Universal Studios Japan Countdown 2027: The ¥16,900 Party Pass, the Nov 4 General Sale (7 a.m. Eastern) and the Dec 31 Hours Day Visitors Miss

Universal Studios Japan in Osaka stays open for up to 26 hours over New Year: from 7:00 p.m. on December 31, 2026 to 9:00 p.m. on January 1, 2027. The event is called NO LIMIT! Countdown 2027 ~Discover U!!!~, and you need a dedicated ticket, the Party Pass, to be in the park for it. The Party Pass starts at ¥16,900, and the general sale opens at about 9:00 p.m. JST on Wednesday, November 4, which is 7:00 a.m. Eastern the same morning. This guide sets out what the official pages say, in the order you need it.

*DOJI is an independent travel publication. We have no business relationship with Universal Studios Japan, Lawson Ticket or any hotel, and this guide is not endorsed by any of them. Everything below comes from USJ's official press release and event pages and from the Lawson Ticket event page, checked on November 1, 2026 (Eastern time). Times are Japan time (JST) unless we say otherwise. Eastern time is 14 hours behind Japan in November. Prices and details can change, so check the official pages again before you buy.*

The short version

• Event: December 31, 2026, 7:00 p.m. to January 1, 2027, 9:00 p.m. JST. You can leave and re-enter as often as you like with a Party Pass.
• Ticket: a Party Pass is required. It costs ¥16,900 including tax, one price for adults, children and seniors. Children aged 3 and under get in free. Everyone else needs their own ticket.
• General sale: from about 9:00 p.m. JST on November 4 (7:00 a.m. Eastern on November 4), first come, first served. USJ says the general sale happens only if tickets are left after the presales.
• Where: USJ's official WEB Ticket Store, Lawson Ticket (web and Loppi machines in Lawson stores), and some of USJ's partner hotels, for their staying guests only. USJ's ticket page says nothing is sold at the park entrance on the night.
• Limited: tickets are sold in limited numbers and sales stop when they sell out. We cannot tell you how many are left.
• No refunds: purchases cannot be cancelled or changed.
• Daytime visitors on Dec 31: a regular December 31 ticket only lets you stay until 5:00 p.m. The park is closed to everyone from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Key times, in Japan and Eastern time

How the sales work

USJ sold the Party Pass in stages:

1. Annual pass presale (Universal Prime Annual Pass Grand Royal holders only): October 7 to 9. This has ended. 2. Lawson Ticket presale, first come, first served on the Lawson Ticket website: October 23, 12:00 noon, to November 3, 11:59 p.m. JST. USJ's ticket page showed it as on sale when we checked. 3. General sale, first come, first served: from about 9:00 p.m. JST on November 4, through: - USJ's official WEB Ticket Store, - Lawson Ticket, online and at Loppi machines in Lawson convenience stores in Japan, - USJ's partner hotels, except some, and only to guests staying there. (The press release says partner hotels. The ticket page says official hotels.)

The official wording is that the general sale goes ahead only if there are tickets left after the presales, and that sales end once tickets sell out. Lawson Ticket adds that more tickets may be released later depending on circumstances. Neither page promises anything, so do not count on getting a ticket on November 4.

Lawson Ticket requires a free Lawson WEB membership, registered in the name of the person who will attend. Its page warns that a ticket may be invalid if the buyer and the visitor are different people. Tickets found on resale or auction sites are cancelled.

What the tickets cost

All prices are per person, tax included, and the same for all ages, from USJ's official ticket page:

• The bundles already include the Party Pass. The Express Passes do not, so you need to buy a Party Pass as well. USJ's ticket page says to use the Express Passes between December 31 and 9:00 a.m. on January 1.
• USJ also sells private VIP tours that include the Party Pass, priced at ¥348,500 and ¥398,500 for a group of four, and ¥1,500,000 for a single top package.
• The Party Pass includes park entry and attractions, except some paid ones. It cannot be upgraded to an annual pass.

What happens on the night

• Countdown Special Stage at Gramercy Park, 7:05 p.m. to 12:20 a.m. USJ says it brings together 25th-anniversary entertainment and a DJ show built on music by Zedd.
• USJ Grand Music Revival, a New Year's Eve music show at the Universal Monsters Live Rock and Roll Show theatre, 11:45 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. You need the separate show ticket listed above.
• Countdown Moment, 11:50 p.m. to 12:05 a.m., centred on the Lagoon, with about 5,000 fireworks across the park.
• New Year's Greeting, after the countdown: park characters in traditional Japanese New Year clothing greet guests.
• Super Nintendo World closes for part of the night for maintenance. Its timed-entry and standby tickets are issued only in the official USJ app, and only once per person during the event. Other areas and rides may also close for maintenance at times.

USJ says times may change and events may be changed or cancelled because of weather. Its ticket page also warns that, depending on the wind, debris and ash from the fireworks may fall on guests during the Countdown Moment.

If you only want a daytime visit on Dec 31 or Jan 1

• With a regular ticket for December 31, including annual passes not valid for the event, you can stay until 5:00 p.m.
• The park is closed from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on December 31.
• With a regular ticket for January 1, including annual passes, you can enter from 2:00 a.m.
• A daytime ticket does not let you stay for the countdown.

What we could not confirm

• Buying from outside Japan: USJ's English event page links to the ticket details marked "Japanese page only". We did not find the Party Pass on the English-language ticket store's home page. Expect to buy through the Japanese-language pages.
• Paying with a non-Japanese card: the official pages we checked do not say whether a card issued outside Japan works for this ticket. Have a backup card ready, and expect an extra security check from your bank.
• How many tickets are left: neither USJ nor Lawson Ticket publishes the number of tickets remaining, or confirms that any will be left for the general sale.

Checklist

• [ ] Set an alarm for 7:00 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, November 4.
• [ ] Buy one ticket per person aged 4 and over. Children aged 3 and under are free.
• [ ] Need the Express Pass? Buy a Party Pass too.
• [ ] Want a guaranteed fireworks spot? Choose a Party Pass + viewing area bundle.
• [ ] Super Nintendo World: install the official USJ app before you go.
• [ ] Do not plan to wait inside the park between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. on December 31.
• [ ] Remember that tickets cannot be cancelled, changed or refunded.

Coming to Osaka earlier in the season? Our Universal Studios Japan Christmas 2026 guide covers the holiday night shows, which pause on December 31, and 1-Day Studio Pass prices by date.

Planning a New Year trip to Japan from Canada? Join DOJI.

Sources

• USJ press release: NO LIMIT! Countdown 2027 ~Discover U!!!~ (Sep 28, 2026, Japanese): event dates and hours, Party Pass from ¥16,900, sales schedule and sellers including partner hotels for staying guests, Dec 31 day-ticket limit, 5:00–7:00 p.m. closure, Jan 1 entry from 2:00 a.m., programme times, VIP tour prices. Checked 2026-11-01.
• USJ press release PDF (Sep 28, 2026, Japanese): same details. Checked 2026-11-01.
• USJ official ticket page for NO LIMIT! Countdown 2027 (Japanese): general sale from about 9:00 p.m. JST on Nov 4 only if tickets remain, sellers, all ticket and bundle prices, same price for all ages, under-3s free, limited numbers, no cancellations or changes, Express Pass window, fireworks debris warning. Checked 2026-11-01.
• USJ official event page (English): programme times, Super Nintendo World notes, "Japanese page only" ticket link. Checked 2026-11-01.
• USJ official event page (Japanese): programme times, Grand Music Revival show ticket requirement. Checked 2026-11-01.
• Lawson Ticket event page: Party Pass ¥16,900, presale and general sale times, free Lawson WEB membership in the attendee's name, no cancellations or refunds, resale invalidation, possible additional release. Checked 2026-11-01.

Cover photo: the entrance arch of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. Photo by zhenzhong liu via Unsplash.