First Time at Universal Studios Osaka

Activity > Osaka > Adventure > Osaka Waterfront

In retrospect, I might admit that this was one of those really bad ideas Satoshi occasionally comes up with. Currently, though, I am having too much fun to actually say no.
I grinned and slung my body bag across my chest as I raced him to the giant gate, which led to – you guessed it – Universal Studios. Satoshi was already several steps ahead of me but I wasn't about to let him win without a fight, if I could help it.
Satoshi was one of the first friends I made when we moved to Japan three years ago. He had run into me while dodging some huge guy whose girlfriend he had offended and proceeded to use me as his human shield. I must have looked defenceless enough because the big guy snorted and called Satoshi a coward for hiding behind a girl's skirts. He had just turned around when my temper got the best of me and I gave him my best right hook. The incident earned us a trip to the disciplinarian's office and introductions were promptly made.
Even then, Satoshi was already getting me in trouble.
"I wanna get to the Harry Potter rides before the crowds start pouring in!" he whined as I trotted beside him. That was the thing about Satoshi. He might attract some attention because, well, let's face it, he was good-looking despite possessing the maturity of a five-year-old on sugar high.
I smirked. "Of course. As long as you agree to take pictures of us with Hello Kitty."
"No," he flat-out refused, crossing his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes at the childish display before waving the tickets in front of his face.
"I could always decide that I really don't need an extra ticket," I mused with a sly grin. "After all, I wouldn't want to go with a spoilsport who wouldn't take my picture with Hello Kitty. I mean, what kind of guy would refuse a lady without hearing her out?"
He lunged so suddenly and grabbed one of the tickets before I could protest. "You aren't really a lady, Casey. Nice try, though."
We walked in peaceful camaraderie as we made our way to the Harry Potter universe of the theme park. It was the latest addition to the park and I could see that some of the other attractions needed a bit of updating. That was fine by me. I wasn't planning on enjoying Jaws in Japanese, anyway.
I wondered, though, how I would feel about hearing Harry Potter speak Japanese.
Before I could ponder on the thought, Satoshi ran off to somewhere and I groaned in frustration. The guy could not even let me walk in peace. If the Almighty had placed me on this earth to simply keep this guy on the straight and narrow path, I have my work cut out for me.
We got on the Harry Potter Ride. Thankfully, we had the express passes or it would've taken forever to get on any ride at all. I heard it would take a minimum of an hour queueing for some of the more popular ones and I was pretty sure the English wizard was a crowd favorite.
I had to admit it was a bit funny to see Harry Potter and Hermione talk in the nation's language, especially since I have watched the movies in English. No offense to Daniel Radcliffe and his gang but I really wasn't a big fan of the movies. I have always preferred books over movies, anyway, which Satoshi thinks is a little weird.
We grabbed a couple of snacks as we walked around the theme park. It was my very first time but I was lucky enough that Satoshi had been here a couple of times already. It seemed that he really just wanted to try out the Harry Potter ride.
As promised, he took pictures of me with Hello Kitty and even got me some souvenirs. As we took the train ride back home, I mentally cringed at the punishment my mom would mete out after missing out a whole day in school. Yes, Satoshi was definitely a bad influence.
Well, at least I got to see Daniel Radcliffe speak Japanese.