates and e-book your Harry Potter Studio Tour in Tokyo
The excellent news is that it’s virtually fully an indoor venue, so some moist climate isn’t an issue. Shopping for the tickets on-line doesn’t value extra, and when you use a legit ticket accomplice like Klook, you possibly can e-book confidently.
How lengthy ought to I plan to remain?
They counsel permitting at the very least 4 hours for the tour, however when you plan to cease for lunch, queue to participate in a number of the interactive periods, and browse the numerous data boards, I might permit round 5 hours. It relies on the person, however 4 hours must be thought of the minimal based mostly on our expertise.
Solely the very starting is time-gated. Your ticket entry time will get you into the primary corridor, the place everybody gathers to look at an interactive presentation that offers some details about the points of interest and units just a few expectations. You might be standing for this part, after which that full group strikes to the theatre and sits to look at the introduction.
Afterwards, you enter the nice corridor with the home and academics’ uniforms. Once more, you may be moved on from this room earlier than the subsequent cinema session finishes, however from there, it’s fully freeform, and also you management the velocity at which you undergo the completely different sections.
If you can also make it work, I’d suggest a morning tour. It begins to get so much busier by 11 a.m., beginning earlier provides you extra flexibility when you discover you’re going by way of a bit extra slowly than you anticipated.
Is the Tokyo tour the identical because the one in London?
Each venues are underneath the Warner Brothers umbrella. The one in London opened first, and the one in Tokyo opened in 2023. They each spotlight the filmmaking course of, costumes, and props. The units and merchandise on the market are considerably comparable, though there are just a few unique objects. It’s most likely not anticipated that you’d go to each areas until you’re a tremendous fan, however there are a lot who will.
Is the Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo price it?
In case you are a Harry Potter fan or have simply loved the flicks, I feel the studio tour is greater than price it. Will probably be a very memorable a part of your journey. Likewise, if you are interested in behind-the-scenes cinematography, set design, costumes, and sound, then this tour provides a unbelievable perception into what goes into making a blockbuster film just like the Harry Potter sequence.
In case you are travelling with a Harry Potter fan however you aren’t actually one your self, then I feel it’s nonetheless price it. Watching their sheer pleasure and marvel at being immersed in Hogwarts and each little element is priceless, plus they’ll love you endlessly for going with them.
We actually loved the tour. We felt it was good worth for what was fairly near a full days leisure, it coated a various vary of pursuits and there was so much to see and do.
You may even think about going again to Ikebukuro on the Seibu line for a go searching and dinner so that you get to see each stations, it’s got a wide variety or outlets (together with my favorite Pokemon Retailer) and many actually good locations to eat. It’s simple to get again to most components of Tokyo from Ikebukuro within the night both on the Yamanote Line (JR) or the subway system.