USJ Countdown 2027 Tickets: 4 Nov Sale & Best Party Tips

USJ Countdown 2027 tickets go on general sale on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at about 21:00 Japan time, on the official USJ website and through Lawson Ticket. The ticket you need is the Party Pass, from ¥16,900, which covers Universal Studios Japan from 19:00 on 31 December 2026 to 21:00 on 1 January 2027: up to 26 hours in the park.

The event is called NO LIMIT! Countdown 2027 ~Discover U!!!~ and closes out USJ’s 25th-anniversary year. This guide covers every ticket type and price published so far, what time the sale opens in your time zone, the show schedule, the 17:00–19:00 park closure, trains home and what USJ has not announced yet. Everything comes from USJ’s 28 September 2026 press release and the official Lawson Ticket page, checked on 2 November 2026.

What is USJ NO LIMIT! Countdown 2027?

It is Universal Studios Japan’s New Year’s Eve party, a separately ticketed event that turns the park into a 26-hour, no-sleep night. Party Pass holders get in from 19:00 on Thursday 31 December 2026 and can stay until the park closes at 21:00 on Friday 1 January 2027.

USJ says rides, shows, food and shopping are all “play as much as you like” for that window, with the caveat that some areas or rides may be paused for maintenance. You can leave and come back as often as you want while the pass is valid.

This year’s edition carries the 25th-anniversary theme, Discover U!!!. USJ opened in 2001, and the countdown is the last big event of the anniversary year before Universal Cool Japan 2027 takes over in the new year.

When do USJ Countdown 2027 tickets go on sale?

There were three sale windows. Two have already closed. The one that matters for most overseas visitors is the general sale on 4 November.

Sale window	Dates (Japan time)	Where	Who can buy
Grand Royal annual pass presale	7 Oct (Wed) ~21:00 – 9 Oct (Fri) 23:59, 2026	USJ official website	Holders of a Universal Prime Annual Pass Grand Royal bought by 30 Sep 2026. Closed.
Lawson Ticket first-come presale	23 Oct (Fri) 12:00 – 3 Nov (Tue) 23:59, 2026	Lawson Ticket website	Anyone with a free Lawson WEB membership. Closed.
General sale (first come, first served)	From 4 Nov (Wed) ~21:00, 2026	USJ official website; Lawson Ticket website; Loppi machines in Lawson stores; USJ partner hotels (some excluded; hotel sales are for staying guests only)	Anyone, while stock lasts

Source: USJ press release PDF (28 Sep 2026) and the Lawson Ticket event page. Lawson says quantities are limited and sales end when the allocation runs out. It also says extra tickets may be released later, but gives no date.

What time is 21:00 JST on 4 November in my time zone?

Japan is UTC+9 with no daylight saving. Europe and North America have already moved off summer time by 4 November, so the conversions are:

City	Local time the sale opens
London	12:00, Wed 4 Nov
Paris / Berlin	13:00, Wed 4 Nov
New York	07:00, Wed 4 Nov
Los Angeles	04:00, Wed 4 Nov
Singapore / Hong Kong	20:00, Wed 4 Nov
Sydney	23:00, Wed 4 Nov

USJ says “about 21:00” (21:00頃), so be logged in and ready a few minutes early. The site can queue you when traffic spikes.

Japan Pro tip: in the Lawson Ticket presale list, some ticket lines already showed “予定枚数終了” (planned allocation finished) when we checked on 2 November. That suggests the cheaper add-ons go fast. Decide what you want before 21:00.

How much are USJ Countdown 2027 tickets?

The Party Pass is the entry ticket. USJ lists it as “from ¥16,900” including tax. On the official Lawson Ticket page it is a flat ¥16,900, and Lawson states there is no separate child or senior price. Children pay the adult price; Lawson’s page does not mention a free age for infants, so check before buying for under-4s.

Express Passes for the night are add-ons. You still need a Party Pass to use one. These are the prices Lawson Ticket publishes (tax included):

Ticket	Price	What it adds
Party Pass (パーティ・パス)	¥16,900	Entry 19:00 31 Dec – 21:00 1 Jan, unlimited re-entry
Express Pass 3 ~Trolley Special~	¥21,900	3 fast-track rides plus guaranteed entry to Super Nintendo World
Express Pass 3 ~Trolley & Race~	¥18,900	3 fast-track rides plus guaranteed Super Nintendo World entry
Express Pass 3 ~Race & Minion~	¥18,900	3 fast-track rides plus guaranteed Super Nintendo World entry
Express Pass 3 ~Adventure & Minion~	¥18,900	3 fast-track rides plus guaranteed Super Nintendo World entry
Express Pass 4 ~Variety Selection~	¥13,000	4 fast-track experiences
Express Pass 4 ~Ride Selection~	¥13,000	4 fast-track rides
Express Pass 4 ~Ride Selection & Backdrop~	¥13,000	4 fast-track rides including Hollywood Dream The Ride Backdrop

The exact rides on each Express Pass are listed on its own ticket page. Lawson notes that the Jaws slot on the relevant passes can only be used until 05:30 on 1 January.

Put together, a Party Pass plus the cheapest Express Pass 4 comes to ¥29,900 per person. A Party Pass plus the Trolley Special is ¥38,800. For comparison, a normal adult 1-Day Studio Pass starts at ¥8,400, so the Party Pass costs roughly two ordinary days, for 26 hours. See our Universal Studios Japan tickets guide for regular-day prices and Express Pass basics.

What about the special viewing area and dinner tickets?

USJ’s release confirms three more add-ons: a special viewing area ticket (特別鑑賞エリア入場券), dinner-included tickets at park restaurants, and dinner-included premium tours. As of 2 November 2026, USJ had not published prices for these in any page we could read, and they are not on the Lawson list. If you want one, check the official event page when the general sale opens.

The VIP packages, for the record

USJ has published three top-end packages, all tax and service included:

• Ultimate Luxury Plan (one group only): ¥1,500,000 for up to 4 people. Includes 4 Party Passes, 4 tour Express Passes valid until closing on 1 January, one night in a Premium Superior connecting room at The Park Front Hotel at Universal Studios Japan, car pick-up from Kansai or Itami airport or Shin-Osaka and major Osaka stations, private guided tours on both days, a private viewing area for the Countdown Moment, a private course dinner and a private character greeting.
• Course menu plan (1F): ¥398,500 for 4 people, ¥99,625 per extra person, up to 10. Party Passes, Express Passes, a guided tour, a private viewing area on the Lombardi’s Landing terrace, a special restaurant course and a character greeting.
• Buffet plan (2F): ¥348,500 for 4 people, ¥87,125 per extra person, up to 10. Same inclusions with a special buffet instead of the course.

What happens during the 26-hour party?

USJ has announced four headline elements. All times are from the press release and may change.

Time	What	Where
17:00–19:00, 31 Dec	Park closed to everyone; day guests must leave by 17:00	Whole park
19:00, 31 Dec	Party Pass entry opens	Main gate
19:05 – 00:20	Countdown Special Stage: 25th Anniversary Parade performers, Blues Brothers and Sesame Street street shows, highlights from the summer and Halloween events, a DJ show with Zedd’s music; Sesame Street, Snoopy, Hello Kitty and Minions	Gramercy Park (New York area)
23:45 – 00:30	USJ Grand Music Revival, a New Year’s Eve music show with Reika Ayanokoji, Deacon, Beetlejuice and Woody Woodpecker. Separate qualifying ticket needed	Universal Monsters Live Rock and Roll Show theatre
23:50 – 00:05	Countdown Moment: about 5,000 fireworks and upright pyro	Gramercy Park, the lagoon and other spots in the park
After the countdown, 1 Jan	New Year Greeting: characters in New Year kimono	Around the park
02:00, 1 Jan	Holders of a 1 January Studio Pass can enter	Main gate
21:00, 1 Jan	Park closes; Party Pass ends	Whole park

Third-party coverage of an earlier USJ countdown quoted about 4,000 fireworks, so this year’s show is billed bigger for the anniversary. USJ’s own figure for this year is “about 5,000” (約5,000発).

Where should I stand for the Countdown Moment?

USJ names Gramercy Park and the lagoon as the main fireworks areas, and the Countdown Special Stage runs in Gramercy Park until 00:20. That makes the New York area and the lagoon edge the obvious places to be at 23:50, so expect them to fill well before midnight.

If you have a Grand Music Revival ticket, note that the show (23:45–00:30) overlaps the fireworks completely. You will see the countdown from inside the theatre show, not from the lagoon. Pick one.

Does the Holiday Wonders Christmas show run that night?

USJ’s winter event, Universal Holiday Wonders, runs from 13 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. Its Gramercy Park shows, Light Up the Night ~Christmas Celebration~ and Joy of Lights, run from 25 November 2026 to 11 January 2027. The release does not say whether they play during the countdown, when Gramercy Park hosts the countdown stage. Don’t plan your night around them.

Who can get in with which ticket?

This is where people get caught out. A normal 31 December ticket does not get you to midnight.

• Studio Pass for 31 December (including annual passes not valid for the event): you can stay only until 17:00. The park then shuts from 17:00 to 19:00.
• Party Pass: entry from 19:00 on 31 December, re-entry allowed, valid until 21:00 on 1 January.
• Studio Pass for 1 January (including annual passes): entry from 02:00 on 1 January. You miss the countdown but get a very long New Year’s Day.

Families should also note USJ’s Holiday Kids Free Pass ends on 30 December, so it does not cover 31 December or 1 January.

Super Nintendo World entry during the event is handled through the USJ official app, which issues timed-entry or lottery tickets once per person for the event period, according to Lawson’s terms. The Express Pass 3 options include guaranteed area entry, which removes that gamble.

How do I buy USJ Countdown 2027 tickets from overseas?

Use the channels USJ lists: the official USJ website, Lawson Ticket (web or Loppi in a Lawson store in Japan) and partner hotels for staying guests. Lawson says tickets found on resale or auction sites are cancelled, so avoid secondhand listings.

Lawson Ticket’s conditions are strict. You need a free Lawson WEB membership, the booking should be in the name of the representative who will attend, and a ticket bought for someone other than the visitor may be invalid. There are no cancellations, changes or refunds for any reason, you cannot change the number of tickets after buying, and lost or forgotten tickets are not reissued. There is no group or disability discount on this event.

If you are already in Japan on 4 November, Loppi machines in Lawson convenience stores are a backup if the website struggles. For overseas buyers, the USJ official website is the most direct route. The ticket pages are published in Japanese; have a translation tool ready.

Japan Pro tip: decide on your Express Pass before 21:00. Lawson says you cannot add other tickets to a completed purchase or combine orders, so buying in one go avoids a second queue.

How do I get home after the USJ countdown?

Universal City Station on the JR Yumesaki Line (also called the JR Sakurajima Line) sits right outside the park. The catch is the timing: if you leave after the fireworks, you are heading out after the last regular trains.

For New Year’s Eve 2025–26, JR West did not run all-night trains in the Osaka area. It added extra trains after the last regular service instead: the Osaka Loop Line ran roughly every 10 minutes from about midnight to about 03:00, and the Yumesaki Line also ran into the late night, according to Tetsudo Channel. JR West has not announced its 2026–27 New Year’s Eve timetable yet. It usually appears in December.

Three ways to handle it:

• Stay the whole night. The Party Pass runs to 21:00 on 1 January, so many people simply keep going and leave on New Year’s Day afternoon.
• Book a hotel by the park. The Universal City hotels are a short walk from the gate, so you can sleep after the fireworks and come back in. December 31 is one of the hardest nights of the year to book, so reserve when you buy your pass.
• Ride the late extra trains. Only if JR West confirms them for 2026–27. Check its New Year’s notice in mid-December.

If you are coming from Tokyo for the night, our New Year in Tokyo 2027 guide covers the alternatives if you decide to stay put.

What should I wear and bring for 26 hours outdoors?

Osaka’s average December low is 5.3°C and January’s is 3.0°C, from the Japan Meteorological Agency’s 1991–2020 normals. Midnight by the lagoon will feel colder with the wind off the bay.

Is the USJ countdown worth it?

It depends on what you want from New Year’s Eve. If you want fireworks, a big crowd shouting the countdown and rides at 3am, it is hard to beat in Japan. At ¥16,900 for up to 26 hours, the per-hour price is lower than a normal day ticket.

If you want a traditional Japanese New Year, it is the wrong night. Temples and shrines are where the bells ring and the first prayers of the year happen; the countdown is a theme-park party. For a quieter December in Osaka, look at the Osaka illuminations and Kansai Christmas markets instead, or check our Japan fireworks calendar 2027 for other displays.

Coming back in spring? Universal Cool Japan 2027 starts in stages from 2 December 2026, with Detective Conan World from 10 February to 30 June 2027.

What hasn’t USJ announced yet?

As of 2 November 2026, these details were not published on any USJ or Lawson page we could read. Treat any figure you see elsewhere with caution:

• Prices for the special viewing area ticket, dinner tickets and dinner premium tours.
• Whether the Party Pass price changes from the “from ¥16,900” quoted by USJ.
• The price and sale method of the separate ticket for USJ Grand Music Revival.
• Any minimum age, curfew or guardian rule for under-18s. USJ’s materials we read do not state one; check the ticket terms when buying for teenagers.
• Which rides or areas close for maintenance during the night.
• Weather and cancellation arrangements, beyond Lawson’s no-refund rule.
• JR West’s 2026–27 New Year’s Eve late-night train plan.

USJ Countdown 2027 tickets FAQ

Sources and how we checked

All dates, prices, ticket types, sale channels and show times were checked on 2 November 2026 against USJ’s press release and release PDF of 28 September 2026, the official event page, USJ’s Holiday Wonders release and the official Lawson Ticket event page. Train information is from Tetsudo Channel (2025–26 season) and weather from the Japan Meteorological Agency. USJ says details may change, so check the official page before you buy.