For fans of Hello Kitty and her menagerie of mates, or even those who have small children and are looking for something to do, Sanrio Puroland is calling your name. Located in Tama in Western Tokyo, this indoor theme park is sure to deliver all the cutesy wonder and colourful kawaii you can handle. Though this attraction is geared toward kids, it can be enjoyed by all ages; we saw plenty of teens and adults on dates, as well as groups of visiting friends. It’s also worth noting that Sanrio Puroland is fully indoors, making it a great rainy day activity in Tokyo.
Entering Puroland
The approach to Puroland is a sign of the kawaii to come, with flowers and pastel-coloured infrastructure and a giant rainbow on the building’s facade. After you scan through the ticket gates, you’ll find yourself in Rainbow Hall where you’ll come face to face with a grand Sanrio display (which at the time of our visit was Christmas-themed). This is also where you’ll find the information counter and a large souvenir store full of trinkets.
Two sweeping staircases lead up to the fourth floor shops and eateries. That’s good to know, but the real action is downstairs. From the ticket gates, head straight down into Puro Village, a large open space encompassing the first and second floors. It can be a little overwhelming to take it all in – this dark space is like some kind of Neverland fever dream.
This ground level is home to a number of theatres and a food court; and has an access point to Sanrio Town which houses the My Melody and Kuromi Drive ride, as well as the character greeting area named Strawberry Hall.
In the centre of the space is the giant Tree of Wisdom which you can explore inside of, even heading up to the second floor which is essentially located around the perimeter with a series of balconies and connecting walkways. There are more attractions up here, including the park’s most popular ride: The Sanrio Character Boat Ride.
On weekends, wait times can stretch over 2 hours for the Boat Ride, so if you don’t enjoy queues, it would be a good move to head here first and try to buy a Puropass (more on this below)from the machine nearby.
Character Greetings
You might be lucky and catch some character greetings around opening time on the ground floor open space, or some random visitors to the restaurants throughout the day, but there are many more you can schedule, too. Certain areas like Lady Kitty House and Strawberry Hall are hubs for character greetings. You may be able to get Puropasses to skip the queues, and some require a “digital ticket” to enter, free through the website. There are details online about the day’s character greetings, so be sure to check here if you want to meet a specific character.
Foodat Puroland
Though you can’t bring food inside Puroland, there are a number of eateries located in the park. They are typically cafeteria style places and will have an array of colourful Sanrio inspired treats on offer.
You’ll find three eateries on the top floor and one (The Character Food Court) on the bottom floor. We didn’t end up eating during our afternoon visit, but if you’re hungry or just tempted by the cute food designs, you’re sure to find something you like.
Planning your Puroland Adventure
While you could just wing it and show up on the day, here are a number of reasons why you shouldn’t.
Ticketing
To keep visitors on their toes, the opening times and ticket prices fluctuate depending on the day, not to mention the park has sporadic closures, all of which are listed on their website.
Tickets can be purchased as an afternoon pass or a full day ticket. As a guide, afternoon passes range from ¥2,800–3,800 for adults and ¥2,500–3,500 for children/seniors, while full-day tickets range from ¥4,300–5,900 for adults and ¥3,200–4,800 for children and seniors.
You can see the different ticket prices on the Puroland website and reserve them easily there. Just be aware that all visitors need both a Reservation and a Passport (ticket) to enter. The e-tickets on the website cover both passport and reservation so this is a good option for those who aren’t sure what’s what.
Third-party Ticket Sites
There are also significantly cheaper tickets to be found through third party sites like Rakuten or Klook. Definitely worth a quick search during your planning. If you purchase tickets through a third party, be sure to check if you need to do any other procedures to ensure you have both Reservation and Passport organised.
After you have booked, follow the instructions and either bring a print out or screenshot of your ticket and QR code, and you can head straight in.
Puropass
If you like the VIP experience and don’t mind splashing out, you can buy a “Puropass” for individual attractions to skip the queues. These are around ¥1,000 per person per attraction and you can get them at ticket machines near the individual theatres and rides.
There are also some Puropass tickets you can arrange online beforehand for priority entry or for reserved seats for some of the popular shows. See here for more details on the different attractions and passes.
Show Schedule
It’s worth noting that there aren’t many rides at Puroland but there are a lot of shows. Not all shows are on every day, so if you are interested in seeing some it’s a good idea to check the website for the schedule. This will help you plan the flow a bit better and you may even be able to buy some Puropasses to ensure you get a seat at the show you want.
Getting there
The nearest train stations are the Keio Tama Center Station on the Keio Line, or Odakyu Tama Center on the Odakyu Line. They are both within the same complex and are an 8-minute walk from Sanrio Puroland. From Shinjuku Station, it’s about a 30 minute train ride.
It’s not the most straightforward of theme parks, so a bit of research before your visit will pay off. But no matter which way you choose to experience Sanrio Puroland, you’re sure to have an interesting and kawaii time.
Name: Sanrio Puroland
Address: 1 Chome-31 Ochiai, Tama, Tokyo 206-8588 (link)
Open: Irregular hours and closures, check the website. Typically around 9:00am–5:00pm.
Admission: Afternoon-only passports from ¥2,500 for children/seniors and ¥2,800 for adults. Full day passports begin at ¥3,200 for children/seniors and ¥4,300 for adults.
Website: here
Post by Japan Journeys.
