LEGOLAND in Osaka with Kids Review

Last Updated on September 7, 2024 by Kay

Did you know that there’s a LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Osaka?

If you or your child is a fan of LEGO and looking for an immersive and fun experience, then you might want to consider visiting LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka.

In this article, I’ll share information about the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka and my experience going with my five-year-old daughter. Hopefully, after you finish reading, you’ll have a better idea about whether this is a place you want to visit with your family.

Where is LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Osaka and How to Get There

The LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Osaka is located in the Tempozan Marketplace, which is about a 10-minute walk from Osakako Station.

The Tempozan Marketplace is also home to the famous Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, so you can easily spend a day there.

To get to the LEGOLAND Discovery Center from Osaka Station, take the Osaka Loop Line to Bentencho Station and switch to the Chuo Line. You only need to ride two stops before reaching Osakako Station. Take Exit 2 when you leave the station.

Hours and Prices

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka is open from 10 AM to 6 PM most days, although on select days it’s open from 10 AM to 7 PM. Check their official website for more information.

The cost of admission to LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka varies depending on when you go and ranges from 2200 yen to 3200 yen for adults as well as children. There are also annual passes.

Children under age three get in for free!

Note that LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka is meant for kids, meaning that unfortunately, adults without a child aged 15 or under cannot enter.

Children aged 15 and under must also be accompanied by someone who is at least 16 years old.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka recommends that you purchase your tickets in advance to guarantee entry, especially at your desired time, since they limit the number of people inside. You can also try to buy tickets on the day as well but you might have fewer choices when it comes to available time slots. The tickets are also cheaper if you purchase them in advance.

You can purchase your tickets from the official LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka website or through Klook.

When you purchase tickets, you will need to choose a time to enter. I suggest going as early as possible in the day because the earlier, the fewer people (especially if you go from when it opens). You also don’t know how long your child will want to play, although you can only stay for up to three hours on weekends and holidays.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka is also one of 40 attractions included in the Osaka Amazing Pass. I wish I had known this before we visited because it’s a really good price for what you get! Note that you can only use the pass on certain dates, which are listed here. Otherwise, you will have to pay the admission fee but you’ll get a 500 yen discount with the pass.

When using the Osaka Amazing Pass to enter LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka, you still need to make a reservation in advance to enter. To do this, visit the official website and select TRADE PREBOOK. (If you’re having any trouble, don’t hesitate to contact LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka via email, they’re very quick to email back.)

Review of LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Osaka

My family visited LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka during the summer, so it was a little busy due to lots of international travelers visiting with their kids.

We bought our tickets the day before for 10:00 AM entry. We ended up stuck in traffic and arrived about 10 minutes late but thankfully we were still able to get in. I think it worked out because there weren’t any people arriving at the same time as us, so it wasn’t congested.

I loved the LEGO Mario and Bowser at the entrance!

After we showed our tickets and went inside, which was a very smooth process, we took a family photo, which you can download on your phone.

To do this, scan the barcode on your ticket on the blue spot shown in the image below.

After this, we entered a room with different stations. Here you can build a LEGO character on a screen, but our daughter wasn’t very interested in it so we couldn’t explore as much as I had wanted. Although the room changes color, it’s dark overall so I think that scared her as well.

Once we passed that room, we were finally in the main area of Legoland Discovery Center Osaka! There’s so much for kids to explore and do that it was hard for us to narrow down what to do first.

Kingdom Quest Ride

We decided to go on the Kingdom Quest ride first since there was only one family waiting and we knew it would get busier later in the day.

The ride has you sit in a cart that takes you through a castle where you try to save a princess by shooting at enemies using toy guns with lasers.

My daughter was a bit nervous about going on this ride, probably because it was also somewhat dark, but she overcame her fear and ended up loving it!

It’s a pretty simple ride, somewhat similar to the Yoshi ride at Universal Studios Japan, so don’t expect anything thrilling.

Kids need to be able to sit up on their own to go on this ride.

LEGO City Play Zone

After this ride, we headed back to the main area where our daughter enjoyed exploring the LEGO City Play Zone. There are benches, thankfully, so it’s a good place to let your kid go wild while you take a break.

Note that kids need to take off their shoes to enter this area, so you might want your kids to wear socks.

4D Cinema

There are three 4D movies to choose from — LEGO DREAMZzz, LEGO CITY, and LEGO Friends. Each movie runs every 1.5 hours, with the last showing at 5 PM.

Our daughter absolutely refused to see a movie, unfortunately, despite that they were playing her favorite LEGO Friends movie. Maybe she would be more up for it the next time we go.

Duplo Village Area (Duplo Farm)

This is another place where you have to take off your shoes.

It’s meant for kids ages 2-5, so younger children have a space to build things using Duplo bricks and play in the indoor playground. Parents are allowed to enter with their kids (and it’s encouraged!).

I think this was one of our daughter’s favorite spots. It wasn’t crowded, unlike some of the other LEGO stations, and the Duplo bricks were easy for her to play with. She also loved the indoor playground!

If you have younger kids, I highly suggest bringing them here.

LEGO RACE

This is a paid attraction, meaning you have to dish out 800 yen for one person (or 1500 yen for two people).

This VR ride immerses you in a 360-degree world as you race against various LEGO competitors.

It looks like a fun attraction but alas, this was another one that our daughter refused to ride.

Master Builder Academy

This is a workshop where kids learn how to make something out of LEGO, and they get to take their creations home! It costs an additional 500 yen but parents can go inside for free. Tickets are purchased at the machine near the restaurant counter.

The workshop runs twice a day for each type of creation. As shown in the image above, kids had a choice of making a merry-go-round or a cat. Since we wanted to leave around noon, we went with the 11:15 AM merry-go-round workshop.

If you want to participate, purchase a ticket from the aforementioned machine and write your name down on the blue section of the sheet, pictured below. Then make sure to show up ten minutes before the workshop starts.

If you need to cancel, write your name again in the red section.

My daughter really enjoyed this workshop. It’s entirely in Japanese but the instructions are easy to follow and shown on a screen as the instructor builds the figure with you.

There was one other kid there, I’m guessing around two or three, and he had a bit of trouble due to his age (he kept dropping some LEGO pieces). They spoke English, including with the instructor, so I’m guessing they didn’t know Japanese. But the child’s mom helped him out and it looked like they had no problem in the end creating the merry-go-round together despite the language barrier.

Our daughter needed some help from her father as well but she was able to complete the merry-go-round mostly on her own!

Keep in mind, though, that your child’s creation will likely fall apart when you take it home and you’ll have to rebuild it (but isn’t that the best part about playing with LEGO?).

Was this worth the extra 500 yen? I absolutely think so! But I’m not sure whether older children would be interested in this.

Merlin’s Apprentice

This is a ride where you glide through the air as if you’re a flying wizard (except you’re sitting down).

Unfortunately, this was yet another ride that our daughter didn’t want to go on. It looked super fun, though!

Children need to be at least 90 cm tall to ride and children under 120 cm must ride with an adult.

LEGO Racers: Build and Test

In the central part of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka, you’ll see lots of little places where kids can build race cars out of LEGO.

They can then race their creations on different tracks, such as the one pictured below.

Our daughter didn’t have much interest in this, possibly because there were a lot of kids. I suggest trying this out first thing if you go to LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka in the morning because we found it got increasingly crowded as the day progressed.

LEGO Friends Olivia’s House

I think Olivia’s House was another favorite spot for our daughter to explore. She loved playing house and building houses using the cute pastel LEGO.

I think her favorite part was this little bakery/cafe where she could play with a giant blender. (She wants to open her own cake shop when she grows up, after all!)

Kids can also watch LEGO Friends if they like, although our daughter was too busy playing with LEGO to even notice the screen!

MINILAND

This was my favorite area — I loved seeing Osaka in LEGO form! They had everything from Osaka Castle to the Aquarium Kaiyukan!

The displays are interactive as well — for instance, kids can push a button to get Godzilla to appear in the city! (Can you see him in the picture above?)

Souvenirs from LEGOLAND Osaka

Right before the exit, there’s a souvenir store. If you have an Osaka Amazing Pass you can get 10% off your purchase.

I didn’t see anything particularly unique at the souvenir store but I still let my daughter get a LEGO Elsa keychain.

FAQ

Here are some questions that are frequently asked about LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka and my answers.

Can I bring food and drinks inside?

You cannot bring food or drinks other than baby food into LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka. However, they do have a small cafe that sells meals.

I also loved the small screen displaying allergens in detail.

There’s a rest area as well with vending machines selling ice cream and drinks. You can park strollers here, too, as indicated by the colorful stroller spots in the image below.

You can also find plenty of places to eat in Tempozan, which LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka is inside.

Is there a place to change diapers?

Yes, there’s a room to change diapers where the restrooms are located. It’s across from the woman’s washroom near the emergency exit.

Can I bring a stroller inside LEGOLAND Osaka?

Yes, you can bring a stroller inside! There’s even room to park strollers if you want to leave it somewhere while you explore.

If you’re traveling to Japan and wondering whether or not to bring a stroller, read my article breaking down the pros and cons.

How long should I plan to stay at LEGOLAND Osaka?

This is entirely dependent on your child but we stayed for two hours. My daughter didn’t watch any movies or go on some of the rides.

How far is Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan from LEGOLAND Osaka?

Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is located less than a five-minute walk from LEGOLAND Discovery Center.

If you want to go to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan as well as LEGOLAND, make sure you purchase your tickets in advance as it has timed entry.

Will babies and toddlers enjoy LEGOLAND Osaka?

If I’m going to be completely honest, many of the activities at LEGOLAND Osaka are more geared toward older children. As mentioned earlier, though, there is an area for toddlers with Duplo blocks and an indoor playground and the LEGO City Play Zone.

If you help your toddler out with building things, I think they would have an enjoyable time at LEGOLAND. Just try to make sure they don’t put any LEGO in their mouth!

As for babies, there really isn’t much for them to do.

Are there other LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in Japan?

Yes, there is also a LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Tokyo.

Wrap-up: LEGOLAND Osaka with Kids

Overall, I think LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka is a great place to bring kids if it’s raining or hot outside. My daughter had a wonderful time and I’m sure she would happily go again. You can also easily visit the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan and shop at Tempozan Marketplace, making it an enjoyable day for everyone.

With the Osaka Amazing Pass, you can also go on the nearby Santa Maria Cruise and the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel for free!

Now, if I’m going to be completely honest, if you’re buying tickets for LEGOLAND (like we did), it’s a bit pricey for what you get. But if you’re looking for a fun indoor playground for your kid and are going to Aquarium Kaiyukan anyway, and especially if you have the Osaka Amazing Pass, then it might be worth stopping here (if only to be able to sit down and get a break as a tired parent!).

If you’re curious about how I recommend planning a trip to Osaka, read my Osaka with Kids Itinerary.