Build Your Own Fun, Brick-by-Brick LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Osaka

Opened in 2015, LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Osaka is a great place for families! It may not be your first choice if you live right next to a proper outdoor LEGOLAND® amusement park, or if you’re someone who just doesn’t like Legos. Otherwise, if you’ve got kids and you’re visiting Osaka, definitely put the Discovery Center near the top of your list!

After many years of living in Osaka and being a LEGO® fan, I finally took my two children (6 and 10) to the Discovery Center. And now I’m wondering why I didn’t go sooner… Here are my observations and a few tips.

■LOCATION

Getting to the Discovery Center is easy! It’s just a short walk from Osakako Station on the Osaka Metro. Use exit #1 and go straight. Head towards the giant LEGO® giraffe. You can’t miss it!

Located on the 2nd floor of Tempozan Marketplace, you’ll find plenty of souvenir shops and a large food court (including ice cream stores!) in the same building. This is a good place to grab lunch before or after you go into the Discovery Center, as there are many more options in the food court.

Next door is the world-class aquarium Kaiyukan, famous for it’s striking architecture adorned in images of sea creatures on a deep blue facade. The aquarium is home to sea creatures from all over the Pacific Rim and most notably two massive whale sharks—Kai-kun and Yu-chan.

Also attached to Tempozan Marketplace, is the Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel, a 112 meter tall disc that will take around on a 15-minute tour of Osaka Bay and beyond. There’s also a Santa Maria replica cruise ship that can take you for a loop around Osaka Bay.

There is a lot to do and see in the Osaka Bay Area, so it’s easy to plan something else into your day.

■WHAT’S INSIDE? LEGOLAND® Osaka

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Osaka is just that—a Discovery Center. It is not a full-blown amusement park. If you have been to one of the larger theme parks in Nagoya, Malaysia, or Denmark and you’re expecting that level of lego, you will be disappointed. Expect something much smaller, something occupying a large corner of a shopping complex.

■Rides: Kingdom Quest & Merlin’s Apprentice

The center has two main rides, Kingdom Quest and Merlin’s Apprentice. Kingdom Quest riders sit together in a cart that will take you around the castle-themed grounds armed with a laser gun to shoot as many bats, spiders, and other enemies as you can find to earn a high score. Merlin’s Apprentice riders are whisked away spinning round and round and can control their carts to move up or down with a set of pedals. These two rides provide a bite-sized bit of fun, just enough to excitement to feel like you’ve been to a carnival, but without any serious stomach butterflies.

■LEGO® 4D Cinema

At the 4D Cinema, you’ll be handed a pair of 3D glasses to watch Emmet and friends get into a world of mischief. The story is big on action so regardless of what language you speak (or for little ones—are learning to speak) you’ll be able to follow the storyline and giggle along with the antics.

■Brick Pits, Themed Play-zones, Build & Test

Of course, this being LEGO®, there is lots of hands-on! This is the best part for kids. Olivia’s House features bright and colorful bricks and a cute interior that LEGO® Friends fans will love.

There’s a Duplo Farm for tiny tots to romp around and build big chunky creations. Watch your child build an earthquake-proof tower and test it with the quake simulator.

Dig through buckets to build your ultimate race car and test it on one of the ramps. (This was my 10 year-old’s favorite part. He spent a good hour building, testing, and re-building. My 6 year-old daughter spent a good hour in the tunnels, slides and passageways of the LEGO® City Play Zone. She also had to be persuaded to come out.)

■Mini Land

My personal favorite—Mini Land, featuring all of Osaka’s biggest landmarks like the neon signs of Dotonbori, Osaka Castle, Tsutenkaku and more. Besides being fun to look at, this is probably the most photogenic part of LEGOLAND®, so I took a lot of pictures…

The entire area dims and brightens simulating daytime and nighttime so you can see the city in all its different moods. Here we have lego Dotonbori—all very realistic, except of course the Giant Duck isn’t usually there and JAWS spends most of his time at Universal Studios.

At night the lights come on in the buildings and you can see reflections of the Glico sign and other famous billboards along the canal, just like the real Dotonbori.

There are interactive elements to Mini Land too! Push a button to see the trains and trucks move. Watch the LEGO® minifigure window-washers teeter on the outside of Umeda Sky Building. It appears Spiderman is hiding somewhere in the city too!

There’s even a model of LEGOLAND® itself and the rest of the Osaka Bay area including the Santa Maria and a moving Ferris wheel. It’s amazing how realistic this little LEGO® Osaka is!

■LEGOLAND® Cafe

Right near the brick pits and play zones, there is a relaxing cafe for tired parents. An array of soft drinks and snacks can get you recharged for the rest of the day. And they even have the Osaka special, Osaka Mixed Fruit Juice and those shockingly green Melon Soda Floats. The food menu is largely burgers and LEGO®fries with a few options for curry. The most expensive item on the menu is the Minifigure Head Popcorn Bucket for ¥2,800, which I honestly really wanted. Aren’t they cute!

The cafe also serves coffee 5 ways—my kind of place! So whether you need a steaming black cup of caffeine or something sweet like an iced caramel latte, LEGOLAND® has your back. I appreciate that as a parent. The proximity to the play space, and brick pits located in the cafe make it possible to keep an eye on your kids while you relax with that coffee you so deserve.

Master Builder Workshops and the Great LEGO® Race are other options for even more fun that are available with an additional purchase.

■TIPS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Get your tickets ahead of time! Although it is possible to purchase tickets at the door, they may not have any same-day tickets when you arrive. So it’s best to plan ahead. Plus, advanced tickets usually have a small discount and can be purchased directly from the LEGOLAND® website. You will be asked to select the time of your arrival in 30 minute blocks. You will still be admitted if you arrive late. The only catch is you may have to wait a little longer.

Admission to LEGOLAND® Discovery Center is also included in the Osaka Amazing Pass and the Osaka E-pass. If you purchase one of these passes be aware that both passes do have blackout dates at the Discovery Center, so read the details while planning your trip. With either pass, online reservations are still required so be sure to book the dates you want to go.

As this is a family attraction, with the emphasis on kids’ entertainment there are age restrictions in place. Your group must include at least one child 15 or under. But this doesn’t mean you can drop the kids off at LEGOLAND® and go out for coffee. Children must be supervised by an adult. The attractions are primarily designed for children ages 3–10. And while younger and older guests are welcomed, the most fun is probably going to be had by children in this age group.

Even though the Discovery Center is relatively small, I recommend budgeting anywhere from 2-4 hours for your visit. 2 hours is enough to try everything once, but parents of LEGO®kids know about the LEGO®zone. That zone can keep a little LEGO®fan busy for hours! I’m sure my kids would have happily pieced bricks together all day long, but I was ready to go before we hit the 4 hour benchmark. Be prepared—you exit through the gift-shop. Fortunately, LEGOLAND® gave us a gift on our way out so even if you aren’t shopping for new legos, you do get to bring home a souvenir.

The Osaka Discovery Center is right on brand. The rides were fun, the LEGO® pits provided hours of creative entertainment, the hamburger buns were shaped like bricks, and there were all sorts of cute surprises hiding in the displays. My family had lots of fun on our visit. And I hope yours does too!