The little kawaii cat Hello Kitty has now achieved international fame. There are fans all over the world who are only too happy to come to Japan to visit one of the many attractions. A new fan destination is coming soon.
The cute ambassador of Japanese pop culture was invented in 1974 by the illustrator Yuko Shimizu. She brought the design company Sanrio a steadily growing range of fan products. From keychains to wallets. There are even cars and Shinkansen in the Hello Kitty design. Now the cat can look forward to its own apple-design viewing platform.
New attraction for Awaji and Hello Kitty fans
The Hello Kitty Apple House is set to become the world’s largest apple-shaped observation deck and is being built on Awaji Island in Kansai. The new attraction, which also includes a restaurant, is scheduled to open at the end of April. Special Hello Kitty dishes are on the menu, so that visitors can let themselves be carried away directly into the mascot’s kawaii world.
The apple restaurant was created in cooperation with the already existing theme restaurants “Hello Kitty Smile” and “Show Box”. The platform is set to become part of Hello Kitty Awaji Apple Land on the island. A special projection technique introduces visitors to the colorful dream world of Sanrio. Various cooperations between the platform and the other bars are also planned.
At the top of the apple house there is a 15 meter high viewing platform that allows an unobstructed view of the site. The sea at Akashi Strait can also be seen from there. The street is one of Japan’s top 100 best places to watch the sunset. You can also see the roof of the show box restaurant, which looks like Hello Kitty’s head.
Exclusive cooperations planned
For the Apple House special dishes were created that are only offered there and were inspired by the apple-shaped design. At the stores at the neighboring Hello Kitty Show Box, fans can stock up on a range of limited-time memorabilia designed especially for the opening. During the opening, Hello Kitty Awaji Apple Land will also be offering special tickets that allow entry to all three attractions.
The Hello Kitty Apple House is set to open to the public at the end of April. It can accommodate a maximum of 100 visitors and is open every day except Wednesday. Admission to all three attractions costs 7,400 yen (about 55 euros) for adults (children aged 13 and over) and 3,330 yen (about 24.50 euros) for children between 4 and 12 years of age. If you want to visit the Apple House alone, you have to budget 1,200 yen (about 9 euros) as an adult. Admission for smaller children costs 500 yen (about 4 euros).
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