Are you hoping to include a visit to a theme park on your Japan itinerary, but want to avoid the bothersome crowds at the major ones? Legoland Japan could be for you!
With inbound visitor numbers almost at pre-2020 levels since reopening their borders, overtourism in Japan is beginning to rear its ugly head again. However, Nagoya is often skipped over by foreign tourists in favour of Kyoto, Osaka or Hiroshima — which invisible tourists can take advantage of!
Since 2017, I’ve been aiming to curb the negative effects of overtourism by visiting lesser-known places in Japan. On my Japan travel blog you’ll find dozens of alternatives to popular spots to help you avoid tourist crowds. And it seems Legoland in Nagoya fits that bill, too.
If you’re after a quick review on whether Legoland Japan is worth it for you, where to buy tickets, how to get there, areas, best rides, and even what the food is like, read on for more!
My visit to Japan Legoland was kindly sponsored by Klook, but this did not influence my opinion and all thoughts are my own. This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you. I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Why visit Japan Legoland Nagoya?
If you’ve been wondering whether Nagoya is worth visiting, (short answer – yes, it is!) Legoland is a great excuse to check out this overlooked city.
Additionally, if you loved Lego as a kid (or even as an adult as I still do!), Legoland Nagoya is a great opportunity to be inspired and immersed in this life-sized world.
While most foreign tourists head to Tokyo Disneyland or Universal Studios in Osaka, these parks are extremely popular and enjoying them to the full extent is becoming difficult due to the large crowds (close to 40,000 people per day).
Universal Studios in Osaka has recently jumped into the top 3 most visited theme parks in the world (!) attracting 12.3 million people in 2022, and Tokyo Disneyland also saw 12 million visitors.
In stark contrast however, in 2022 Legoland Japan annual attendance was only 2 million visitors (about 5,500 per day), meaning we’re able to benefit from this smaller number.
If the thought of waiting for hours and having to purchase express passes just to ride isn’t ideal for you, I’m pleased to report it’s likely you won’t need to worry at Legoland in Nagoya. It’s so awesome to spend more time actually on the rides than queuing up.
TIP: During my visit, my group and I only had to wait about 5 minutes for each ride, the most we had to wait was 15 minutes. So good!
Legoland Nagoya Tickets
You can purchase your Legoland Japan tickets in advance here. You’ll receive a voucher via email with a barcode for each person in your group. Simply print it out before your trip or display the barcodes to be scanned at the entry gate. Too easy!
TIP: Tickets can be bought up to 2 months in advance. Tickets are classified as Super Off-Peak, Off-Peak, Peak and Super Peak depending on the expected crowds for a given day.
NOTE: Monday – Friday are usually cheaper than Saturdays and Sundays, unless falling on a public holiday. There are park closures on a handful of dates throughout the year. Use Klook’s calendar under “Package Options” to gauge the daily prices.
Legoland Japan Review: Areas, Best Rides, Food & More
Now let’s dive into the Nagoya Legoland Japan review! During my early October visit, there was barely a line up to get in as the park opened at 10:00, my group waited about 5 minutes to enter.
To make things easy, we decided to work our way around the park in a clockwise direction. There are over 40 attractions to enjoy so we didn’t want to lose track.
TIP: It goes without saying, but most things you’ll see in Legoland are made from Lego. Keep an eye out beside statues for small signs that include how many Lego bricks it took to make!
You’ll encounter the following areas:
Factory
Witness how Lego bricks are made on a mini tour! This area also includes a massive Lego store, which is one of the biggest of its kind in Asia.
Bricktopia
The bright blue Brick Party carousel is popular here in Bricktopia, featuring your favourite life-size Duplo characters. This area is great for toddlers and smaller children with a play area, Duplo train ride, and an area to build their own models.
Perhaps the most obvious attraction is the Observation Tower. Offering 360-degree views over the entire park, this is one not to miss!
TIP: The Observation Tower closes in high winds. My group queued up in the morning only for the ride to be closed as we neared the front. We tried again later in the afternoon and it was fine. The good thing is, you’re able to see the tower from everywhere in the park so you can make a beeline for it when it is running again.
This section also includes a live Lego Ninjago show, a Cat Cloud Busters ride and a Robotic Play Centre.
Pirate Shores
Pirate Shores is one of the funniest rides in Legoland Japan. Sporting a life-sized pirate ship called Castaway Camp as a playground, this area includes the Splash Battle boat ride where passengers can spray water cannons at onlookers and at pirate-themed targets along a winding river. Lots of laughs and squeals can be heard here!
Anchors Away is a rocking pirate ship ride, while visitors can play mini skill games to win all kinds of treasure.
Knight’s Kingdom
And now for one of my favourite sections – Knight’s Kingdom! There are two rollercoasters in this section, a smaller, tame one for the kidlets called Dragon’s Apprentice and a larger one for adults and bigger kids named The Dragon.
The Dragon was probably my favourite ride in the entire park. As the ride commences, it takes visitors inside a castle with many oversized figures from medieval times moving about to sounds and light displays.
The most impressive part? Sitting on a stash of gold coins is an enormous moving dragon made from Lego that roars as you go past, before speeding outside onto the rollercoaster! This section also includes Merlin’s Flying Machines and Merlin’s Challenge carousel for smaller children.
TIP: By now it was around 11:30. To beat the rush, I recommend having lunch around this time rather than later so it’s easy to find a table. My group went to the Knight’s Table within the Knight’s Kingdom; plenty of seating and the food was better than I expected.
Lunch at Knight’s Table Restaurant
While there are 5 types of restaurants in the park, by early lunchtime we were around the Knight’s Table so decided to eat there.
I loved the mini display of the meal options made from Lego, so cute and themed for Halloween! Judging by this, I think the meals may change with the month or season. Check their current menu here.
For a theme park, I thought the quality of the food was decent and the prices for what was served were reasonable (I’m Australian and prices were similar to what I’d pay eating out somewhere in Sydney).
The mains are cooked to order, so you may need to wait a few moments.
- Adult Mains (includes unlimited drinks)
- Grilled steak with rice, Lego-shaped chips, steamed veggies, salad: 2980 yen
- Salmon with basil sauce, steamed vegetables, Lego-shaped chips, salad : 2800 yen
- There are more options for mains, these are what my group chose.
- Kid’s Meals (includes unlimited drinks)
- Prawn tempura with rice, curry, coleslaw salad, meatballs, Lego-shaped chips and a small dessert: 980 yen
- Desserts from 680 yen.
TIP: More lunch options include Coral Reef Pizza & Pasta Buffet, Idodori Japanese Restaurant, Brick House Burgers, Factory Sandwich Co. and Chicken Diner.
Lego City
Moving on to Lego City, it has the most attractions out of any area within Legoland Japan. Children aged 3-5 can take part in the Junior Driving School and graduate with a “licence” afterwards, while older kids aged 6 and over can do the same at Driving School.
With 9 attractions here in total, you can ride a boat around the Coast Guard (which I learnt is actually harder than it looks, hehe), fly in a plane at City Airport, build a boat to send down rapids at The Wharf and even watch a 4D movie in the Palace Cinema.
Adventure
The Adventure section was also one of my favourites, with an Indiana Jones-esque vibe. Think pyramid tunnels, camels in the desert and treasure to be found in a secret chamber.
There are 7 attractions in the Adventure area with two I suggest you don’t miss, the first is Submarine Adventure. Hop inside a submarine (which is more like a glass-bottomed boat with a sealed door) that floats around “beneath” the water with fish, mini sharks and Lego creations on the ocean floor. I was quite impressed by this.
The other is Lost Kingdom Adventure, an indoor seated ride where you can use a laser-beam to score points by targeting enemies.
TIP: Check the small screen of your seat for your high score before leaving!
Miniland
If you’ve followed me a little while you’ll know I love miniature landmarks (which is why I couldn’t wait to visit Tobu World Square during a Nikko day trip), so this area was so fun to enjoy all the small details!
Made up of miniature versions of famous landmarks in Japan and scenes Japan is famous for, Miniland will have you enjoying all the attention to detail!
Ninjago World
Ever wanted to feel like a ninja? The Ninjago area is where you can make this happen!
Fly through the air spinning on a dragon’s back at Flying Ninjago, test your reflexes with Jay’s Lightning Drill, spin upside down in a capsule at Lloyd’s Spinjitzu Spinner and kids can try rock climbing.
And that’s a wrap for your Legoland Nagoya itinerary!
Where is Legoland Japan & how to get there
Legoland Japan is located in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture in central Japan. Geographically, Nagoya is about halfway between Tokyo and Hiroshima.
- Tokyo to Nagoya: 1 hour 40 mins on the Tokaido shinkansen
- Osaka to Nagoya: 1 hour on the Tokaido shinkansen
- Kyoto to Nagoya: 35 mins on the Tokaido shinkansen.
TIP: You can buy shinkansen (bullet train) tickets in advance here, which I highly recommend during peak times. The Tokyo>Kyoto>Osaka leg which Nagoya falls into is extremely popular and reserved seats can sell out.
Once at Nagoya Station, there are a few ways to reach Legoland Japan. If using a Welcome Suica or IC card (more about these in my JR Pass Instagram highlight), tap on at the ticket turnstile.
- By train: 30 mins from Nagoya Station to Kinjofuto Station on the Aonami line, cost: 330 yen, then 5 mins walk to the entrance
- By taxi: 30 mins by small taxi from the Nagoya Castle area, cost: approx 5800 yen.
- TIP: Alternatively you can actually stay at Legoland Japan Resort which I mentioned above, where you wake up already in the park!
- Opening Hours: 10:00 – 17:00 daily.
Concluding this Japan Legoland Nagoya review
As you can see, there are so many things to see and do at Legoland Nagoya to fill the entire day. I loved how my favourite Lego themes from my childhood had been brought to life, and the children in my group said it was the highlight of their trip!
The best part of Legoland Japan for me was there were no crowds, so waiting times for the rides were minimal. This meant my group got so much more out of the day and it was very enjoyable. And I hope you have the same experience!
Sending a big thanks to Klook for kindly sponsoring my visit to Legoland!
More expert Japan travel itineraries
Looking for more tried-and-tested itineraries for Japan? You need to read these posts:
- Read my Japan honeymoon itinerary (with romantic scenery even if it’s not your honeymoon);
- Itinerary for two weeks in Japan including how to see popular sights without crowds;
- Go further with my itinerary for 3 weeks in Japan;
- Add on an amazing Kyushu itinerary to your trip;
- Take a look at all my Japan travel tips and Japanese etiquette for mistakes to avoid;
- And for all my itineraries, travel guides and more, check my extensive Japan travel blog!
If you found this Legoland Japan guide helpful, you can check out my other reviews of Japan cultural experiences and attractions such as Huis Ten Bosch in Nagasaki, learn about Japanese culture with a geisha in Tokyo, a Tokyo to Mt Fuji day trip bus tour, the best food tours in Tokyo I’ve personally undertaken, tea ceremony in Kyoto, how to find street food in Osaka and more!
Feeling social? Explore beyond the main touristy sights with my dedicated Japan Off the Beaten Path Facebook Group or come and join me on Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok and Instagram for more travel inspiration.
Until next time,
This Japan Legoland Nagoya review contains some affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. I may earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase and if you do, thanks for your support! This helps with the costs of running my blog so I can keep my content free for you. As always, I only recommend a product or service that I genuinely love and use myself!