USJ Express Pass: When It Goes on Sale, Where to Buy It, and Why Nothing Shows for Your Dates Yet (2026–27)

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Last checked 2026-11-01. Rules and prices change — always confirm on the official pages linked below.

When Express Passes go on sale

USJ's Japanese ticket FAQ answers "When can I buy tickets?" (our translation): sales begin two months before the date you wish to visit, but some tickets have a different sales start date, so check each sales page.

The FAQ covers tickets in general, not the Express Pass by name.

The store's calendars line up with it. On November 1, 2026, the Official Web Ticket Store showed prices for Express Pass 4: Race & JAWS through December 31, 2026, and the store's top page showed the 1 Day Studio Pass through January 2, 2027 — roughly two months ahead in both cases.

How to check your date: open the Express Pass list, choose a pass, and look at its calendar. Dates that show a price are on sale; dates without one aren't available in that channel right now.

Planning a March visit

Count back about two months: if the general rule holds, March dates would open around January, and a mid-March visit around mid-January. A blank March calendar in November is expected.

What Express Passes exist and what they cost (as of 2026-10-31)

On 2026-10-31, the Official Web Ticket Store listed these passes. Prices are "from" figures and vary by date. Dollar figures are approximate, at the Federal Reserve's rate of 156.87 yen per dollar (Oct. 23, 2026).

Where to buy it, and paying with a US card

USJ's Express Pass page names two official channels and warns: "The tickets available for purchase will vary depending on where you purchase them."

1. Official Web Ticket Store. USJ's link leads to usjticketing.com, which states it is operated by JTRWeb LTD., "an authorised ticket reseller of Universal Studios Japan."
2. Travel agencies listed by USJ. USJ's Travel Agency page lists Klook, Trip.com, JTB, HIS, traveloka and tiket.com.

Cards. The English store's terms accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express and Diners Club International, plus Alipay. They don't say where the card must be issued, so all you can check is the brand: bring a card with one of those brands, plus a backup. The terms also say most e-tickets are emailed within 72 hours.

If your card is declined:

1. Try another card or payment method. That's what USJ's Japanese ticket FAQ advises for card errors in its Japanese web store.
2. Try the travel agencies on USJ's Travel Agency page, the other official route.
3. Last resort: call your card company, the final step in the same FAQ.

Stick to those channels. USJ states that resale of tickets is strictly prohibited and resale tickets are not accepted in the park. QR codes on tickets dated November 1, 2015 or later that were bought from resellers are nullified.

The rules to know before you pay

From USJ's Express Pass page and its Japanese Express Pass guide:

• You still need park admission. You need a Studio Pass, such as a 1 Day Studio Pass, or an Annual Pass to enter.
• No exchange step. Advance tickets let you go straight in.
• One date only. An advance-purchase pass is valid only for the date printed on it.
• One person only. It is valid only for the purchaser. You and your partner can't share one pass — each of you needs your own.
• Buy your group's passes together. The Japanese guide asks guests to buy companions' passes in the same purchase, because slots are limited and separate purchases may not land in the same ride time.
• No cancellations. "Once purchased, tickets cannot be canceled." Late for a ride time means no refund and no new slot.

Why nothing shows for your dates: sort out the cause

It isn't on sale yet

More than about two months out? Under the Japanese ticket FAQ, it's likely not released yet.

What to do: note the date two months before your visit and check again from then.

The pass you want isn't offered that day

Universal Studios Japan says types and prices vary by day, and the Official Web Ticket Store says each pass is valid only on selected dates.

What to do: look at every pass type listed for your date.

You're looking in only one channel

Availability depends on where you buy. If the web store is empty, check the agencies on USJ's Travel Agency page, and vice versa.

Klook, for example, is on that USJ list, so it's one of the official routes.

What to do: compare the official web store and the listed agencies for the same date.

It sold out

Express Passes can sell out: the Japanese Express Pass guide says same-day sales end once sold out. USJ doesn't say how to tell "not yet on sale" from "sold out." Our rule of thumb: a blank date more than about two months away is usually not released yet; one well inside that window, blank in every official channel, is more likely sold out.

What to do: try the partner-hotel route below.

If you still can't find one

• Stay at a partner hotel. USJ says guests at its partner hotels can purchase tickets on the day of check-in and the following day as well.
• No pass? Super Nintendo World entry is separate: from January 5, 2026, timed entry is in USJ's official app.

What to do now (example: a March trip)

1. Fix your USJ date first, since passes are date-locked.
2. Plan your Studio Pass alongside it.
3. Set a reminder about two months before your date (around January for March).
4. From that date, search the Official Web Ticket Store and the agencies on USJ's Travel Agency page. Check all pass types.
5. Buy both of your passes in one purchase, with a card from the brands listed in the store's terms.
6. Keep your ride times; late arrivals aren't refunded.