Pasona Group is a website that publishes news of and promotes the food, sights, and culture of Awaji Island to build a connection between islanders and travellers. The website has published its latest “Awaji Island New Report” showcasing what to enjoy on the island at the turn of spring. Let’s take a look.

Nijigen no Mori

Night Walk Hi no Tori – “SAKURA Night”

Nijigen no Mori is an anime on Awaji Island. Spring last year saw the Naruto & Boruto Shinobi-Zato attraction, and this summer will see the arrival of a life-sized Godzilla attraction. The new night attraction “Night Walk Hi no Tori” will also take place for a limited time as part of the “SAKURA Night” Instagram photo event which can be followed with the hashtag #nwsakura2020. The phoenix and cherry blossoms are the theme of this nighttime attraction. Those who post a photo of themselves at the event with the hashtag and receive the most likes will receive two tickets to stay at Hotel GRAND CHARIOT Hokutoshichisei 135° on Awaji Island. See the attraction and get pulled into a magical nightly world of cherry blossoms.

©TEZUKA PRODUCTIONS.

Address: 2425-2 Kusumoto, Awaji, Hyogo

Running: March 20, 2020 – April 30, 2020

Price: General – ¥2,500 / Children (5-11 Years Old) – ¥1,200 / Below 4 Years Old – Free (*Tax included in prices)

Times: 18:30 / 19:10 / 19:50 / 20:30

*Times subject to change depending on the time of sunsets – check the official website for information

Official Website: https://nijigennomori.com/

miele

Cherry Blossom Waffles – ¥1,800 (Before Tax)

Starting on April 1, the cafe Miele is serving up cherry blossom waffles for the spring season. They are topped with heart shaped marshmallows arranged to create cherry blossom petals, matcha ice cream daifuku, and cherry blossom flavoured roll cake. The hearty waffle servings are fluffy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, topped with delicious squirty cream.

Address: 785-9 Nojimahikinoura, Awaji, Hyogo

Running: April 1, 2020 – May 31, 2020

Opening Hours: 10:30-19:00

HELLO KITTY SHOW BOX

World Oldies Selection ~1964 TOKYO~

The official Hello Kitty theatre and restaurant HELLO KITTY SHOW BOX on Awaji Island is currently holding a new event titled World Oldies Selection ~1964 TOKYO~ where Hello Kitty and performers sing and dance to famous nostalgic songs that played during the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, like Poupée de cire, poupée de son, Land of 1,000 Dancers, and YMCA. It’s a beautiful performance that both kids and adults alike can enjoy.

©1976, 2020 SANRIO CO., LTD.　APPROVAL NO. G604668

Running: April 7, 2020

Opening Hours: 11,00-20:00 (Up to 3 performances per day)

Address: HELLO KITTY SHOW BOX, 177-5 Nojimahirabayashi, Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture

Website: https://awajiresort.com/hellokittyshowbox/

Craft Circus

Puppy Island Pizza – ¥480 (Before Tax)

Craft Circus reopened after renovations on February 15. The new “Wan-chan Shima Pizza” (Puppy Island Pizza) can be eaten by both you and your dog. It is made from rice flour produced on Awaji Island. You can pick from a variety of toppings and seafood, all of which are also from Awaji Island. It’s gluten free and can be served with low-salt mascarpone cheese, making it healthy for your dog to eat. A single slice is 15cm and it comes in a cute dog bone shape. It can also be ordered for takeout, so you can enjoy a Hanami picnic with your dog under the cherry blossom trees!

Address: 2-2 NojimahirabayashiAwaji, Hyogo

Opening Hours: 10:30-20:30 (Last Orders 18:30)

*Opening hours change depending on the season

Official site：https://awajicraftcircus.com/

With just a small bit of ingenuity, turn everyday food into something cute using Kaori’s easy recipe! With a few simple ideas, an ordinary recipe magically transforms into a cute dish.

Hinamatsuri is almost here, and I’ve got the perfect treat for this year’s festival: Hello Kitty Sushi Cakes. These Hello Kitty decorations can be made with basic Japanese ingredients, so follow along and try making them yourself.

1: Equipment/Ingredients

15cm cake tin

1 cup vinegared sushi rice

200g tuna

200g salmon

3 Japanese rolled omelettes (dashi-maki tamago)

20 beefsteak plant

Ikura salted salmon roe

Hanpen pounded fish cake

2:

Line a cake tin with baking sheet paper like in the photo. Use a cake tin with a detachable bottom spanning 15cm. In the case that you don’t have a cake tin with a detachable bottom, cover the bottom of your tin with cling film which will make it easy to remove everything afterwards.

3:

Cut Hello Kitty, flowers and other shapes into some hanpen pounded fish cake.

4:

Slice the tuna, salmon, and Japanese egg into cubes about 1.2cm each.

Pile the ingredients in this order: rice→tuna, salmon, and egg→rice. Refer to the photo below.

5:

Leave the ingredients exposed around the outside like so✨

6:

Top with the rest of the ingredients as you like.

7:

Finish by adding your Hello Kitties and flowers which you can decorate with leftovers, like the noses and middle of the flowers. I also used cucumber and crab sticks for the head decorations.

Kaori invites you into her world of character-themed food dishes in her recipe series. Be sure to check out her Instagram where she has uploaded many pictures of her character dishes!

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Chibi Maruko-chan anime adaptation, the franchise is teaming up with Sanrio’s internationally beloved character Hello Kitty.

For the collaboration, cute and original artwork has been created featuring Hello Kitty and Maruko-chan hanging out together in their everyday lives, a scene that’s sure to incite a sense of nostalgia to both kid and adult fans of the longtime anime series.

We see Maruko-chan wearing Hello Kitty’s iconic red ribbon, as well as Maruko’s grandpa Tomozo Sakura donning a hat inspired by Hello Kitty.

There’s also an illustration of the two friends drinking milk bottles together which they bought from Mitsuya in the background, a candy shop that appears in the Chibi Maruko-chan seires.  If you look closely you can see Noguchi peeking her head from behind the shop.

A special lottery draw is set to roll out in Japan at Sanrio stores, department stores stocking Sanrio products, Lawson, MiniStop, Daily Yamazaki, bookstores, and elsewhere from early June 2020. Fans are guaranteed to win a prize, which includes a line-up of nine items as well as a special top prize. Merchandise includes a takoyaki machine, hot plate, bath towel, and more.

Following the lottery draw, more exciting things are set to take place as part of the collaboration.

ⓒ Sakura Production / Nippon Animation

ⓒ 1976, 2020 SANRIO CO.,LTD. TOKYO,JAPAN 　著作：株式会社サンリオ

Two new figurines have been revealed by BANDAI SPIRITS, which sees the worlds of Hello Kitty and Gundam come together as part of the longtime selling brand Chogokin (“Super Alloy”) which has been selling since 1974. The figures will go on sale in Japan and 22 countries around the world in July 2020.

In April 2019, a projected began entitled Gundam vs Hello Kitty, which we covered throughout its run in detail. In the end, Gundam came out victorious, but both competitors made peace and began a new project named “Gundam x Hello Kitty Love & Peace.” The two figurines are the first realisation of that new project.

In 2014, Chogokin celebrated its 40th anniversary, the year in which Hello Kitty celebrated her own 40th anniversary too, from which the incredibly popular “Chogokin Hello Kitty” was released. Last year, Mobile Suit Gundam commemorated its own 40 years since its release. The two figures are based on Amuro Ray’s RX-78-2 Gundam and Char Aznable’s MS-06S Zaku II which appear in the original series.

Over on the product website, you can watch a short animation showcasing the two figures, so be sure to check it out.

©Sotsu Co., Ltd. ・Sunrise ©1976, 2020 SANRIO CO., LTD.

Sanrio is teaming up with Japan’s longtime loved snack maker Ginbis to release a new line of 11 products featuring Hello Kitty. They will go on sale from February 6, 2020 at Sanrio shops across Japan, the online store, and select stores stocking Sanrio products. The collaboration combines the deliciousness of their biscuits, which are a nostalgic snack for Japanese people, with the cuteness of Hello Kitty.

The snack in question is the butter flavour of the popular longtime selling biscuit Tabekko Doubutsu, which are light to eat and come in cute animal shapes with the name of the animal written on them. Hello Kitty is a character known the world over, who celebrated her 45th anniversary last year. But the collaborative product line doesn’t just include the biscuits – it includes merchandise too which will be sold as gift sets.

Plastic Mug (2 Designs) & Tabekko Doubutsu Biscuits – ¥700 Each

Two exclusive designs were created for the plastic mugs, including one with Hello Kitty flying an aeroplane over the animals, and the other with her face mixed in with the biscuit shapes.

*Please note that the biscuit packs do not come with biscuits of Hello Kitty’s face

Mascot Holder & Tabekko Doubutsu Biscuits – ¥1,650

Mini Handbags (2 Designs) & Tabekko Doubutsu Biscuits – ¥1,100 Each

The mascot holder features Hello Kitty covered in biscuits, and the mini handbags come in the same designs as the plastic mugs. There are also pouches, mini purses, and more, for a total of 11 different items.

Treat yourself or your Valentine’s Day sweetheart to an item in this kawaii new collaboration from Sanrio and Ginbis.

©️’76,‘20SANRIO ©️Ginbis

*All listed prices include tax

Sanrio opened a new gift shop called Sanrio Gift Gate in Ueno on January 24, 2020. This is the 107th branch of the gift shop to open in Japan, following the openning of the Asakusa branch which opened in Asakusa last year. Aimed at tourists both Japanese and foreign, it sells merchandise of Sanrio’s popular cast of characters.

You can’t miss the shop as a giant Pompompurin embracing a panda suit-clad Hello Kitty are waiting to greet you at the entrance. The panda is a symbol of Ueno due to Ueno Zoo housing giant pandas.

The souvenir shop features a range of Ueno exclusives, including a line-up of six popular Sanrio characters wearing panda outfits.

Plush Toys (6 Designs) – ¥2,200 Each / Small Plush Toys (6 Designs) – ¥1,760 Each

Who could resist one of these cute toys? The bigger ones at 16cm tall and the small ones 11cm. The line-up includes fan favourites Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Kuromi, and Pochacco.

There’s also pop-up cards with a variety of designs, including one that opens up into Ameya-Yokochō open-air market, another that turns into Hello Kitty and a panda sat down, and more.

Edo-Tamagawaya x Hello Kitty Pink Tonkotsu Ramen – ¥390

Budoonoki Sanrio Character Baumkuchen – ¥594 Each (Hello Kitty/My Melody/Pompompurin/Cinnamoroll)

The Salt Industry Center of Japan x Hello Kitty Table Salt – ¥248

There’s also food and snacks amongst a whole range of other goodies, all perfect as gifts and souvenirs.

Be sure to stop by Sanrio Gift Plaza the next time you’re in Ueno.

ⓒ 1976, 1996, 2020 SANRIO CO.,LTD. TOKYO, JAPAN  Original Text: SANRIO CO.,LTD.

*All listed prices include tax. Sold items receive stock turnovers.

Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll and Pompompurin are the latest to be picked up by character-inspired Japanese confectionery series Tabemas. These wagashi sweets will go on sale at Lawson convenience stores across Japan (excluding Lawson Store 100 branches) on January 21, 2020.

The character line-up is based on the top three winners of the 2019 Sanrio Character Awards which we covered last summer. Hello Kitty came first place at the awards, and so she has gotten a special limited edition design for the sweets series. Cinnamoroll was second on the award list, and this is his first time joining Tabemas. Third place was Pompompurin who appears once again with Tabemas due to his popularity.

The ‘Tabemas’ brand name is an abbreviation of the Japanese words taberareru masukotto, meaning ‘mascots that you can eat.’ It is a Japanese confectionery series that combines well-known characters and Japanese sweets made from ingredients like red bean paste, sugar and rice flour. The sweets are also made with a dough called “nerikiri” which is used in making traditional Japanese wagashi sweets.

In line with the Year of the Rat in the Chinese zodiac, Hello Kitty is donning a kawaii rat outfit. Cinnamoroll’s charm point is his big ears and pink cheeks.

Each confection is filled with a different flavour bean paste: Hello Kitty is cheese, Cinamoroll is milk, and Pompompurin is of course Japanese custard pudding, or ‘purin,’ flavoured. They maintain that delicate flavour of traditional Japanese wagashi while having cute contemporary designs. You’ll be happy to know that all of the colouring is natural tooーno synthetic colours were added.

Perfect as a delicious treat, but don’t forget to snap a photo for Instagram first! Each of them is also limited in stock, so don’t miss your chance to grab one at the nearest Lawson store to you while in Japan.

© ’76,’96,’01,’20 SANRIO APPR.NO.S604062

Akihabara’s popular maid café @Home Cafe is partnering up with the world’s favourite Sanrio character Hello Kitty, creating a beautiful collaboration café that will open on January 21 and run for a limited time. The new café will see a new original menu, café-limited goods and much more.

@Home Cafe collaborated with Sanrio characters My Melody and Cinnamoroll in 2018, and with Pompompurin in 2019. Each year, the collaboration café was very popular. As 2020 marks the year of the Tokyo 2020 Games, Sanrio has stepped up their game, sending in their legendary Hello Kitty to the café to ensure that 2020 is celebrated to the max.

The collaboration café features illustrations of Hello Kitty and her twin sister Mimmy dressed as maids and serving customers in the café. The collaboration café will see the walls dressed in pink and yellow gingham checkered patterns and lots of sweet and cute illustrations.

Hello Kitty’s KAWAII ♡ Pink Curry (Comes with Certificate Card): ¥1,400

Hello Kitty and Mimmy’s Moe Moe Ribbon Pasta Plate: ¥1,300

Hello Kitty’s Lovely Sandwich with Sweet and Sour Soup: ¥1,300

Hello Kitty’s Moe Moe Parfait: ¥1,000　Mimmy’s Kyun Kyun Parfait: ¥1,000

Bright Red Apple Okyumuka Cake: ¥1,000

As the café’s main theme is “moe” (feeling of strong affection),  Hello Kitty and Mimmy are sure to enhance your moe experience to the max.

Masters and mistresses who visit the café will also be presented with one of two designs of free collaboration placemat.

There are three varieties of original drink coasters at the café too. Masters and mistresses who order a drink will be given one for free.

Lunch Tote Bag: ¥1,500

Acrylic Keyings (Three Varieties): ¥600 Each

The café is also full of a wide range of collaboration merchandise so make sure to check them out after filling up on some delicious kawaii food.

The maids at the café will also be wearing original Hello Kitty and Mimmy-themed maid outfits that you just cannot miss if you are a Hello Kitty fan.

*All prices stated above are prices before tax.

*The English names of the dishes and merchandise mentioned above have been translated.

©1976,2020 SANRIO CO., LTD. APPROVAL NO.S603899

Sanrio has announced a new Doraemon and Hello Kitty design series which is set to be released on December 26 at Sanrio stores across Japan, as well as department stores stocking Sanrio goods and the Sanrio online shop.

The Doraemon x Hello Kitty collaboration project began in 2015. Both characters have come to be symbols of Japan adored by all generations, with the Doraemon manga series set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year, and Hello Kitty having celebrated hers this year. The project is now expanding its range for all the grown-ups that were raised on both franchises.

Hello Kitty Mascot Holder – ¥1,980

Doraemon Mascot Holder – ¥1,980

This marks the 4th Doraemon and Hello Kitty collaborative design series developed by the Sanrio shop. All the merchandise incorporates fun and instantly-recognisable motifs from the characters, like Doraemon’s secret gadgets and Hello Kitty’s ribbon.

Reversible Cushion – ¥3,080

Handbag – ¥2,200

A5 Notebook – ¥605

The cute mascot holders see Hello Kitty borrowing Doraemon’s bell and takecopter and Doraemon with Kitty’s ribbon. This adorable feature follows into the designs of the other items too, like the reversible cushion which turns inside out into either the Doraemon or Hello Kitty design. There’s lots of items in the line-up besides that shown here too, including pens and more.

Don’t miss out on this sweet collection.

*All prices include tax

©️Fujiko-Pro ©️’76, ’19 SANRIO

The official Hello Kitty theatre and restaurant HELLO KITTY SHOW BOX on Awaji Island saw a grand opening full of excitement and emotion in August 2019. Hello Kitty is now greeting fans with song and dance every day at the new event HELLO KITTY GREETING SHOW which started on December 1. 

Hello Kitty, who realised her dream of becoming a pianist, will perform on stage, showing off her beautiful voice and flawless dancing. The show is interactive and invites the audience to join her fun world. 

After the show, there is the chance to have your photo taken with the star herself in the greeting event.

If you’re a fan, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to get closer to Hello Kitty.

© 1976, 2019 SANRIO CO., LTD.　APPROVAL NO. G603369

一The Japan Shopping Tourism Organization (JSTO) has announced that it will hold an event titled “Japan Shopping Festival” aimed at foreign tourists in Japan from December 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020.

①Questionnaire Campaign

A questionnaire will be carried out for non-Japanese travellers to win round-trip tickets to Japan. Travellers will be selected randomly from a lucky draw.

②Instagram Photo Contest

Follow Japan Shopping Festival on Instagram and post photos related to the designated themes with the hashtag #jsfphoto. The themes are: ①Memories of what you bought and experienced in Japan, ②Your favourite fruits in Japan, and ③Good things about Japan you want to boast.

③Coupons, Goods & Experiences

Japan Shopping Now is one of Japan’s biggest online shopping portal sites, and they are now promoting information on Japanese shopping overseas in English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean. This includes coupons, sales, and more at almost 1,000 participating stores.

④Special Events

・Japan Shopping Festival Tohoku (December 1, 2019 – February 29, 2020)

This shopping festival will take place at 6 prefectures across Tohoku. Discover Japanese confectioneries, fashion, sake, fruit and more, including a tie-up with JR EAST PASS.

Official Website:  http://tohoku.japanshopping.org/

・Matsuyama Shopping Festival (December 1, 2019 – March 31, 2020)

From Okaido Shopping Street to Matsuyama Gintengai Shopping Arcade, Matsuchika Town, and more, look forward to end-of-year lucky draws, food events, shopping, and so on.

Official Website:  http://matsuyama.japanshopping.org/

Discover the wonders of shopping in Japan and learn more about the country with the Japan Shopping Festival.

Confectionery company Nakataya has teamed up with Sanrio to release the Hello Kitty Kintsuba.

Kintsuba is a type of traditional Japanese confection of sweet beans wrapped in wheat-flour dough. Nakataya is famous for their kintsuba, which are made with large-grained beans and red bean paste. They have maintained the flavour and quality of these confections, each of which is made with the utmost precision, and all individually.

This year marks the 85th anniversary since Nakataya opened. The long-standing store hopes to bring in more foreign and younger customers by collaborating with Hello Kitty.

They have crafted several flavours. Pictured above is the apple pie flavour, Hello Kitty’s favourite. It’s made with fuji apples from Aomori Prefecture which is known for its incredible apples. It’s mixed with white bean paste and is lightly flavoured with cinnamon.

The mixed berry flavour is a fruity sweet and sour mix of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries which have been mashed together with white bean paste.

The confection comes in two kinds of packaging: one designed by Nakataya’s founder Nakata (中田憲龍), and a Hello Kitty version where she is dressed as a dragonーa symbol of the shop. This is a completely original Hello Kitty design made specially for the collaboration.

The outer packaging is made with a wrapping cloth to both pass down an aspect of traditional Japanese culture while also catering to the eco-friendly lifestyle of the modern age. It’s made from amuzen fabric and can be reused. The inner packaging is a simple paper tray so can be recycled. And if you take the wrapping cloth back to the store, they can refill it with the three Hello Kitty kintsuba confections at a discounted price.