Harry Potter Studio Tour TOKYO – What to Know before your Visit

Harry Potter Studio Tour TOKYO – What to Know before your Visit

“Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo: The Making of Harry Potter” has been completed on the site of Toshimaen. I visited in June, shortly after it opened, and although I am not a fanatic Harry Potter fan, I was able to enjoy the two aspects of “getting lost in the world of movies” and “learning behind the scenes of movie production.”

Please also see my video for better understanding of the studio.

Honestly, how much you like Haryy Potter greatly influence your experience here. Today I’d like to write practical information that will be helpful when I go.

There are some differences from the information I saw on Twitter and YouTube in advance, so I bought a ticket on my own and will tell you about my visit and what happened on the day.

Not a theme park. Rather an art museum.

“Studio Tour – Making of Harry Potter”… It’s a long name, but in short, it’s more like an “Harry Potter Film museum” where you can see exhibits related to the filmmaking of the “Harry Potter” series and its spin-off “Fantastic Beasts.”

This is not a theme park with rides, but an experience-based museum. Even though it is a tour, you will walk around on your own feet.

How to Get Tickets

The price is 6300 yen. Advance reservations with a specific date and time are required. Even if you go directly, you won’t even be able to enter the premises. Also, gift shops and restaurants are all within the paid area, so you can’t just go to Toshimaen and immerse yourself in the world of Harry Potter.

To puchase the ticket, you can go to the official website or Klook site. The tickets for the earlier slots of the day are getting full quickly. But Klook sometimes has more time slots oepend for international travelers. So please make sure to check the Klook site if you cannot find tickets on the day you like to visit.

Official Site

Klook

• If you are interested in visiting the studio tour, I recommend you to check these sites as earlier as possible. The early slots of the day which I recommend can be sold out quickly.

Read/Watch Harry Potter stories before you Go

It’s much more fun if you do some homework before you go. The last time you saw a Harry Potter movie was probably 10 years ago. I think you can enjoy it more if you watch the first two episodes of the movie before you go.

I managed to find time to watch only the first “Philosopher’s Stone”, but the more I recognize, the more I am impressed. Things you don’t remember or don’t know will be passed through as just a placeholder. I wish I could have watched a few more episodes.

Access – How to get to the studio tour

The studio is about 20 minutes from Shinjuku by Toei Subaway Oedo line. Seibu Ikebukuro line also has direct train from Ikebukuro to Toshimaen Station every 15 minutes or so. If you take Seibu line, make sure to take the local train to Toshimaen.

The studio is only 5 min. walk from Toshimaen Station.

Why you should arrive 1 hour before your appointment time

The studio entrance near the station is not where the tour starts.

After that, we passed through the garden and entered the building, and after passing security and the lobby, there was an entrance to the tour, so we were in a hurry when we arrived at the station at the last minute. It will only meet at the entrance of the tour at the designated time.

It’s not specified on the official website, but the travel agency’s website says at least 20 minutes in advance.

From the entrance gate to the garden and the waiting lobby of the tour, you can enter from 1 hour before the reserved time and 45 minutes before the morning. There are many shops and restaurants here, so there is no time to waste.

– You can also get a paper ticket

I’m from the generation that wants a paper ticket as a souvenir, although it’s all about QR codes these days. . . For those who do, you can get a paper ticket for free.

You can go through the security at the entrance and present the QR at the service desk on the right.

What You Want Have it Done Before the Tour Starts

Luggage storage is free, so it’s better to be light. Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended.

There is also a changing room. If you want to rent an audio guide, click here, it’s on the right side as you enter.

Can’t you have fun without a robe and a cane?

Many people wear robes and walking sticks on the studio tour. I think it’s still fun to be immersed in the world when you wear it. If you want to change clothes, there is a changing room in front of the toilet next to the entrance.

Some Youtubers were saying that it was made with the assumption that people in robes would be given priority and that they had a cane, but that wasn’t the case at all. You can enjoy it enough without it.

The Tour Starts as Group First

At first, there is an explanation by the staff in a room like a movie theater. After that, you are free to go around at your own pace. Basically, once you go, you can’t go back. The tour will go around the first few rooms with people at the same time slot, and then disband.

For more fun, read the QR Code at the Tour Entrance

When you enter the tour area, there is a QR code that you can read to create a valid account for the day. “You can make it later, so please proceed.” Using that account, you can take pictures using special technology (?) at about three locations for free, and download them while you’re at home.

Wi-Fi is everywhere in the facility. No passwords are required for connecting Wifi.

Go to Restroom When you Find it

It’s hard to expect when you meet the next restroom. It may be better to go to the toilet as soon as you find it.

2 Restaurants and 2 Cafeteria in the Studio

There is one restaurants next to the lobby, and the “Backlot Cafe” in the middle of the tour. Food prices are a little high in Japanese standard. Plates and drinks are set for 2800 yen to 3200 yen. Next to Backlot Cafe is an outdoor cafeteria serving butterbeer (1,100 yen), but you can take home a cute plastic mug.

The con of this backlot cafe is, it’s on the route of the tour, and you can’t come back later if you don’t adjust the time well. I ended up eating at 11am as I came too quickly after I started the tour at 10:00.

It’s an Easy Going Facility for Photo lovers

You can take pictures and videos with your own smartphone or camera in almost all areas.

Cost inside the Studio Tour in Addition to Admission

After the tour, in addition to eating and shopping, there are two attraction that you can enjoy with additional charge. In the second half of the tour, the broom photo shoot “Bloom Experience” was 2,500 yen for downloading the video. Another one 2600 yen for issuing the entrance permit to Hogwarz in the Kings Cross station  *Rates are subject to change.

What to Wear for the tour

You can walk in light cloths, but some parts of the tour is outside, so it might be better to keep something on if you are visiting in Winter. During summer, the inside of the museum is well air conditioned, so it might be better to bring something to put on in the summer too.

How long does it take for the tour?

It took about 5 to 6 hours for me to leave the studio. I think it’s better to make a reservation as early as possible. Usually the first time is 10 o’clock, and it open earlier on peak season. If you book late afternoon slots, make sure you check the time of closure that day.

Official Site

Klook

• Again, if you are interested in visiting the studio tour, I recommend you to check these sites as earlier as possible. The early slots of the day which I recommend can be sold out quickly.

For more attractions in Tokyo, please see my The Complete Tokyo Travel Guide