We met Kuromi! Welcome to the best day ever at Sanrio Puroland, Tokyo’s Hello Kitty theme park.

Read on for our fever dream-like visit to Puroland, along with other adorable pop culture and art attractions in Tokyo — including the Yayoi Kusama Museum, and Takashi Murakami’s Nakano cafe (Coffee Zingaro!). And I’ll show you inside my boutique hotels, The Royal Park Canvas Ginza Corridor and Ginza 8 (#PR).

Did you know Tokyo has a Hello Kitty amusement park? Located at Tama Station, Sanrio Puroland is a kawaii dreamland filled with your favourite mascots.

As you can see in my Insta video, the park had special events, food and merch for “Puro Halloween” throughout October. (They have various seasonal celebrations year-round.)

It’s easy to get to Puroland – from Shinjuku, it’s about 30 minutes to Keio Tama Center Station on the Keio Line, or Odakyu Tama Center on the Odakyu Line. Take a short walk and you can’t miss the bridge to the rainbow entrance.

For Halloween, the theme park released special edition spooky goods starring Kuromi, the impish skull-wearing rival of My Melody.

Kuromi is a favorite among Goths, of course… although all the Sanrio characters look fab dressed in witch hats and Gothic Lolita dresses!

Sanrio Puroland opened in 1990, and has been popular with fans ever since. Many dress up as their favorite characters to visit the indoor park.

Puroland only has a few rides, and lines can be long — so we opted to simply walk around and enjoy the cute shops and photo-locations, like this Cinnamonroll fuzzy bus.

Of course, you can’t miss the gift stores, which are decorated to the nines (like this balcony with a Hello Kitty royal wedding).

The food area serves dishes themed after the mascots, of course.

For Halloween, Puroland had these Kuromi and My Melody curry dishes, with ham and cheese cut-outs… Let’s just say this looks cuter than it tasted!

If you’re a fan of the Hello Kitty universe, you can’t miss Sanrio Puroland when you’re in Tokyo. Check out their site for opening tours, tickets, and more.

Thank you to Puroland for the press passes — it was a dream come true to hug Kuromi!

Tokyo is currently packed with tourists; in fact, visitor numbers now exceed pre-pandemic levels. Photographer Joey and I were glad to get away from the crowds — while also getting an artistic experience — by staying at The Royal Park Canvas – Ginza Corridor.

The boutique hotel’s sophisticated design is inspired by the flow of alcohol at Ginza Corridor, a lively street of small bars and restaurants that can be viewed from the balcony. The party continues in the hotel lobby, which often hosts live DJ performances until the early hours.

The Royal Park Canvas – Ginza Corridor cotains three bars, including one that specializes in Prosecco, and one with an impressive selection of Japanese liquor. I enjoyed the shiso umeshu (plum wine), and using this mallet to crack open this mini sake barrel.

The spacious, modern rooms also have design elements that pay homage to drinking culture, like metallic champagne bubble motifs over the windows.

Loved the chic decor and convenient location of The Royal Park Canvas – Ginza Corridor. The hotel is only a short walk from Ginza and Shimbashi stations, as well as high end fashion boutiques, art attractions, and fine restaurants.

We also stayed at The Royal Park Canvas – Ginza 8, which featured cozy, hip spaces that encourage you to mingle. The music lounge contained an extensive vinyl collection for guests to listen to.

We had a Japanese breakfast to remember at Opuses restaurant, on the top floor. I tasted small, artistic dishes (grilled fish, rolled egg, stewed vegetables) while looking out at the terrace.

Here’s the long lobby bar / cafe at The Royal Park Canvas – Ginza 8. You can sip on cocktails or mocktails, and a variety of tea — but of course, I went straight to the bottles of yuzu (Japanese citrus juice, my fav). Thank you to both hotels for the sublime stays. #PR

If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, you’ll know that I will take any opportunity to see artwork by Japanese avantgarde legend, Yayoi Kusama (famous for her polka dot pumpkins and Infinity Mirror Rooms). And so, I made a pilgrimage to the Yayoi Kusama Museum, a permanent space dedicated to her work (located near Waseda and Takadanobaba stations, in Shinjuku Ward).

Founded in 2017 by the artist herself, the Yayoi Kusama Museum presents rotating exhibitions that lets visitors get a glimpse of her visionary world.

Yayoi Kusama has been making waves in the art world from the hippie-era 1960s to the present. The Tokyo museum’s sleek architecture beautifully frames her brightly colored, pop-meets-surreal paintings and sculptures. 

Note that to visit the museum, you must purchase a timed 90-minute ticket in advance from their website. Photos are only allowed on several floors.

I especially loved the open-air rooftop, which encourages you to engage with her large-scale art. Under the blue sky, Yayoi Kusama’s flower appears to bloom towards the camera! On another floor, I admired “Visionary Colors” – a selection of her colorful paintings that meditate on peace and love, inner struggles, and oneness/liberation through “self-obliteration.” 

Kusama has experienced hallucinations throughout her life, which have inspired installations like “I’m Here, but Nothing.” I spent a few minutes inside this trippy bedroom illuminated with glowing UV polka dots – it made me want to have a disco party! 

Get immersed in her art at Tokyo’s Yayoi Kusama Museum. Check their site for ticket info, as well as special events such as lectures.

Finally, let’s pop into artist Takashi Murakami’s cafe, Coffee Zingaro in Nakano! Go to the second floor of Nakano Broadway, and you can’t miss his smiling rainbow flowers lit up in neon lights. (Here’s a video I took of the interior.)

The coffee shop is the brainchild of renowned Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami. The café is a wonderland of his poppy, colorful artwork inspired by manga, anime, and kawaii culture.

At Coffee Zingaro, everything on the menu looks like a Murakami painting. I tried the ham sandwich, latte, and pumpkin muffin — all of the food was stamped with his smiley flower mascot. and came with an Arigato sticker.

I felt as if I was inside one of his whimsical, colorful paintings. The tables at Coffee Zingaro double as gaming consoles, so you can play retro video games like Mario Bros and Donkey Kong while you eat.

The moist pumpkin muffin was one of the best I’ve had — and was certainly the cutest! Check out my reel on @lacarmina Insta about my Murakami cafe visit.

Bite into one at Coffee Zingaro inside Tokyo’s Nakano Broadway (2F). Also pop into artist Takashi Murakami’s nearby Hidari and Tonari no Zingaro art galleries.

No matter how many times I visit Japan, I never tire of the whimsical art and slightly bizarre attractions. Would you visit the Hello Kitty theme park, Puroland?

To see these cute mascots in action, I hope you enjoy the reels and more photos on @LaCarmina Instagram. Thanks for the add, and more soon!