The largest indoor Harry Potter attraction in the world: The Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter has now opened in Tokyo, Japan! Here is our full recap to help you plan your next visit.
The Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter is officially open for public on June 16 2023! This new Harry Potter attraction has attracted a lot of attention to most Potterheads as it offers experiences that are exclusive to Tokyo’s studio tour, including new movie sets and items on display for the first time and interactive activities only available in Tokyo. What’s more, it also houses the world’s largest Harry Potter store!
Our Visit to Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo
Plan Your Trip Ahead
Address: 1 Chome-1-7 Kasugacho, Nerima City, Tokyo 179-0074 (Google Maps)
The Warner Bros Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter is conveniently located near Toshimaen Station operated by Toei Metro (Oedo Line) and Seibu (Toshima Line). It’s roughly 40 minutes from Shibuya Station, so we suggest staying somewhere else closer to the city center if you don’t mind a little commute.
Klook.comTo avoid crazy crowd, we planned our visit to one week after the Grand Opening. Our tickets were reserved for 11:30 AM, which seems to be a good time still considering the first tour starts at 10AM. This means less people crowding the whole complex, so you can explore every site comfortably!
A Quick Tip: If you can’t get the early tickets, try to aim for the few last tours instead! By 15:00, the morning visitors should’ve mostly cleared the area. Plus, you may enjoy the light ups around the outdoor complex in the nighttime!
What to Do Before the Tour
As visitors are allowed for entry an hour before the tour starts, we used this opportunity to survey around and had brunch in the Food Hall and the Frog Cafe. We also had a quick look of the shop (spoiler alert: it was MASSIVE), though we saved the shopping spree for the last.
If you have reserved for the Official Guide Book, you can head to the Information Center to claim them. It’s available in English and Japanese. You can also ask for physical tickets as a souvenir (we certainly did!).
What’s more, the studio tour provides cloakrooms and changing rooms. If you don’t have yet, go get your Hogwarts uniforms from the shop and immerse yourself in the Wizarding World!
The Food Hall
Our first stop: The Food Hall. Situated near the tour entrance, The Food Hall is decorated just like the Great Hall, complete with the floating candles and each of the house’s tapestry. The main seating area is arranged in four long benches representing each house. There are also smaller tables to accommodate smaller groups.
The menu itself is mostly Harry Potter’s inspired British food, although we both believe the food presentation has been adjusted to fit Japanese aesthetic, haha. There is a wide variety of menu to choose from, including Vegetarian options!
See also: How to Find Halal Food in Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea – A Quick Guide
The Frog Cafe
If you’re up for a little treat, head over to the Frog Cafe for some sweets! The Frog Cafe serves more than 20 selections of baked goods ranging from JPY 250 to 900 per item. Both menu and interior are different from the Studio Tour London, so be sure to check them out!
Coming Soon: Muslim-Friendly menu at Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo
The Shop
Claiming to be the largest Harry Potter store in the world (!!!), the shop offers various merchandises that are exclusive to Tokyo’s studio tour. There are 14 sections to browse through (!!!), which one of them is dedicated for Minalima. Some merchandises such as wands and notebooks are also available for custom order.
But don’t worry if you don’t have time before tour starts. You can access the shop again by the end of the tour. For those who didn’t reserve for the Official Studio Guidebooks, you may also purchase them here.
Quick Recap of Exhibit: Everything Inside the Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo
Similar to the London’s studio tour, Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo also exhibits every aspect involved in the Harry Potter moviemaking.
In the beginning, the studio welcomed us with a cinema screening summarizing the journey of Harry Potter movies. From there, the tour finally started! There are definitely A LOT to see: the sets, costumes and props used in the movies, even some that didn’t make the cut! You’ll also see the whole engineering and creative process, including the architecture and construction, animatronics, and sound effects.
Here is a complete list of the exhibit area from entrance to exit:
Indoor
- Cinema
- The Great Hall
- Production Design
- Hogwarts’ Moving Staircase
- Gryffindor Common Room and Boys Dormitory
- Slytherin Common Room
- Quidditch and Triwizard
- Room of Requirement
- Dumbledore’s Office
- Potions Classroom
- Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom
- The Horcruxes
- The Library
- The Forbidden Forest
Outdoor (This area includes Backlot Cafe and Butterbeer Bar)
- Hagrid’s Hut
- Hogwarts Bridge and the Chess Pieces
- Privet Drive
Indoor
- Platform 9 3/4 and Hogwarts Express
- The Construction Department
- The Ministry of Magic
- The Creatures of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts
- Film Effects
- Broom Interactive
- Sound Effect Department
- Diagon Alley and The Gringotts
- Hogwarts Castle Model
The Upgrades in Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo (+ Interactive Activities)
Of course, there are a number of upgrades in Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo that you won’t find anywhere else. The first upgrade you’ll find is Hogwarts’ Moving Staircase. (We did spend some time here just to witness it making its round. Lol.)
Aside from the Moving Staircase, you’ll also get to see the animated portraits decorating the hall. If you’re interested to create one of your own, the tour offers an interactive activity for you to try. The animated portrait of you will be displayed on the hall, and also available to download for free.
Another addition to the Tokyo’s studio tour is the Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom. In this set, you’ll not only see the entire set of Professor Lupin’s class, but also learn to cast some spells against dummies just like the Dumbledore’s Army.
Next is a (much!) larger version of the spooky Forbidden Forest, along with the animatronics of the Forest creatures (including Aragog and Buckbeak) and props replicas. In this set, you’ll also meet Dementors and practice the Patronus charm, thanks to the cool visual effects.
Another favorite of ours is the full-size of Ministry of Magic Set. You’ll find rows of fireplaces, office towers, the incredibly massive Ministry Statue, as well as a snack stand: Ministry Munchies. Here you’ll be able to try Floo Powder interactive, as if you’re just transported to the Ministry through the Floo Network! (also downloadable for free).
List of Interactive Activities
- Animated Portrait in the Moving Staircase area
- Death Eater Mask design interactive
- Defence Against the Dark Arts – Spell Casting Demo
- Quidditch Spectator simulation in the Quidditch area
- Patronus Charm Casting Demo
- Floo Network in the Ministry of Magic area
- Wanted Poster and Broomstick Flight Experience (additional JPY 2,500)
Final Thoughts
*Inhale-Exhale* What a trip! Though we spent almost 7 hours for this tour, it wasn’t enough to see everything. Every detail of costumes and props are truly breathtaking, and there were tens of thousands of them on display!
Some extra little things we loved about the tour:
- The addition of Fantastic Beasts exhibit!
- The inclusion of vegetarian options to the menu 🙂
- The crowd management
- The helpful staff!
The only downside we could find is probably the lack of allergen information on site and online. We’ll share them with you once its out. In the meantime, go book your tickets and we hope you’d enjoy your time on the tour the way we did!
See also: 5 Museums Around Tokyo To Visit With The Little Ones
How to Book Harry Potter Studio Tour Tokyo Ticket
Ready to book your tickets? Cut the hassle of planning and ticket bookings with us! Our team is here to help you easily and conveniently purchase tickets for all the must-see sights and activities on your itinerary, including restaurants! Start planning your dream vacation today and let us handle the ticketing details. Reach us at the.playground[at]gmail.com for further information. We look forward to assisting you on your travels!
