Is Sanrio Puroland Worth Visiting in 2025? Tips, Review & What to Know
Last Updated on May 19, 2025 by Kay
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission on any purchases through those links at zero additional cost to you. Whatever I make goes to keeping this website running and I am forever grateful for the support. See my Privacy Policy for more information.
Japan is known as the land of kawaii, and if you’re a Hello Kitty fan looking for one of the cutest places in Tokyo, you need to visit Sanrio Puroland. Before going, though, it’s essential that you do your research before you go so you’re best prepared for your visit. After all, you want to make the most of your limited time there.
I’ve been to Sanrio Puroland several times over the years, so I thought I would share my tips as well as a review about whether going to Sanrio Puroland is worth it.
Table of Contents
Sanrio Puroland Tips
Buy Tickets in Advance
If you want to enter quickly, I recommend purchasing tickets in advance. You can do this online from the following sites:
- Klook (Sanrio Puroland is also included in the Klook Greater Pass, which offers up to 48% off various attractions in Tokyo)
- kkday
Tickets are also available for purchase from any Sanrio Gift Gate store in Japan.
Note that the price varies depending on when you visit. Weekends and holidays are more expensive.
Download the Sanrio+ App
The Sanrio+ app allows you to collect points on any purchases you make at Sanrio Puroland as well as any Sanrio Gift Gate store in Japan. You can use the points to get freebies from Sanrio Gift Gate!
This app is only available in Japan and is in the Japanese language, only.
Check the Sanrio Puroland Schedule
Check the official Sanrio Puroland website for opening hours and the schedule, since it can vary. For instance, Sanrio Puroland sometimes closes on random days during the week (typically Wednesdays and Thursdays). The last thing you want is to make the trek out there and find out that it’s closed!
Also, use the schedule to check what shows and parades you want to see and plan out your day.
Purchase Puropasses for Rides and Parades
Puropasses are like fast passes at Disneyland.
There are three different kinds:
Puropasses for Priority Entry
If you want priority entry, which will allow you to use the priority entry line and see Sanrio characters as well as get early access to the first show of the day and rides, then I recommend getting this Puropass.
I don’t recommend this Puropass if you don’t want to arrive at Sanrio Puroland before its official opening time.
Puropasses for Parades
The best spots to see the parades are paid access only. If you don’t want to wait for about an hour ahead of time and want an unobstructed view, I recommend shelling out in advance for a parade Puropass. We do this, and although it’s a little pricey, it’s worth it (especially since I have a young daughter).
You cannot buy Puropasses for parades on the day, they must be purchased and printed in advance.
Puropasses for Rides
This is Puropass can be purchased on the day of your visit from vending machines near each attraction. These machines only take cash, which is why it’s important to always carry cash in Japan.
These passes let you skip the line and go on the ride at a certain time.
Puropasses cost 500 yen to 1500 yen, depending on the ride.
Here are the rides where you can get a Puropass and how much it costs:
- Sanrio Character Boat Ride (1000 yen per person)
- Kiki & Lala Twinkling Studio (500 yen per person)
- Lady Kitty House (500 yen per person)
- My Melody & Kuromi Mymeroad Drive (500 yen per person)
There are also family Puropasses for rides, which will allow you to purchase up to four for a discounted price. These are sold out very quickly, though.
You can purchase the Puropasses outlined above from the Sanrio Puroland website (Japanese only).
Puropasses for Character Greetings and Shows
Puropasses for Character Greetings can be bought on the day for 1500 to 2000 yen per character from the ticket booth near the food court on the 1st floor or from a machine located right outside Strawberry Hall.
There are also Puropasses for shows, such as KAWAII KABUKI and びょんわぁ～beyond words～ (1000 yen) as well as Cinnamoroll’s Adventure (500 yen).
Note that everything is written in Japanese, so you’ll need to use a translation device. But to help, here’s a quick translation of what’s written in the image below:
Marchen Theatre — KAWAII KABUKI — 1000 yen — still on sale
Discovery Center — Cinnamoroll’s Adventure — 500 yen — still on sale
Strawberry Hall — Character Greeting Residence — 1500 yen — still on sale
Arrive Early
I recommend arriving before Sanrio Puroland opens because the earlier you go, the shorter the lines are. Some shows also start right when Sanrio Puroland opens, so you don’t want to miss it!
Arriving early also means you have more of a chance to snag a Puropass for rides and shows! Multiple Puropasses, which are more cost-effective, go fast, so if you snooze, you lose!
Sanrio Puroland also closes fairly early, usually at around 5:00 PM, meaning you have only around 8 hours to enjoy your time there. (This might seem like enough time but the day passes by very quickly.)
Get a Pamphlet from the Entrance
After you enter Sanrio Puroland, grab a pamphlet. This will contain the day’s schedule, such as parade and show times, as well as a map. This pamphlet is super important to have so that you can plan your time at Sanrio Puroland accordingly.
Check the Wait Time Board
There are boards throughout the park that have wait times for rides and show times on them. These are super useful if you’re trying to decide where to go next.
Here’s what the wait time board looked like at 9:30 AM on a weekday:
Grab a Seat Early For Parades and Shows
People who don’t have Puropasses for parades start sitting on the floor in marked locations around the Wisdom Tree about 30 minutes before popular seasonal shows and parades, such as Puroland Illumination Christmas. If you want a good spot, you’ll need to do this. I don’t believe you’re allowed to save a spot and then leave your things unattended to do something else, either.
Note that areas that have a heart marked on the floor with a number on it are for Puropass holders only, so you can’t sit there unless you purchased a Puropass with that number on it.
Understand That Shows and Parades at Sanrio Puroland Are In Japanese
Don’t expect multilingual assistance at Sanrio Puroland for experiences such as shows and parades because everything is in the Japanese language only. But don’t let that stop you from visiting! You can still get a sense of what’s happening and just follow what other audience members are doing.
Purchase a Character Headband
There are a ton of Sanrio character headbands for sale at Sanrio Puroland. You can find them at any gift shop. For the closest shop after you enter, go to the Entrance Shop on the 3rd floor. It will be to your right after you first enter Sanrio Puroland.
Honest Review of Sanrio Puroland — Is It Worth Visiting? Our Itinerary
To give you an idea of what it’s like to visit Sanrio Puroland, this was my family’s experience.
I went to Sanrio Puroland with my daughter on a sunny Monday in autumn. We arrived at Keio-Tama Center Station right before 9 AM.
The station is fantastic because there are so many great Sanrio photospots, so we took some time snapping pictures.
I think one of my favorite parts was this stained glass Sanrio ceiling! It’s so beautiful.
Sanrio Puroland is a short walk away, and it’s incredibly easy to find — it’s basically a straight line for about three minutes, and then you’ll find it on your left along Hello Kitty Street. It’s very hard to miss!
There’s also a huge map you can refer to if you’re having trouble finding it.
We got inside very quickly since there was hardly anyone else waiting. The entrance is on the second floor, so after grabbing a pamphlet, the first thing we did was take the escalator down to the first floor for the Boat Ride.
It was just before 9:30, so thirty minutes after Sanrio Puroland officially opened, but there was already an hour-long wait for the boat ride!
So I decided to just get us Puropasses so we didn’t have to wait in line and could make the most of our time.
After this, we headed down the stairs to the Wisdom Tree Stage to take a quick look at the Happy Celebration Party greeting from afar.
The image above shows what the Wisdom Tree looks like. See all the people at the bottom right? They’re all watching a show at the Wisdom Tree Stage.
The Happy Celebration Party celebrates guests who have the same birthday month as a Sanrio character.
For instance, guests with an April birthday will celebrate with Badtz Maru. There’s also a special area at the front for kids younger than elementary school age (age 7), but kids cannot enter during the show, only before. If it’s very crowded, you may be asked to leave and can’t watch the show.
Kawaii Kabuki
The reason why we didn’t stick around for the Happy Celebration Party was that we wanted to see Kawaii Kabuki at 9:45 AM. This show is in a theatre and never too crowded, so it’s easy to find seats if you show up right before the show starts.
My daughter and I both like this show, it’s entertaining and fun. It’s especially a great way to introduce children to a form of traditional Japanese theatre. But the show is also entirely in Japanese, so if you don’t understand the language, there’s a chance you’ll be confused throughout. (I’ve never seen Kabuki in English, though, so I wonder if it would sound strange if it were translated, anyway?)
Note that you cannot take photos or videos during the show.
If you have small kids, you can grab a seat booster for them so they can see the stage more clearly.
Puroland Illumination Christmas Parade
After this, we went to the Puropass center to see what other kinds of Puropasses we could get. (We already had one for the Puroland Illumination Christmas parade, which you have to buy in advance.) Everything on the board was still available so we grabbed one for Cinnamoroll’s Adventure and the character greeting.
With our additional Puropasses acquired, we headed to our designated spot for the Puroland Illumination Christmas parade. We bought a Puropass for this in advance online and printed it out at LAWSON before we visited, so all I had to do was show the tickets to a staff member, and she showed us to our seats.
We were seated on the stairs, A7 and A6, and found that the Puropass was definitely worth the cost, especially for my daughter, since she could easily see everything. The show was absolutely spectacular, we loved it so much.
One thing I regret, though, is that I forgot to buy a heart-shaped wand for her! So don’t forget to buy one if you’re going to watch this parade because at one point, the lights dim and guests can turn on their wands, creating an adorable sea of glowing pastel hearts.
Character Greeting at Strawberry Hall
After the show, we went to the Character Greeting at Strawberry Hall. My daughter chose Kuromi when we bought the Puropass for it. You can also purchase Puropasses from a machine outside the hall.
We didn’t have to wait very long at all to get our photo with Kuromi. She was so sweet! The staff took many photos for us using my camera, and my daughter and I each got a hug from Kuromi!
I definitely recommend paying for the character greeting if you can; we were very satisfied with the experience.
Kiki and Lala Twinkling Studio
The Kiki and Lala Twinkling Studio is one of my favorite parts of Sanrio Puroland. It’s an awesome place to get adorable photos, especially if you have kids.
It’s located on the 2nd floor and when we went, there weren’t many people waiting to get inside at all.
I took so many photos of my daughter, and she loved modeling for me!
Some parts are also interactive, such as the stove that lights up if you press the star-shaped buttons.
Make sure you crank this star-shaped device because a cute character will pop out and appear on the wall!
Lady Kitty House
The wait time for Lady Kitty House was too long, so we didn’t go this time, although I regret it a bit because the inside is super cute.
I went with my daughter when she was a toddler, so here’s what some of the photos we took looked like:
At the end, you can take a photo with Hello Kitty and then purchase it if you like.
Lady Kitty House Shop
We decided to check out the Lady Kitty House Shop since it was nearby. There are some cute photo spots near here and lots of goods inside the store.
Some notable items the store sells include a 50th Anniversary Hello Kitty Rika-chan doll, the heart-shaped wands for parades and shows, as well as headbands.
My daughter wanted to make a custom heart-shaped keychain where you can fill it up with as many little Sanrio character erasers as you want. We managed to fill it up with one of every character!
The Lady Kitty House Store also offers Kitty Post, where you can purchase and send a postcard to yourself or a loved one. This postcard also comes with a special commemorative Hello Kitty stamp!
Nearby the shop, you’ll also find some special capsule machines selling special limited-edition Sanrio gatcha that you can only get from Sanrio Puroland. Note that this gatcha only accepts electronic payment.
We did a round and my daughter got a Cinnamoroll locket, which started her new (and still ongoing) obsession with the character.
Mewkle Dreamy March
Right before 12:30, we hurried down to the Wisdom Tree Stage to see if we could catch some of the Mewkle Dreamy March show.
Since we were late, my daughter couldn’t stand at the front with the other kids but we could see the show from the back perfectly fine.
Bell of Happiness
When the show finished, we decided to check out the Bell of Happiness, which is located inside the Wisdom Tree. It’s a nice area to see a birds-eye view of Sanrio Puroland and the Bell of Happiness room is super cute.
After this, we decided to see what we wanted to have lunch after our scheduled Boat Ride at 2:00 PM. We checked out the Character Food Court on the 1st floor but decided against it since we had been before when my daughter was a toddler.
We also took a look at the Sanrio Rainbow World Restaurant on the 4th floor but couldn’t find anything we wanted to eat.
Here’s what the inside looks like:
There is a seating section dedicated to different Sanrio characters, so make sure to check if a spot in an area of your favorite Sanrio character is available!
Here is what the menu looked like when we visited. Note that this menu is subject to change since it has special seasonal meals, but it generally features a Sanrio character-themed curry dish.
Restaurant Yakata, also on the 4th floor, is a buffet and has Sanrio character greetings, so we decided to go there for lunch later.
Boat Ride
At 2:00 PM, we went on the Boat Ride using our Puropasses. If there’s one ride you do at Sanrio Puroland, it’s this one.
We had to wait about five minutes in the priority line since other people with Puropasses were waiting as well.
My daughter and I absolutely love the Boat Ride. It is so magical and adorable — I wish I could ride it repeatedly!
Restaurant Yakata for Lunch
The last admission to Restaurant Yakata for lunch is 2:30 PM, so we just barely made it. We only had until 3:40 PM to eat but that gave us plenty of time.
The food isn’t remarkable (none of the food at Sanrio Puroland really is) but everything was super cute. I mean, look at this Pompompurin Pudding and Hello Kitty Inari Sushi!
You can also build your own character curry and even make it look like the same ones at the Sanrio Rainbow World Restaurant. Since my daughter turned from a Kuromi fan to a Cinnamoroll one less than an hour beforehand, I made one for her.
The buffet includes food, dessert, and soft drinks, so we were absolutely stuffed after an hour!
Also, I can’t forget the character greetings — this was absolutely the best part and worth the cost for us. We got to see Cinnamoroll:
Pompompurin:
And Hello Kitty!
Since we were among the last people at the restaurant, we got to take so many photos with these characters! It was like having them all to ourselves!
Cinnamoroll’s Adventure
After lunch, it was time for us to go on Cinnamoroll’s Adventure.
When I bought the Puropass for this, the staff explained that my daughter and I would have to use a stationary (not moving) seat since my daughter was still in preschool. I didn’t really understood what that meant but I soon would.
Basically, the normal seats move and allow you to interact with the screen and play a shooting game using a special wand. The stationary seats don’t have anything, so it’s basically like watching a movie. It was fine but I’m sure the experience would have been better if we had normal seats!
Fuwa Fuwa Kids Land
There’s an area for kids to play near the Kawaii Kabuki Theatre called Fuwa Fuwa Kids Land (ふわふわキッズランド). It’s only open during certain times, but it’s completely free.
As implied in the name, this play area has Sanrio-themed bouncy castles for kids to play inside. We also saw Hello Kitty briefly!
My daughter went absolutely nuts playing here, but after going inside each character once, we decided to go catch the last parade near the Wisdom Tree.
We found a spot about fifteen minutes before the parade started but it was really hard to do this because it was so packed! A very, very kind mom from a Western country (based on her accent) let my daughter stand in front of her so she could see, and I was so grateful. (I don’t know if she’ll ever read this but THANK YOU!)
This parade was wonderful, although I enjoyed the Christmas parade more. I do wish, though, that I had bought a Puropass for this in advance, too.
My Melody & Kuromi Mymeroad Drive
Our last Puropass was for the My Melody & Kuromi Mymeroad Drive ride.
This ride has you sit in a car and pose in different areas where there’s a camera. The music and the inside of the ride are very cute but the ride itself is a little boring. The Boat Ride is definitely more fun.
At the end, you can purchase a photo at an additional cost. You get to decorate the photo, purikura style, and when it’s printed, it’s placed in a cute folder. You can also download the photo afterwards.
Entrance Shop
Before we knew it, Sanrio Puroland was closing! So before we left at 5:30 PM, we checked out the Entrance Shop on the third floor for some souvenirs.
There were lots of seasonal goods here as well as special headbands and other items we hadn’t seen at any of the other shops. So after you arrive at Sanrio Puroland, I recommend making this your second stop after going to the Boat Ride and either lining up (if it’s not a long wait) or grabbing a Puropass.
The Entrance Shop can be very busy before closing, so keep that in mind when deciding when you want to go. There are lockers on the same floor (opposite side near the Information Counter), so you can buy souvenirs earlier in the day and put them in the locker while you enjoy Sanrio Puroland.
So, Is Sanrio Puroland Worth Visiting?
I think if you haven’t been to Sanrio Puroland and are a Sanrio fan, it’s absolutely worth visiting. The parades are magical, the food is fun, and the atmosphere makes you feel like you’re in a fairy tale! It’s also a great place to escape the heat in the summer since it’s entirely indoors, or to visit when it’s raining.
However, I will say that apart from the Boat Ride, the other rides are a little boring (although perfect for young kids), and if you don’t have a Puropass, wait times can be long. Sanrio Puroland also closes quite early, too, at around 5:00 PM!*
So it does require some planning in advance if you want to see and do everything this theme park has to offer, and you might end up feeling really exhausted. But for us, it’s worth it.
*Note that Sanrio Puroland is going to be holding a special event from June 28th to July 5th where it will be overtaken by zombies! Doors for this event open from 7 PM and close at 10 PM, and naturally, children who are elementary-school age and younger (so 12 and under) are not allowed to attend.
FAQ About Sanrio Puroland
Where is Sanrio Puroland located?
Sanrio Puroland is located on the west side of Tokyo, a few minutes on foot from Keio-Tama Center Station and Odakyu Tama Center Station.
Are there lockers at Sanrio Puroland?
Yes, there are lockers at Sanrio Puroland on the 2nd floor near the Information Counter.
Can I bring a stroller to Sanrio Puroland?
Yes, you can bring a stroller. There is also space to store your stroller on the 2nd floor near the Information Counter.
Is Sanrio Puroland toddler-friendly?
Yes, absolutely! In fact, I’ve written an in-depth article about my experiences visiting Sanrio Puroland with my child when she was a toddler.
Is Sanrio Puroland outdoors?
Sanrio Puroland is located entirely indoors, making it a perfect place to visit when the weather isn’t great.
What rides are at Sanrio Puroland?
The following are rides at Sanrio Puroland:
- Sanrio Character Boat Ride
- My Melody & Kuromi Mymeroad Drive
Below are photo experiences at Sanrio Puroland:
- Kiki & Lala Twinkling Studio
- Lady Kitty House
Is there anywhere to eat near Sanrio Puroland?
Yes, there’s a Saizeriya (an affordable chain Italian restaurant) and Sushiro nearby.
What are other Sanrio theme parks or experiences in Japan?
Unsurprisingly, there are a ton of places you can experience and enjoy Sanrio in Japan.