Japan’s luxury character jewellery brand U-TREASURE, which creates accessories for character-loving adults, released a new collection of Hello Kitty-inspired necklaces on Tuesday which are available for a limited time until May 25.

The necklaces feature a simple design with a single diamond stone tipped with Hello Kitty’s ribbon. The necklaces come in various versions including platinum, yellow gold, pink gold, and also silver with cubic zirconia. The collection is available to purchase at U-TREASURE’s concept store in Ikebukuro and their online shop.

<Hello Kitty Ribbon Necklaces> Platinum 950: ¥88,000 / K18 Yellow Gold, K18 Pink Gold: ¥88,000 / Silver & Cubic Zirconia: ¥16,500

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Shiseido’s self-makeup brand INTERGRATE is set to release select beauty products with limited-edition Hello Kitty packaging on May 21. The theme of the collection is Meet “LOVELY.” In the run up to its release, Hello Kitty cans can enjoy three filters of the popular Sanrio character over on INTERGRATE’s official Instagram page.

INTERGRATE Limited-Edition Pro Finish Foundation Special Set K (2 Types) | ¥1,430 Each (Tax Included)

Colour palette

INTERGRATE Limited-Edition Pro Liquid Special Set K | ¥1,760 Each (Tax Included)

Colour palette

INTERGRATE Limited-Edition Water Jelly Crush Special Set K (2 Types) | ¥2,200 Each (Tax Included)

Colour palette

INTERGRATE Limited-Edition Triple Recipe Eyes Special Set K (2 Types) | ¥2,200 Each (Tax Included)

Colour palette

The limited-edition designs feature Hello Kitty and her cute friends who are ready to help you apply your makeup. The collection focuses on three each of INTERGRATE’s iconic foundations and eye shadows. This includes the Pro Finish series which has foundation in a compact case, durable liquid foundation, and water jelly crush. Pick from three foundations too which come in a triple set. For this limited-edition collaboration, you can enjoy the pink PK704 and brown BR703, both of which are popular colours.

This summer, Southern Tower Dining and Lounge South Court—both of which are located inside Odakyu Hotel Century Southern Tower—are serving up a fluffy matcha shaved ice dessert called Wa -Nagomi- from June 1 to September 30.

Southern Tower’s Famous Fluffy Light Snowfall Wa -Nagomi- Shaved Ice | Eat In ¥1,470, Takeout ¥700

The matcha-flavoured shaved ice has a texture as light and fluffy as snow. As you spoon through the dessert your taste buds are met with a range of delicious tastes and textures like the Japanese rice flour confection known as gyuhi, winter melon syrup, black soybean flour ice cream, and cream.

The dessert can also be ordered for takeout. The black soy bean flour ice cream adds a crunchy cereal-like texture to the soft shaved ice, and with the takeout option, there’s also chocolate-coated wheat bran and brown sugar syrup.

Samrio Puroland is teaming up with mysta to recruit Puro Boys and Puro Girls for the Sanrio-themed theme park. Auditions are currently taking place on the audition app mysta, with the cut-off dates for Puro Girls as June 6 and Puro Boys as June 13.

Winners that are selected will perform alongside Sanrio characters at Puroland’s events, appear in videos on the park’s official YouTube channel, and more. The song and choreography that participants must follow was created by people who compose and create choreography for Puroland’s shows. These same people will be judging applicants.

Do you have what it takes to be a Puro Boy or Puro Girl?

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Japanese virtual dance and vocal unit Beatcats released their fourth digital single, Colourful Days, on April 22 across music streaming and download services. The five-member feline pop band were created by SEGA Toys and Sanrio, the latter of which is known for such characters as Hello Kitty and My Melody, in 2020.

The single’s full music video is yet to be released—all we have for now is a teaser—but happySEEONE, who is known for creating dances for numerous K-pop groups, released a choreography video to the track on the official Beatcats YouTube page. Additionally, Colourful Days and the cat band’s three previous singles are now available at JOYSOUND, a Japanese online karaoke service. To promote the new song, a new collection of merch has also dropped.

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Colourful Days: The 4th Single

Colourful Days is a feel-good song aimed at cheering up emotionally-explosive teenagers. It takes all the feelings towards love and friendship such as fun, happiness, sadness, and worry, and mixes them all together to create a colourful dye that represents the self. It’s a a cute pop number with a dance-inducing beat and of course showcases all five of the Beatcats members’ unique voices. The music video is yet to be released as of posting this article, but you can listen to the song now on Spotify, Apple Music, and elsewhere.

Music Video Teaser & Dance Video

While you wait for the music video, check out the teaser below, as well as a choreography video by happySEEONE which has the dances for all five members. If you’re looking for a new dance to learn, let it be this one!

Beatcats – “Colourful Days” Music Video Teaser

New Beatcats Merchandise

Grab Beatcats’ new merch drop in promotion of the new single which is perfect for the spring season.

Mini Key Rings | ¥308 Each (Tax Included)

Stick Key Rings | ¥660 Each (Tax Included)

Tape Key Rings | ¥880 Each (Tax Included)

Scrunchie | ¥990 Each (Tax Included)

Hairbands | ¥1,320 Each (Tax Included)

Turbans | ¥1,430 Each (Tax Included)

From Hello Kitty to Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, and more – Sanrio’s internationally adored cast of characters can be universally agreed to be representatives of Japan culture of ‘kawaii.’ In celebration of Sanrio’s 60th anniversary, the company have announced an exhibition centred on the beginning of kawaii culture. The event will take place at TOKYO CITY VIEW from September 17, 2021 to January 10, 2022.

60th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii is currently taking place at Matsuzakaya Art Gallery in Nagoya until June 12 and will move to Ōita Prefectural Art Museum where it will run from July 10 to September 5 before heading to TOKYO CITY VIEW.

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This exhibition will not only look back over Sanrio’s 60-year history, but will also dive into how Japan’s culture of ‘kawaii’ came about. Fans of Sanrio and Japan’s kawaii can expect product and design showcases, in-depth explanations, and more.

Over 800 products, documents, and materials related to Sanrio will be presented, many of which will shine a spotlight on some of their most famous characters out of their roster of 400, such as Hello Kitty and My Melody, and other characters that might not be known to those outside Japan such as best friends Patty & Jimmy.

What to look out for at Sanrio’s 60th anniversary exhibition

Unforgettable Tower by Sebastian Masuda

Sebastian Masuda, a pioneer of kawaii culture, will showcase his symbolic art pieces at the event at TOKYO CITY VIEW’s observation deck, combining his iconic work against a breathtaking background.

The Beginning of Kawaii

Learn about the history of Sanrio’s culture of kawaii, beginning as a service to ‘move people’s hearts’ through gifts and products. Visitors will get a chance to see the secrets of Sanrio’s iconic style which draw a line under fancy products from other companies.

There will also be a chance to see Japanese illustrators Takashi Yanase, Ado Mizumori, and Rune Naito’s work with Sanrio.

The Birth of the Characters

What makes something kawaii or not kawaii? Why do characters not necessarily need to have a story to become so popular? These questions are more will be answered as the exhibition looks at the birth of Sanrio’s characters.

Sanrio’s Characters

How did their hit characters come to be? During the 1980’s, Japan was a warzone for characters. Sanrio changed how characters became popular, moving from characters that were popular with everyone to creating characters that people wanted for themselves – their own personal characters. Discover how Sanrio’s long list of characters came about, including ones that have stood the test of time and ones that have declined in popularity.

Ichigo Shimbun

Ichigo Shimbun is a magazine published by Sanrio all about Sanrio and their characters – a familiar read to all fans in Japan. The magazine will be featured at the exhibition.

Hello Kitty: The Character Who Turned Into a Global Icon

Hello Kitty is known the world over, with even Lady Gaga having worn a dress of Hello Kitty plush toys in the past. This dress will be exhibited at the event, amongst many other things related to Sanrio’s global idol.

A Battle Between Artists

Artists from various artistic background will participate in the exhibition by creating a range of different Sanrio works. Participating artists and their specialities include Ryūsuke Fukahori (objects), Hajime Nakatomi (bamboo art), Takaya Mori (sculptor), Mio Hashimoto (sculptor), and Risa Fukui (paper cut-outs).

In promotion of the latest entry to the Detective Conan anime film series, Detective Conan: The Scarlet Bullet, which was released on March 18, Bandai released two traditional Japanese wagashi sweets from its Tabemas confection series at 7-Eleven convenience stores in Japan on April 23.

Tabemas Detective Conan 2021

Conan Edogawa

Shuichi Akai

‘Tabemas’ 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.

The sweets feature titular character Conan Edogawa and FBI agent Shuichi Akai from the new film, recreating their looks in adorable detail and making the custard and chocolate flavoured respectively. The colours of the confections are naturally-derived from the ingredients used, meaning no artificial colourings are used.

(C)青山剛昌／小学館・読売テレビ・TMS 1996

The Romancecar Museum in Japan opened its doors to the public on Monday, and as a special collaboration, the museum has teamed up with Sanrio to release an exclusive collection of merchandise featuring Hello Kitty, Pochacco, Cinna,oroll, Pompompurin, Badtz-Maru, and other characters by Sanrio.

Hello Kitty Plush Box | ¥3,080 (Tax Included)

Train Car Model Magnets: SE 3000/SSE 3000/NSE 3100/LSE 7000/HiSE 10000/RSE 20000/VSE 50000/GSE 70000 – ¥550 Each (Tax Included)

Sanrio Characters Souvenir Bag | ¥880 (Tax Included)

The line-up includes a Hello Kitty plush packaged in a box inspired by the GSE 70000 Odakyu Romancecar train model, a selection of magnets, a bag with the Sanrio characters wearing train staff uniform, and more.

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©️ 2021 Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.

Sanrio released their own Google AR features which has Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Little Twin Stars, and Cogimyun appear as AR characters when you search their names in Japanese on Google. The release comes in response to fans being unable to meet with their favourite characters at various events and at Sanrio’s parks. The function is available until the end of 2021.

When users type Hello Kitty (ハローキティ) on their smartphones into Google and press the AR button on the search engine, she will appear on their screens and say a message either in Japanese or English. Pompompurin and Cogimyun’s messages are only in Japanese, while the Kiki and Lala sing a theme song when you enter Little Twin Stars.

Spend time with your favourite characters in all situations

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Japanese media and entertainment company Smarprise launched a new subscription box on Saturday featuring Fate/Grand Order illustrations produced by Sanrio.

The items come as part of the company’s “Surprise Box” subscription service where users receive random items themed around their likes. Each delivery is a complete surprise which is all part of the fun.

Fate / Grand Order Design produced by Sanrio」サプライズボックス 9,350円／3,850円（税込）

Surprise Box: ¥9,350 (Tax Included) / ¥3,850 (Tax Included)

The new entry to the service is themed on the popular smartphone RPG Fate/Grand Order with designs produced by Sanrio, who are known for creating famous characters like Hello Kitty. The box, which ships every two months, will include acrylic stands, calendar postcards, and a set of square pins.

Bandai released a new chewy and delicious custard pudding-flavoured confection at Lawson convenience stores in Japan on Tuesday in celebration of Pompompurin’s 25th anniversary, the popular character by Sanrio.

Mochi Mochi Pompompurin Yaki Pudding Flavour | ¥158 (Tax Included)

The cute confection is made to look like Pompompurin laying down. The chewy delight is filled with Japanese custard pudding-flavoured cream.

The packaging also features limited-edition artwork for Purin’s 25th year milestone where he is joined by his cute furry friends.

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Akihabara’s premiere maid café chain “@home café” announced last month the opening of a permanent maid café themed on Sanrio’s popular character Pompompurin. The café is set to open along Harajuku’s famous Takeshita Street on April 14, 2021.

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@home café has collaborated with many of Sanrio’s popular characters in the past at its Akihabara-based café branches such as Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, and of course Pompompurin, but this time the collaboration is flying out of Akiba and straight into the heart of Japanese pop culture: Harajuku.

This new Pompompurin Café is themed on Pompompurin throwing a party for everyone—that’s you and your friends. It’s a place for Purin to deliver happiness to all who visit in the form of cute and tasty food.

Of course, the @home café maids will also be present, and all wearing original maid uniforms coloured like Pompompurin.

A little look at some things on the menu

The Food

Soufflé Omurice | ¥1,450

Butter Chicken Curry | ¥1,300

The Desserts

Pompompurin Pudding | ¥700

Chocolate Banana Mountain Waffle | ¥1,200

The Drinks

Custard Pudding Latte | ¥850

Muffin’s Caffe Mocha | ¥850

Take a commemorative photo

For just ¥550, you can take a chekki photo at the café. It comes with café-original stickers and paper. For an extra ¥300, you can take a photo with one of the maids.

Pompompurin Birthday Party

April 16 is Pompompurin’s birthday, so on that day the café will have a special dessert prepared (which you can see below) along with novelties for customers, new decorations, and more.

Pompompurin’s Birthday Dessert

Special Birthday Parfait | ¥1,700 | Serving: April 14, 2021 – April 30, 2021

Birthday Novelty

To commemorate Pompompurin’s birthday and the opening of the café, all visitors will receive the pin below for free.

Pompompurin will visit the café

On the evening on April 16, Pompompurin will visit the cafe for his birthday to celebrate with everyone. Details and bookings can be found here in Japanese.