Universal Studios Japan: Halloween Night Guide + Tips
Last Updated on October 7, 2025 by Kay
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I am absolutely obsessed with Halloween at Universal Studios Japan, in particular, their HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS event.
After 6 PM from September 5th to November 3rd, most of the park transforms into a zombie paradise where creatures of the dark roam about, scare visitors, and sometimes even dance to J-pop.
You do not need tickets for Halloween Horror Nights unless you want to see the HamiKuma’s Sweet Scream Party! live from a special viewing area.
In this article, I’ll share my years of experience attending HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS at Universal Studios Japan so that you know what to expect, as well as provide some helpful tips.
Visiting Universal Studios Japan with children? Then make sure to read my family guide all about Halloween at Universal Studios Japan. The article contains very important information on what to expect because the last thing you want is to traumatize your kids!
Table of Contents
Day and Night Halloween Attractions and Rides
There are a few attractions and rides at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) that only run during the Halloween season. Some of them run all day, while others are only open after 6 PM.
Unsurprisingly, the lines for the horror attractions that run during the day are much shorter before 6 PM, although sometimes they get very short about an hour before USJ closes.
CHUCKY’S CARNIVAL OF CHAOS
If you like haunted houses filled with Chucky characters and jump scares, this is for you.
I’m personally not the biggest fan (I watched Chucky when I was 5 years old and have been traumatized since), but my friend loves this attraction.
Chucky runs throughout the day, and the wait times before 6 PM are quite short, ranging from around 5 to 15 minutes. The line moves pretty quickly.
Chainsaw Man: The Chaos 4-D
Chainsaw Man is a popular anime in Japan, and during the Halloween season for the last two years, USJ has held a 4-D show for fans featuring Denji, Aki, Power, and Kobeni battling a pumpkin demon.
This attraction runs throughout the day, and wait times are shorter before 6 PM.
Factory of Fear: Zombie Tour
I will admit that I did not do this tour because the videos online scared me too much. I don’t like jump scares and this seems full of them.
This is another attraction that is open throughout the day and has short wait times early on in the day, as well as before closing.
Resident Evil: Night of Heroes
This is a live-action show where you’re led to an area to watch Resident Evil favorites like Leon and Jill battle zombies and Nemesis.
I’m fairly short, so it was a little hard to see what was going on at times, but the show was still enjoyable.
This attraction starts from 6 PM, and you need to get a Timed Entry eTicket (Attraction Timed Entry Ticket) for it using the USJ official app after you enter the park.
Children ages 12 and under are not allowed to attend.
Chainsaw Man x Hollywood Dream
I absolutely love the Halloween Dream roller coaster, so to pair it with Chainsaw Man’s infectious opening song KICK BACK is perfection.
This is only available after 6 PM.
KATE PRESENTS Witches of House 18
KATE is a popular makeup brand in Japan, so if you’re not into makeup, I suggest skipping this.
For this attraction, four witches will ask you to make faces expressing four different emotions. Based on this, you will get a special, customized recipe that will help you craft the perfect look using makeup.
It’s not scary whatsoever, but children ages 12 and under are not allowed inside.
For whatever reason, my phone couldn’t read the QR Code, so that ate up a bit of time when I was inside, and I didn’t really like the idea of putting makeup on my face that other people had used (even though we were provided disposable brushes). But it was fun to get recommended colors to use.
This is another attraction that requires a Timed Entry eTicket.
Street Zombies: When, Where, and How Scary
When the clock strikes six, lights throughout the park dim, and scary zombie sounds and sirens fill the air. This is also when the zombies start to show up.
There will also be projections on buildings throughout the park featuring zombies or the zombie-hunters.
If you don’t want to encounter these zombies, head to Universal Wonderland. Super Nintendo World is also safe.
There are seven different kinds of street zombies, which are located throughout the park except for Universal Wonderland, Super Nintendo World, and Harry Potter.
Know that the zombies will never chase after you and they stay on the streets; they will merely come up to you and scream, yell, or yelp. Sometimes they will even ignore you (which I’ll explain later).
Psycho Circus zombies are along Hollywood Boulevard. Some of them are quite tall and walk on stilts but I don’t find them very scary.
The Chainsaw Chain-Gang zombies are noisy, if anything, due to their chain-saws.
The Tortured Test Subjects are quite grotesque and scary. I wasn’t a fan of these and didn’t even want to take a photo.
Decadent Nightmares are nicer-looking zombies that are dressed well but clearly no longer human. This area also had M3GAN wandering around. She didn’t really make any noises but everyone still kept their distance.
Possessed Playthings are doll-like zombies that aren’t very scary unless you hate dolls.
Infernal Sanctum zombies are located in the Jurassic Park area, and personally are the most interesting to me. They look like demons.
Execution Enclave zombies also weren’t that scary to me, although they do hold weapons like knives and scythes.
Note that the zombies can spray water at you, especially when a zombie hunter kills them.
Zombie de Dance
The zombies not only terrorize USJ guests — they dance, too!
This year, they dance to King Gnu’s “SO BAD” song about every 25 minutes from after 6 PM. They will dance right on the spot and stay in their contained area, so you don’t have to go anywhere to see the dance if you’re already in the vicinity of a zombie.
You can check the schedule on the official USJ app or on the USJ website.
(I’m going to be honest, I preferred ADO’s song from last year!)
How to Get a Reaction from the Zombies
One of the best parts about the zombies at Universal Studios Japan is that they will react to a character called HamiKuma.
HamiKuma is a zombie bear with a tragic past. He was a circus performer who was killed, and then possessed by a demon in the underworld. There are different embodiments of HamiKuma as well, such as HamiKuma Soul (white), HamiKuma Candy (pink), and HamiKuma Punk (grey).
If you have HamiKuma merch, such as a stuffie keychain or a headband, and show it to a zombie, the zombie will react to it. Last year, all of the zombies would bow down to HamiKuma. However, this year the rules have changed, and zombies in different areas will vary in their reactions.
For instance, when I showed HamiKuma Candy (the pink bear) to an Execution Enclave zombie, they had no reaction to it. Meanwhile, when I showed it to a Possessed Plaything zombie when they were approaching me, they acknowledged the bear and turned the other way.
I showed the original HamiKuma bear (brown) to a Psycho Circus zombie, who quietly examined it for a moment before screaming angrily at me. They did the same with HamiKuma Soul and Punk, but didn’t scream when they saw HamiKuma Candy.
So it goes without saying that it’s pretty fun to see how the zombies react to different kinds of HamiKuma bears.
Concerts & Live Entertainment
There are two live shows during the Halloween season at Universal Studios Japan. One is during the day and the other is at night.
POKÉMON UNSTOPPABLE HALLOWEEN PARTY
This concert features DJ Gengar and DJ Pikachu, who spin beats to JPOP music alongside ghost Pokémon characters like Litwick and Pumpkaboo. There’s also a battle between Litwick and Pumpkaboo.
The show runs three to four times a day at Gramercy Park until 4 PM. Each show lasts about 25 minutes.
It’s a fun, upbeat show that I highly recommend watching.
You can check the schedule on the official USJ app or the USJ website.
HamiKuma’s Sweet Scream Party!
This show runs four times a day after 6:00 PM and features the four HamiKumas rocking out to heavy metal music while zombies dance in the background. The show lasts for 30 minutes.
It’s absolutely entertaining, although I always find it a little long (and noisy), so I leave halfway through.
Must-Try Halloween Food at USJ
I love the food at Universal Studios Japan, and their Halloween spread does not fail to impress.
This year, I tried both the Litwick and Pumpkaboo dishes at Studio Stars Restaurant.
The Litwick one, featuring a Salisbury steak with a poached egg on top, was loads better than the Pumpkaboo burger (I felt it was too sweet), so I recommend getting that.
I also had the HamiKuma Keema Curry while my friend enjoyed the HamiKuma Soul Chicken Cheese Curry.
You can buy these from the following food truck.
We both liked our dishes, and although I was worried the HamiKuma Keema Curry would be a little spicy and bother my daughter, the piece of chocolate helped cut the spice, making it very flavorful and delicious.
We also enjoyed a HamiKuma Candy churro, which was very sweet. If you like candy, this is for you. (I liked the part that wasn’t coated in icing and candy, but of course, my daughter and her friend loved the entire thing.)
Of course, we also picked up the HamiKuma drinks. I’ve tried both HamiKuma Soul’s and HamiKuma’s, and I preferred the taste of the regular HamiKuma cola-based drink, as I found Soul’s vanilla and salt-based one refreshing but a little too sweet.
Lastly, make sure to try the HamiKuma cakes at Beverly Hills Boulangerie! They have two types this year, a strawberry mousse one featuring HamiKuma Candy and the other a bitter chocolate cake featuring HamiKuma.
I didn’t like the fondant icing on the HamiKuma Candy cake and preferred the HamiKuma cake since it was more complex, with cookies, chocolate mousse, and a chocolate tart, as well as raspberry gel-like icing.
Souvenirs & Limited-Edition Merch
Halloween merch at Universal Studios Japan features several popular characters. These can all be found at the Halloween store, located near the Chainsaw Man 4D attraction.
Here you’ll find DJ Pikachu and DJ Gengar goods, which range from wear to snacks, and of course, stuffies.
They also have Resident Evil goods (known as Biohazard in Japan). These include T-shirts, hats, stationery, and stuffies.
There’s also Peanuts Halloween merchandise that features angry-looking Snoopy and Charlie Brown wearing spooky costumes.
Of course, we can’t forget about HamiKuma goods. These are probably the most popular Halloween souvenirs at Universal Studios Japan, and there’s so much that I wrote an entire article about them, so have a read if you want to know more.
Adult Costume & Makeup Rules
You’re allowed to wear costumes to Universal Studios Japan, especially ones featuring anime characters, but just make sure that your costume isn’t too grotesque. Otherwise, you might be denied entry to the park.
FAQ
Here are some commonly asked questions about Universal Studios Japan during Halloween. For more insider tips on how to enjoy the park, read this article.
Is Halloween at USJ too scary for adults who hate jump scares?
Nope, not at all! The zombies that show up after 6 PM will never jump scare you, and as long as you avoid scary Halloween attractions inside, you’ll be fine.
Do I need an Express Pass just for the evening?
No, you don’t need an Express Pass for Halloween Horror Nights. Only get one if you want to go on rides in Super Nintendo World, Space Fantasy, or Hollywood Dream, without having to wait a long time. (Remember, you need to choose what rides you’re going on when you buy an Express Pass.)
Can adults wear full costumes or masks?
Yes, they can wear full costumes or masks as long as it’s not too scary or graphic. However, it’s up to the discretion of the USJ staff whether or not they’ll let you in.