After an initial run in early 2015, the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka is bringing back Universal Cool Japan. The theme is based on the brand "Cool Japan," the government's attempt to promote Japanese popular culture on a global scale. The five major Japanese brands chosen by the park are Neon Genesis Evangelion, Attack on Titan, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu; the latter two are new additions.





The park's opening ceremony included producers and designers associated with the five Cool Japan brands... and Elmo.

Evangelion the Real 4-D:2.0 lets visitors experience a battle with an Angel in Unit-04 in "4-D," which is more immersive than the usual film viewing, with rumbling seats, sprays of water, and blasts of air. Ikuto Yamashita, Evangelion's mecha designer, introduced a new weapon, the Rapid Borer, for the theme park visitors to enjoy.





Attack on Titan the Real 2 similarly lets guests fight the Female Titan alongside Mikasa and Armin. The park also displays "cronoids," or highly realistic statues, of Armin, Eren, Levi and Mikasa, and unsettling sculptures of Titans perfect for amusing vacation photos.











Monster Hunter the Real showcases two monsters, Rathalos and Zinogre. Visitors can experience their fiery blasts and electric attacks. There is also a life-size sculpture of Dinovaldo for visitors to take photos with and displays of Monster Hunter paraphernalia like weapons and tools.













The Resident Evil section focuses on a real escape game, a type of game that puts players in a challenging or stressful situation and tasks them with escaping in a certain amount of time by solving puzzles and hints and using teamwork. Guests visit Umbrella Labs only to get caught in a virus outbreak. They've got to get out of there quickly before zombies attack. Real escape games are nothing new, but this one claims to have a more nervous atmosphere and trickier puzzles.















For patrons getting burned out by horror and monsters, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is there to represent the cute side of Cool Japan. Her XR Ride takes visitors on a jet coaster while wearing virtual reality visors to experience the strange and wonderful world of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu.