Halloween at Universal Studios Japan with Kids
Last Updated on October 3, 2025 by Kay
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Halloween is one of the biggest events at Universal Studios Japan (USJ), so I thought I would write an article about what it’s like to visit during this time with kids.
Halloween at Universal Studios Japan is an annual event held from around the beginning of September to the beginning of November. This year it will be held from September 5th to November 3rd.
Keep in mind that if you’re visiting Universal Studios Japan in October, avoid the time around Sports Day at all costs. I go into this in detail in my article on Sports Festivals in Japan, but I experienced first-hand how crazy busy it was. I had never seen Universal Studios Japan that crowded before, and when I asked a staff member, she told me it’s probably the busiest time of the year!
Table of Contents
Halloween Horror Nights
A Look at the Street Zombies
One of the biggest draws to Universal Studios Japan in autumn is Halloween Horror Nights. This is a time when zombies appear on the streets from around 6 PM. Universal Studios Japan itself doesn’t recommend this for younger kids and gives announcements beforehand that little kids should leave.
Having experienced seeing the zombies myself, I also don’t recommend this for younger children.
The zombies right now are far less scary compared to when I first went to USJ’s Halloween Horror Nights a few years ago (before my daughter was born). I was pretty terrified, and I’m an adult!
Unlike a few years back, USJ’s current Halloween Horror Nights consists of a mix of zombies, some dressed like clowns, while others have a more ethereal, doll-like appearance. These zombies are located in different areas of the park, so you can choose which ones you want to see (and avoid).
Last year, my Japanese mom friend showed me some pictures of the pretty zombies, which she took when she went with her 13-year-old. We both thought that the pretty zombies would be fine for our then-five-year-olds to see, especially after we showed them the photos and they seemed okay, so we decided to stay for Halloween Horror Nights.
The previous year, my daughter also happened to get a glimpse of some of the other zombies before we left. (Long story short, I left her with my sister-in-law near USJ’s entrance while I rushed to get my annual pass renewed and they somehow drifted to the zombie area.) Anyway, she was really curious about the zombies and had wanted to stay to see more, but I refused.
There were quite a few kids in the area where we were waiting for the pretty zombies, even some younger than my daughter, which was surprising. These were all Japanese kids, too!
My daughter was really excited while we waited, and her friend was a little scared. But when the zombies made their debut, so did loud noises. Sirens, USJ cast shouting for people to run and be careful, creepy sounds as well, such as growling. The lights dimmed as well.
The zombies also sometimes jump at you, scream in your face, spray water, and some have weapons like fake chainsaws. But they will never touch you.
Interestingly, my daughter’s friend (same age, five years old) was completely okay with this chaos, while my daughter held onto me and was close to tears. She couldn’t even see the zombies because there were so many people — the sounds were just that scary to her!
Despite my daughter’s friend having fun dancing with the zombies (yes, the zombie dance at certain times throughout the night as well to songs by Japanese pop stars), we booked it out of there to the safe area. I also saw some older kids in tears being led away by their parents.
So, where is the safe area? Universal Wonderland.
This area is zombie-free with no scary sounds, so kids can continue having fun for as long as they want without having to fear encountering any zombies. There’s also a special exit so you can leave the park zombie-free as well!
To find this exit, follow the signs. There will be staff holding signs telling you where to go but just in case, here’s what the path looks like.
Go straight past Hello Kitty’s Cupcake ride and snack shop, and then turn right before Hello Kitty’s Ribbon Boutique and head straight for the bathroom sign.
Go past the washrooms and you’ll see a large path to your right. This is what it looks like when the doors are closed, but the staff will open them at 6 PM.
Harry Potter Area
Death Eaters show up in the Harry Potter area, but they’re not scary compared to the zombies. They pretty much ignore you.
There are also creepy projections on Hogwarts Castle, such as skulls, spiders, and even Voldemort.
I might take my daughter there when she’s a little older and less scared of the dark, but at the moment, absolutely not. It’s also really, really crowded here.
Super Nintendo World
Another “safe” area where there are no zombies is Super Nintendo World, but I still don’t recommend going with young kids. This is because the path to get to Super Nintendo World is very dark (I had several people knock into me), and kids can still hear the creepy zombie sounds, screaming, etc.
So, should I let my kid see zombies at Universal Studios Japan?
Since moving to Osaka, I visit USJ every year for Halloween Horror Nights with my sister-in-law and no kids (it’s our fun yearly tradition), and we’re always so surprised to see lots of little kids there throughout the night! Some are even younger than my daughter but are completely unfazed by the zombies.
So… it’s up to you as a parent to decide whether you want your kids to see the zombies. But in my experience, just the sounds are enough to scare my daughter. And despite that her friend was dancing and completely fine last year, she told us she didn’t want to go back and see the zombies any time soon. She kept to her word, and this year, we avoided the zombie area completely.
(Thankfully, my daughter isn’t traumatized or anything. She sleeps fine and after her experience last year, had a “fun” story to tell people like our neighbors. I also told the kids afterward that zombies only eat adults because kids taste gross, and they seemed very happy with that explanation. My daughter still remembered it a year later when we went back to USJ during the Halloween season!)
Also, keep in mind that Universal Studios Japan is also super crowded during the Halloween season, so it might take longer than usual to get from one area to another.
Wondering what the other zombies looked like? Here are some photos.
(My daughter did NOT see these zombies in person. These are a mix of my photos as well as my aforementioned mom friend’s. Her 13-year-old also didn’t see these zombies as she escaped to Universal Wonderland. However, interestingly, my daughter did see the photos below since I like to show her my blog posts, and she keeps asking to see them again!)
This year, there are seven different kinds of street zombies.As mentioned earlier, each type of zombie has its own territory. For instance, clown zombies hang out at Hollywood Boulevard. You can see where the different types of zombies are located on this map.
After going to Halloween Horror Nights this year (2025), I can safely say that most of the zombies look pretty creepy, weird, or downright horrifying compared to last year (I’m looking at you, Tortured Test Subjects!). There are absolutely none that I would consider showing my daughter. Unfortunately, there aren’t any pretty ones!
So does this mean there’s nothing Halloween-related for kids? Absolutely not! Universal Studios Japan during Halloween is awesome for kids! Here’s why.
Trick-or-Treating at USJ
If kids say “Trick or Treat” to cast members who have a Halloween-themed bag, they’ll get special Universal Studios Japan candy!
Here’s what the bag looks like:
And here’s my daughter’s loot:
Adults can also get special treats after 6 PM at Universal Wonderland! (Spoiler alert — it’s the same candy as above, but some come in different packaging.)
Spooky Food
There is so much fun and spooky food at Universal Studios Japan during their Halloween event, and yes, kids can enjoy it too!
Last year, my daughter absolutely loved the hot dog pictured below (but her friend found it a little spicy). Unfortunately, this is the one thing that’s not being sold this year!
We also really liked these adorable drinks featuring the USJ Halloween Horror Nights mascots HamiKuma and HamiKuma Soul!
One was made with Coke and the other with Calpis. My daughter always has the Calpis one since she doesn’t like carbonated drinks.
The Studio Stars Restaurant also has special Pokémon dishes during this time of year. Last year, the meals featured Gengar and Mimikyu.
This year’s meals feature Pumpkaboo and Litwick.
Below is a photo of the Pumpkaboo chicken burger meal and my daughter’s kids set.
And here is the Litwick hamburg meal. (I really liked this one, I recommend it over the chicken burger.)
HamiKuma
As mentioned earlier, USJ’s Halloween mascot is HamiKuma, who now comes in three other versions: HamiKuma Soul, HamiKuma Candy, and HamiKuma Punk.
With one eyeball popping out, these bears are a little creepy looking, but for some reason, my daughter loves them.
These souvenirs sell out fast, especially the headbands, so the sooner you get them, the better.
If you show HamiKuma to a zombie, the zombie will react to it. However, it seems like the reactions have changed this year.
Previously, all the zombies would either ignore you or bow down when seeing the bear. Now the reaction can either be good or bad. It really depends on the zombie.
After 6 PM, there is a concert throughout Halloween Horror Nights (after 6 PM) featuring the HamiKumas singing and dancing to rock music.
This is pretty fun for me to watch when I went with my sister-in-law, but unfortunately, my daughter hasn’t seen it yet. She was hoping to see it this year (age six) and we had secured a spot about 20 minutes before the show started.
But when the clock struck six, the lights throughout the park dimmed, creepy zombie sounds started, and my daughter screamed that she wanted to go back to Universal Wonderland (the safe area). So I just took a video of the concert when I went without her and showed it to her later, and she was happy with that.
Halloween Souvenirs
Even if you can’t get a hold of the bears, there are still plenty of other Halloween-themed souvenirs at USJ. In fact, they have an entire store dedicated to it!
You can find special items like Halloween headbands, stuffies, and shirts.
This year, they have a huge selection of Pokémon goods as well!
Halloween Costumes
In October, you’ll find lots of kids and even adults dressed in Halloween costumes. It’s a great time to get into the Halloween spirit!
I also suggest checking what kind of anime collaborations are running at Universal Studios Japan and dressing your kids in costumes related to characters in those anime.
For instance, when we went, there was a Demon Slayer collab at USJ. To mark the occasion, my daughter dressed as Shinobu Kocho and her friend dressed as Kanao Tsuyuri. They looked so adorable and got lots of compliments from people.
We also ran into some adults dressed like other characters from Demon Slayer so we took a group photo of the cosplayers and our kids. It was a great experience and the photo will become a wonderful memory.
Halloween Character Greetings
During this time of year, characters at Universal Studios Japan are dressed in Halloween-themed outfits or as monsters like Frankenstein.
For the last two years, my daughter has been quite scared of some of the Minion monsters, but her friend loves them!
Some years also have special greetings with ghost Pokémon, although there are none this year, unfortunately.
My daughter is a huge fan of Sanrio characters, so she is always delighted to see My Melody, Kuromi, and Hello Kitty wearing Halloween clothing.
Elmo wearing a Dracula costume is quite cute as well!
Pokemon Unstoppable Halloween Party
During the day, kids can enjoy a stage performance featuring DJ Pikachu, DJ Gengar, Mimikyu, Misdreavus, Pumpkaboo, and Litwick dancing to original Japanese pop songs. There’s a dance off between Pumpkaboo and Litwick, as well as confetti and streamers, making the entire experience quite enjoyable. My daughter and her friend dance like crazy while watching this.
People line up early for this to get a good spot, so make sure you check the schedule online. It’s easy enough to see from the street, though, which is what we usually do, so the kids have room to dance.
Wrap-up: Universal Studios Japan Halloween with Kids
As you can see, from popular characters wearing Halloween costumes to candy, there are a lot of fun things for kids to experience at Universal Studios Japan during Halloween that don’t involve zombies.
For more tips about visiting Universal Studios Japan with kids throughout the year, read this article.