Top 5 Charms of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter! Welcome to the Wizarding World of Hogwarts

The long-awaited Harry Potter theme park in Tokyo, “Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter”, has finally grandly opened! One of the must-visit new attractions in Tokyo in 2023, what wonderful charms does it hold? Look no further!

The Harry Potter theme park in Tokyo has arrived.

The first Harry Potter theme park in Asia grandly opened in Tokyo on June 16, 2023, located on the site of the Toshimaen amusement park that closed in 2020. It is the world's largest indoor Harry Potter theme park, featuring unprecedented and magnificent film sets, specially showcasing costumes and props from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film series, and of course, there are related foods and merchandise! This time, JAPANKURU actually visited and compiled a rundown of the top 5 charms!

Charm 1: Enter the Wizarding World with the Hungarian Horntail Dragon

In the Western wizarding world, dragons are always present. The first dragon introduced in Harry Potter was the cute little Norwegian Ridgeback “Norbert” raised by Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. But at the Harry Potter theme park, a huge Hungarian Horntail dragon greets us at the entrance—at the park's entrance, this fierce dragon seems about to swoop down to “welcome” everyone. If you want to experience the oppressive feeling Harry faced in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament in “The Goblet of Fire” against the Hungarian Horntail, this is a great opportunity—face the wind!

To awaken the Hagrid in all of us and take a majestic photo of the Hungarian Horntail, after passing security, go to the far corner of the room on the left. From that angle, you can capture the complete head and sharp claws of the Hungarian Horntail.

Charm 2: Walk from Gryffindor Common Room to Slytherin Dungeon

One of the highlights of visiting a theme park is experiencing the re-creation of various movie scenes. And at the Harry Potter theme park in Warner Bros. Studio Tour, this part is naturally included! The park recreates many different movie scenes, including fans' favorites like Diagon Alley, Hagrid's Hut, Platform 9¾, and even some unexpected scenes like the Hogwarts Great Hall. Among them, the Ministry of Magic scene is the world's only version restored at 100% actual scale. As Muggles wandering through, we feel just as nervous as Harry Potter and Ron when they first arrived in the wizarding world, afraid of being kicked out at any moment. But just as described in the books, navigating through the various Hogwarts scenes at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo is absolutely delightful.

After passing through the portrait of the Fat Lady, you can see the warm fireplace and armchairs of the Gryffindor common room, or the cool (and somewhat creepy) Slytherin dungeon. You can even find a half-finished wizard's chess set—maybe Malfoy is secretly a master of wizard chess, just like Ron? At the end of the scene tour, you can experience the scenario where Hogwarts students are caught lingering in the hall after lights out, and are actually taken to the Forbidden Forest for detention. Unfortunately, this time Hagrid and Fang won't be joining, so... beware of the giant spiders behind you.

Charm 3: Watch a Quidditch Match from the Stands or Ride a Broomstick Yourself

Although the Warner Bros. Studio Tour focuses on visiting movie sets, the park also has fun interactive facilities. Among the most exciting is the chance to participate in the wizarding world's most popular sport—Quidditch. In the Quidditch experience room, even Muggles can stand on the match stands and watch an exciting game between Gryffindor and Slytherin, actually performing as a spectator in the stands (the staff will edit you directly into the scene of Harry's match). In addition, you can also experience riding a flying broomstick! You can ride a magical broom (probably a Firebolt, definitely not a Nimbus 2000) flying through the air, soaring over London streets and above Hogwarts—of course, all of this is filmed in front of a green screen in the studio and then composited with special effects. (Remember, even if you are a Slytherin student, don't wear green clothes, otherwise you might become invisible in the broom-riding video effects.)

Charm 4: Drink Butterbeer with the Flying Car Outdoors

If you get hungry, you can taste fish and chips at the Food Hall, enjoy an afternoon tea in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk at the Backlot Cafe, or feast at the Chocolate Frog Cafe. But if you want to have a little drink, then the Butterbeer at the Butterbeer Bar is a good choice. It might not have the magical effects of the wizarding world, but its sweet buttery flavor truly melts hearts. After a sip, the foam left on your lips will make you look especially cute.

Sit at the outdoor seats and enjoy your drink while taking in the outside scenery, such as the Hogwarts Bridge (actually an iconic building built specifically for the film), a whole section of 4 Privet Drive (the Dursley residence), and some giant wizard flags. After drinking, you can rinse your cup at the nearby “Tankard Wash” sink and then return it... uh, no, not return it—take it home!

Charm 5: Try on Your New Wizard Robes at the Shop

Shopping is definitely an important part of visiting Warner Bros. Studio Tour! The merchandise shop at the Tokyo Harry Potter Studio Tour is one of the largest Harry Potter stores in the world. Its biggest feature is the ability to customize many unique items, such as engraving on wands and keychains, Hogwarts notebooks (luckily not made of real leather), and even embroidery! That is, you can have your name embroidered on a Hogwarts wizard robe!

Of course, customized items are just part of it. In the store, you can find more merchandise related to magical creatures that appear in the Harry Potter works, and there are exclusive items only available at the Tokyo Harry Potter Studio Tour. At the same time, the store is decorated in a cool and atmospheric way, with a dazzling array of goods, making it easy to... “lose yourself”—or go crazy with desire. Regardless, whether you just want to take a quick look or linger for hours... a word of caution: keep an eye on your wallet. (Because before you know it, your shopping basket could be filled to the brim.)

Bonus: Exclusive to This Location! Tokyo-Only Scenes from Fantastic Beasts

In recent years, the Fantastic Beasts film series has been a great blessing for Harry Potter fans who love magical themes. The retro New York streets where protagonist Newt Scamander bustles about, the European-style scenes he travels through (and the high-level CG effects), have enchanted fans worldwide. Fortunately, at the Tokyo Harry Potter Studio Tour, you can see detailed exhibitions related to the Fantastic Beasts films, gaining deeper insights into the various scenes, storylines, and behind-the-scenes moments that appear in the works, including behind-the-scenes info about Eddie Redmayne, and even the magic of the mischievous “Niffler” and the lively “Bowtruckle” Pickett.

Additionally, you can see beautiful 1920s and 1930s film costumes displayed on the train Newt takes to Berlin—right across from the Hogwarts Express!

A Day Trip to the Wizarding World in Tokyo

Entering J.K. Rowling's wizarding world in Tokyo—the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter—will surely delight Harry Potter fans for an entire day. Especially for loyal fans, who wouldn't want to be the first to visit and experience the scenes of this wizarding world born in reality? The moment you slip past the guards and the dragon into the park, the world of spells and magic from the movies and books opens up. (Or does it start when you board the Seibu Railway express to Hogwarts at Ikebukuro?)

This time, we've summarized these main charm points for you. But we believe that after you, as a loyal fan, visit in person, you might be able to list 100 points or even more charming aspects, and might even think this article hasn't been comprehensive enough. (Laughs) Anyway, suffice it to say that the 5 unmissable highlights introduced above are parts worth paying attention to when you visit the Tokyo Harry Potter Studio Tour. As for any aspects we haven't fully covered after your actual visit, feel free to share and supplement them with us on our Facebook fan page!

In short, have a nice trip!