Let's start with a disclaimer: I'm not exactly a fan of anime, manga, cosplay or kawaii culture – although I make an exception for Gudetama, and possibly Aggressive Retsuko, for this duo's sheer ability to inspire kinship in times of exasperated need.
I also don't particularly like children, especially early in the day. So when we were invited to Sanrio Puroland for a morning of frolicking around rooms filled with Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, My Melody and a bunch of kids, I wasn't exactly sure this would be my cup of tea. Somehow, I was proven wrong.
A lot of my relief was thanks to Gudetama, but the relative lack of screaming babies also helped. In terms of ticking things off on a Japan bucket list, we'd argue taking a photo with Hello Kitty scores even higher than going to the Robot Restaurant.
In addition to rides and uber-cute characters, Sanrio Puroland has more than enough crane games and shops (more shops than rides, actually) to help you buy or win a kawaii overdose for your folks back home.
We liked the old-school character cookies, which are bound to bring up a hint of nostalgia in anyone who grew up on a Sanrio diet, but even better was the giant Gudetama pillow – for those days when you really feel like a lazy egg yourself.
Besides that photo op with Lady Kitty, three things are pretty cool about Sanrio Puroland: the food, Gudetama Land and the daily show at noon. The first of these is best experienced at the basement food court, which offers quite a range of character-themed curries and ramen, some more shockingly garish than others.
Our tasting team generally found that these look better than they taste – hey, how much can you expect from a blue curry? – but they definitely make perfect Instagram fodder. Besides, where else can you eat a Gudetama tucked in a real bacon blanket?
Gudetama Land, meanwhile, is arguably the most interactive place in the entire Puro kingdom, and that's not just because we're biased towards the egg yolk. There's a variety of games for you to play, making for a nice change from the relatively static (but very kawaii) rides the other characters are stuck with. Lots of photo ops here too, which means plenty of chances to really channel your inner Gudetama.
And finally, the show. We didn't quite know what to expect, but this spectacle turned out to be something like a Disneyfied version of the Robot Restaurant, with almost the exact same storyline of good versus evil, enough costume changes and airborne tricks to keep things interesting, and rather short skirts (apparently they were shortened to 'keep the dads entertained') and skin-tight costumes to add a little sex appeal. Hello Kitty's outfit, luckily, stays conservative throughout.
Although its prime target is clearly preschoolers, the show does manage to wrap up the essence of Puroland into a 30-minute whirlwind that rarely gets boring. Once you've seen it, you've pretty much completed your initiation into the world of Sanrio, and can head home with your head (and pockets) filled with enough character knowledge to beat any five-year-old at a quiz.
Interested in visiting Sanrio Puroland yourself? The indoor theme park is an easy walk from Tama-Center Station on the Keio and Odakyu lines, about a 30-minute ride west from Shinjuku.