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All Japan Tokyo Sanrio Puroland
AO Edited

Sanrio Puroland

If Hello Kitty were Mickey Mouse, this would be Disneyland.

Tokyo, Japan

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
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Sanrio Puroland   Agustin Rafael Reyes on Flickr
Sanrio Puroland   Agustin Rafael Reyes on Flickr
Sanrio Puroland   Ming Xia on Flickr
Sanrio Puroland   Tomohiro Ohtake on Flickr
Sanrio Puroland   mono on Flickr
  dibbiejane / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance   janmeister / Atlas Obscura User
  tvgirl
  tvgirl
  tvgirl
  tvgirl
  tvgirl
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A display celebrating Cinnamoroll’s 15th anniversary.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Sanrio Rainbow World Restaurant.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The elaborate entrance.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A detail of the large mural featuring a plethora of Sanrio characters.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The Sanrio-themed arcade on the second floor.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Hello Kitty watching visitors from her storybook castle.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Overlooking the first-floor “Puro Village.”   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The “Wisdom Tree,” Puroland’s symbol attraction.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The nearby station is all Sanrio-themed, too.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  dibbiejane / Atlas Obscura User
Gudetama, the lazy egg.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
  dibbiejane / Atlas Obscura User
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About

With the growing worldwide appeal of Hello Kitty and her iconically illustrated pack of animal friends it is no wonder that the Sanrio characters even have their own insanely elaborate theme park.

Built in 1990, Sanrio Puroland is any Sanrio fan's dream. Not unlike Disneylands across the globe (including the one in Japan), the bright, loud, and eye-poppingly ornate theme park allows visitors to mix and mingle with their favorite super-deformed animals, not just Hello Kitty. They can visit Badtz Maru the penguin's cave, Keroppi the frog's pond, or even Hello Kitty's own house in which everything is shaped like her head.

The effect of walking through a blaring candy-colored cartoon is broken only by the live stage shows and fireworks around each turn, all of which is presented in a distinctly over-the-top and uniquely Japanese style. Of course there are also rides, such as the innocuously named "Sanrio Character Boat Ride," which is near identical to the It's A Small World ride at California's Disneyland, simply seen through a hyperactive pastel lens. 

Despite the similarities to Mickey Mouse's various wonderlands, Puroland is still unique among theme parks in its singular devotion to saccharine cuteness. Most people are well aware of Hello Kitty's influence around the world, but again, much like Disneyland opened visitors' eyes to their vast world of marketable Western animation beyond their iconic mouse, Puroland proves that Sanrio has just as deep a bench if you can handle the sweetness.   

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About a 10-minute walk from Tama-Center Station; to get here from central Tokyo, take the Keiō Line train from Shinjuku Station, which should be roughly 35 minutes' ride.

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Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

Fred Cherrygarden, tvgirl, dibbiejane, janmeister

  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • tvgirl
  • dibbiejane
  • janmeister

Published

November 6, 2014

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanrio_Puroland
  • http://www.timeout.jp/en/tokyo/venue/2298/Sanrio-Puroland
  • http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/spot/thempark/sanriopuroland.html
Sanrio Puroland
1-31 Ochiai
Tokyo, 206-0033
Japan
35.62508, 139.42975
Visit Website
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