USJ 25th Anniversary – Part 2 - On the Road Again

March 26, 2026

The alarm went off at 6:00 a.m., but we were awake over an hour earlier. We decided to get up. Showered, dressed, stripped the bed, put out fresh sheets so the cleaner could remake the bed, and finished packing. (The cleaner was scheduled to come the day we arrived home.)

We had a quick cup of coffee and split a protein drink. Then we finished picking up, emptying the trash, and walking through the house closing windows and making sure everything was put away.

Our driver, Chris, (Christopher’s Car Service 949-870-7273) arrived at 9:00 as scheduled. Our flight didn’t depart until 2:20 p.m., but we had heard horror stories about delays at airports across the country due to the government shutdown and TSA not being paid. So, we wanted to get there extra early.

Since COVID, there are no airport shuttles from South Orange County to LAX. We used another service two years ago and were happy with them, but we decided to try Chris for this trip. He was great!

It was a quick drive to the airport. Not much traffic. Despite rush hour, we got there in just over an hour.

JAL has a direct flight from LAX to Kansai (KIX). The other airlines require a transfer. We took this same flight two years ago and loved it. We usually travel with one small rolling bag that fits in the overhead and one additional bag to go under the seat in front. Larry has a backpack, and I take a canvas bag. It holds my purse, computer, Kindle Fire, noise-reducing headset, neck pillow, and other items.

Our tickets included two checked bags at no additional cost. However, one each was more than sufficient.

We needed the extra space because we had to pack copies of our book, 31 Months in Japan: The Building of a Theme Park and omiyage (a souvenir brought for loved ones and close friends).

We took ten paperback copies of the book. On previous trips we had taken a few, and there was always more demand than copies. Larry packed five, and I packed five. (We sold two and gave away four. We brought home four.)

Omiyage is always a challenge. When we were living there, we usually brought back Universal-branded items for our friends and translators. Easy. This time, I got scarves for several of the “girls,” but they wouldn’t work for everyone.

I found some lovely and special small candles made by ScentsAbility before Christmas. I bought ten small ones for Christmas stocking stuffers, etc. However, they didn’t arrive until early February. This is a terrific nonprofit organization. You can read about them on their website. They were featured on the Today show, and I loved the whole concept. Besides, their candles smell wonderful!

I decided they would make nice little gifts, even though they added some weight. (But remember, we had lot of extra suitcase space.) I ordered some small scarves in Universal blue and some ½” white ribbon to tie them.

Then my sister-in-love mentioned that Trader Joe’s tote bags were considered stylish in Asia. A friend of hers had taken a few to the Philippines recently, and they were quite popular.

We checked all the local Trader Joe’s and were told the same thing. They come in without notice, and they sell out within a day when they do get them. Our local stores had none. Fortunately, I found some online. They were more than Trader Joe’s price, but definitely doable. I took eight of them plus tissue to fill them.

So, I had bags for the scarves and candles, and extra candles for others. I breathed a sigh of relief! They were a great hit. (BTW, several of the gals said they were considered like Gucci there.)

We checked in for our flight, got our boarding passes, and checked our two bags. I was scared about weight, but mine was only 35.5 pounds and Larry’s was under 30. Hooray!

Then on to Security. It may have been even faster than normal! We have TSA Pre-check, and there were few people in the line.

We went to our gate. (We like to get there early and would rather wait at the airport than wait at home.)

We had coffee and bagels while we waited.

JAL is nothing if not efficient. Boarding went smoothly. We like the seats in the rear on the sides with only two per row. More leg room and no climbing over other people to get to the bathroom. The only things we put in the overhead were our USJ team jackets. We always travel with them because we can have them cleaned and waterproofed. They came with the Universal Japan logo and our names on them. One of our team members located a shop that would add our names in Japanese (katakana) to match the English ones. Whenever we wear them in Japan, they get lots of notice.

We both put on our headphones, but I took my hearing aids out first. After a while, I knew they would hurt, and I could adjust the volume on my headset.

Since we would arrive in Osaka at 5:50 p.m., I wanted to stay awake throughout the flight so I could sleep when we arrived at the hotel.

I watched about 6 movies. Some I had wanted to see earlier. I was disappointed in a couple. So, I watched my current favorite, Rental Family, again. It got me in the right frame of mind for Japan, and I really like it.

We had a couple of meals on the plane. Always more than I can eat, so Larry picks what he likes of mine along with his.

This was the long flight (12 hours). While we flew, we crossed the International Date Line, so we lost a day and arrived on March 27^th.

March 27, 2026

We retrieved our bags and had our passports checked. (Our new ones have a bar code on the back. All we have to do now is scan the code and take a photo. They match us to the passport. Very quick and automated.) Customs was also quick and easy.

We had ordered a car service to take us to the hotel and had received confirmation before we left. We didn’t have to wait long for our driver to find us. We followed him outside and to the waiting car.

As we drove the familiar route to the hotel, we noticed many changes. Most of the industrial buildings are gone, replaced by modern structures. We saw much more English signage. But some places looked the same. As we approached the park, Larry recalled many trips on these roads, but now they are wider.

We arrived at our hotel, Hotel Universal Port. It is one of the original three hotels built just outside of the park. There are now quite a few others. It is the one we have always stayed at when we come back. It was originally the upscale luxury hotel—very fancy like the Ritz. However, they changed it to meet the needs of families. When we were there two year ago, it had been re-themed for the minions, and we loved it!

We had reserved a room with a queen-size bed. We got there after seven and gave them the reservation. They took us up to our room.

This is what we saw:

The beds (a queen next to two long twins shoved all together for a family) were on a raised platform about 6" tall), but they were set on the ground. I had just had shots in my knee and realized this wasn’t going to work! I was afraid if I ever got down into the bed, I would never be able to get up. And Larry would have been hard-pressed to get in on his side. Besides, the rocking horse and table were on the route to the bathroom. I could just see myself tripping over them in the middle of the night. (When you get old, you make trips during the night.)

The bathroom had an exceptionally deep tub like the one we had in our mansion in Japan. But we were 25 years younger then. It would have been a challenge today.

We went back down to the desk and explained why this just wouldn’t work.

They said there were no queen rooms left, but they found us a double (two twin beds pushed together). It was on the top floor. We discovered this was a decided perk! (More about that later.)

The bath in this room was just like the Japanese bath in our mansion. Our visitors will remember it. It is a wet room with a handheld shower and a tub. We could adjust the handheld so it could be used just like a standard shower. Success!

We had been up for over 24 hours are were tired. So, we went straight to bed. After all, we had busy days ahead.