Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Summary:
In this episode, we are taking you to Sanrio Puroland. It takes about an hour by train from Tokyo to get to the theme park. Unfortunately, driving will take about the same amount of time. There are limited parking spaces, but you can find a paid parking lot a few minutes away, provided by an onsen bath store.
I would say Puroland is perfect for families with small kids. As parents, you'll love it because your kids will be having a great time. Even if you come without kids, I think you'll enjoy the decorations, the art, and the effort people have put into this place. It's very much like how we appreciate Small World at Disney.
After Sanrio Puroland, we headed to the Ghibli Museum. We weren't able to reserve tickets directly from the official website, but we managed to join a local tour that included tickets. No filming is allowed inside the museum, but from the footage outside, you can sense the deep work that went into building this museum.
To finish up our day, we went for a seafood buffet in Ginza. We arrived pretty late, but the owner was nice enough to let us stay for the full hour to enjoy our meal. He constantly checked on us and made sure we had enough of what we liked since the refill schedule was slowing down by that hour.
I hope you enjoy the journey with us. Please leave comments, subscribe, and like. I really appreciate it.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Sanrio Puroland (Hello Kitty Land):
Q: What is Sanrio Puroland really like? Is it just for little kids? A: I used to think it was just a big Chuck E. Cheese with Hello Kitty, but it's not! It's a full-on indoor theme park with rides, games, and big, Disney-style shows. My wife is a huge Hello Kitty fan and she loved it. I also saw a lot of teens and adults dressed up, and it seems like a very popular place just to take pictures.
Q: You mentioned your teenager was with you. Did she enjoy it? A: Yes, she did! Even as a young teenager, she still really appreciated all the artwork. She wasn't really interested in lining up to take photos with the characters anymore, but she had a good time.
Q: What was the food like at Sanrio Puroland? A: Honestly, this was the one part I wasn't a fan of. The food looked amazing—it was all beautifully decorated in character themes. But I just didn't enjoy the actual taste or texture. My tip would be to go for the cute desserts, but plan to save your appetite and have a real dinner outside the park.
Q: How easy is it to get to Sanrio Puroland from Tokyo? A: It's a bit of a trip, but totally doable. It's not in central Tokyo, but you can get there by train from Shinjuku Station. It takes about 45-50 minutes with a transfer, but it's a pretty straightforward route.
About the Ghibli Museum:
Q: What was the Ghibli Museum like? A: It was a really nice, quiet break in our day. It's not a "theme park" at all; it's a beautiful museum that's more about the history and process of animation, using Ghibli films to show how it's done. I've heard you're not allowed to take photos inside, which is why my video is just of the outside.
Q: Is it hard to get tickets for the Ghibli Museum? A: Yes, this is the most important tip! You must buy tickets in advance; you can't get them at the museum. Tickets go on sale at a specific time (usually the 10th of the month for the entire next month) and they sell out in just a few minutes. You have to be online right when they're released. It's much harder to get tickets for the museum than for Ghibli Park.
About That Amazing Dinner:
Q: You looked so tired! Where did you end up for dinner? A: I know, our biggest problem on that trip was not planning enough time to just sit down and eat!. We were staying in the Ginza area, so we found a seafood buffet nearby. It was exactly what we needed. I'll leave the details for it in the description section of that video!.
Sanrio Puroland
en.puroland.jp/language
Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館)
ghibli-museum.jp
Ghibli Museum Local Tour
kkday.com/en-us/product/148232-tokyo-mitaka-ghibli-museum-inokashira-park-half-day-tour-japan
Buffet : (銀座八芳)
ginzahappo.owst.jp/courses
Sanrio Puroland Walkthrough Videos
youtu.be/buqvUn8Ku6E
youtu.be/Y0h5JRPZFvk
Summary:
In this episode, we are taking you to Sanrio Puroland. It takes about an hour by train from Tokyo to get to the theme park. Unfortunately, driving will take about the same amount of time. There are limited parking spaces, but you can find a paid parking lot a few minutes away, provided by an onsen bath store.
I would say Puroland is perfect for families with small kids. As parents, you'll love it because your kids will be having a great time. Even if you come without kids, I think you'll enjoy the decorations, the art, and the effort people have put into this place. It's very much like how we appreciate Small World at Disney.
After Sanrio Puroland, we headed to the Ghibli Museum. We weren't able to reserve tickets directly from the official website, but we managed to join a local tour that included tickets. No filming is allowed inside the museum, but from the footage outside, you can sense the deep work that went into building this museum.
To finish up our day, we went for a seafood buffet in Ginza. We arrived pretty late, but the owner was nice enough to let us stay for the full hour to enjoy our meal. He constantly checked on us and made sure we had enough of what we liked since the refill schedule was slowing down by that hour.
I hope you enjoy the journey with us. Please leave comments, subscribe, and like. I really appreciate it.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Sanrio Puroland (Hello Kitty Land):
Q: What is Sanrio Puroland really like? Is it just for little kids? A: I used to think it was just a big Chuck E. Cheese with Hello Kitty, but it's not! It's a full-on indoor theme park with rides, games, and big, Disney-style shows. My wife is a huge Hello Kitty fan and she loved it. I also saw a lot of teens and adults dressed up, and it seems like a very popular place just to take pictures.
Q: You mentioned your teenager was with you. Did she enjoy it? A: Yes, she did! Even as a young teenager, she still really appreciated all the artwork. She wasn't really interested in lining up to take photos with the characters anymore, but she had a good time.
Q: What was the food like at Sanrio Puroland? A: Honestly, this was the one part I wasn't a fan of. The food looked amazing—it was all beautifully decorated in character themes. But I just didn't enjoy the actual taste or texture. My tip would be to go for the cute desserts, but plan to save your appetite and have a real dinner outside the park.
Q: How easy is it to get to Sanrio Puroland from Tokyo? A: It's a bit of a trip, but totally doable. It's not in central Tokyo, but you can get there by train from Shinjuku Station. It takes about 45-50 minutes with a transfer, but it's a pretty straightforward route.
About the Ghibli Museum:
Q: What was the Ghibli Museum like? A: It was a really nice, quiet break in our day. It's not a "theme park" at all; it's a beautiful museum that's more about the history and process of animation, using Ghibli films to show how it's done. I've heard you're not allowed to take photos inside, which is why my video is just of the outside.
Q: Is it hard to get tickets for the Ghibli Museum? A: Yes, this is the most important tip! You must buy tickets in advance; you can't get them at the museum. Tickets go on sale at a specific time (usually the 10th of the month for the entire next month) and they sell out in just a few minutes. You have to be online right when they're released. It's much harder to get tickets for the museum than for Ghibli Park.
About That Amazing Dinner:
Q: You looked so tired! Where did you end up for dinner? A: I know, our biggest problem on that trip was not planning enough time to just sit down and eat!. We were staying in the Ginza area, so we found a seafood buffet nearby. It was exactly what we needed. I'll leave the details for it in the description section of that video!.
Sanrio Puroland
en.puroland.jp/language
Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館)
ghibli-museum.jp
Ghibli Museum Local Tour
kkday.com/en-us/product/148232-tokyo-mitaka-ghibli-museum-inokashira-park-half-day-tour-japan
Buffet : (銀座八芳)
ginzahappo.owst.jp/courses
Sanrio Puroland Walkthrough Videos
youtu.be/buqvUn8Ku6E
youtu.be/Y0h5JRPZFvk
