Sanrio Puroland
Posted on January 21, 2023
I visited Sanrio Puroland during the 2022 winter break. It is one of the most complicated theme parks I’ve been to.
How to enter
To enter Puroland, you need both a ticket called a “passport” (パスポート) and a reservation (来場予約) for that particular day. If you arrive at Puroland with a passport but no reservation, you will not be admitted. If you arrive with a reservation but no passport, you can purchase a passport at the entrance. Therefore, the reservation is the more important one.
As an exception, a special ticket called the “e-ticket” (公式eパスポート) is considered both a passport and a reservation, so you don’t need a separate reservation if you buy that. Therefore, the e-ticket may be the simplest option (but not necessarily the cheapest one, read on). In my case, I couldn’t get an e-ticket because they were sold out on the day I wanted to go (I was trying to get tickets the day before).
Getting a reservation
You get a reservation through the official website. You must register an account (free) to do so.
The reservations can be for up to eight people. The system allows you to register for any day up until the end of the month that is two months from the current one, subject to availability.
Upon reserving, you get an email with a link to your reservation certificate (来場予約証). But the certificate can’t be shown until the day of the reservation. On that day, going to the link will show a button that you tap to display the certificate, which you show at the entrance.
Until the button is tapped, you can change the number of people who are coming (I don’t know if there are limitations to this, as I didn’t use the feature) or cancel the reservation.
The reservation system seems very live: when I went to reserve, the day I wanted (the next day) had limited availability, but when I checked back again a few moments later it had switched to no availability, and even later there was availability once again. So refreshing the page may work in a pinch.
Getting a passport
Ticket prices vary widely by the day you are going and by where you buy the ticket from. The official website shows the options, which I outline below.
Option 1: Entrance ticket
The ticket prices at the entrance range from 3,600 to 4,900 yen for adults and 2,500 to 3,800 yen for kids, at the time of this writing. As expected, the most expensive tickets are for days like holidays and weekends.
Option 2: e-ticket
The e-ticket mentioned above is 100 yen off the entrance price on that day.
Option 3: Conbini ticket
There are also conbini (in-store or online) and similar avenues, and these appear to be about 100 to 200 yen off the entrance price.
Option 4: Sanrio Shop ticket (recommended)
The best deal seems to be the Sanrio Shop ticket (サンリオショップ・ギフトゲート オリジナルパスポート) which is a fixed 3,600 yen for adults and 2,500 yen for kids (i.e., the lowest entrance price), regardless of the entrance price that day. If you look at the entrance price calendar above, you can see that the Sanrio Shop ticket is often significantly cheaper. The catch is you can only buy these tickets at a Sanrio Shop (or “Gift Gate”); this page shows where these are.
The Sanrio Shop tickets are valid for any day up to six months from the purchase date. Of course, you still need a reservation for the day you want to use them, as described above.
I discovered this as I was trying to purchase tickets the night before the trip, and I happen to live near a shop, so I rushed over there to get the tickets before they closed 🙂
The Sanrio Shops also have the Sanrio+ point system where you are awarded 1 “smile” (スマイル) point for every 10 yen paid, so I ended up with around 1,000 points. These can be exchanged for various things including original goods or Sanrio Shop coupons at a rate of 100 yen coupon for 500 points, so in effect it’s a 2% reward back.
Entering the park
Whew, with the tickets and reservations squared away, we went to the park. The plan was to just go in the park and take it easy, but things were complex.
The Boat Ride is the main attraction and near the entrance but it had a two-hour wait, so we skipped it and descended the stairs into the heart of the park.
My Melody Road Drive
We decided to head for My Melody Road Drive (マイメロードドライブ, officially stylized in English as the cryptic “Mymeroad Drive”). The sign estimated the wait at over 60 minutes and it turned out to be accurate. My older child, who was not fully sold on going to Puroland in the first place, did not want to ride so he and my wife went off elsewhere while I waited in line with my younger child.
As we got closer to the ride, I could see the signs explaining that you’ll have your photo taken at six spots along the ride, and that it was okay to remove your mask for the ride because of these photos. However, the staff instructed people getting on the ride to keep their masks on for the duration of the ride including for the photo shoots. I think it was a Covid peak and confirmed recent infections among park staff that heightened the measures.
We finally got on the ride which was cute enough. The story is that My Melody’s rival Kuromi started a rental car business and came up with a plan to take people on a driving tour through My Melody’s hometown of Mari Land (マリーランド), a place people have never before been able to set foot in. The car drives past My Melody’s house, the Strawberry Fields, etc., and in secret—the inhabitants of Mari Land are unaware of it all so you can see them in their natural habitat.
After the ride you get a receipt with a QR code that you scan at the photo kiosks at the ride exit. The kiosk displays the six photos that were taken of your party, of which you can select three. You can then digitally decorate the photos with stamps like purikura. There is a time limit for all this which somewhat rushes the process. If I remember correctly, you also choose a frame for your photo collage and select the main photo for the layout, then the kiosk prints out another receipt that you can use to purchase your photo creation, for 1,000 yen.
If you purchase the photos, you get the printed creation along with an ID and password that you can use at the website to access and download the original (undecorated) three photos. It seems stingy to offer only three photos for download rather than the entire six; I can’t think of a good reason for this limitation.
Lunch
It turned out my wife and older kid had made and eaten popcorn from a Hello Kitty Popcorn Machine and then waited to get seats at the first-floor Character Food Court (キャラクターフードコート) which was very crowded. They were just finishing lunch when we finished, so we were able to swap seats.
My younger child opted to get a My Melody curry while I got a Hello Kitty curry.
Boat Ride
Meanwhile my wife got a Puropass for the Sanrio Character Boat Ride, which lets you fast-track the line by showing up at the time designated on the pass.
The boat ride was a great show and seems like the flagship attraction of the park. You pass through a diverse array of scenes and see what seems like the entire Sanrio cast. The boat also emerges from its tunnel at one point so you are suddenly out in the open of the park at an upper level, which was a pleasant effect.
There is one camera spot during the ride, which I missed despite the verbal announcement, so pay attention if you want a good shot. The photo costs 1,200 yen if you want to keep it and download it.
My Melody Shop & Garden
After the boat ride, we wandered around a bit but were feeling overwhelmed by the park. It’s a labyrinth-like place where it’s never super obvious where you are, and often when you think you’re at the end of a floor another area presents itself. We decided to go up to the fourth floor to see the My Melody Shop & Garden.
It turned out the fourth floor also had eating options, the Rainbow World Restaurant—which appeared to be a food court similar to the one on the first floor—and Restaurant Yakata—which appeared to be more of a proper restaurant compared to the food court but was closed.
The My Melody Shop was filled with merchandise as expected, and the Garden next to it was a photo opportunity space (like many in the park) with sofas, chairs, etc. in a My Melody-themed garden.
Gift shop
We then went to the main gift shop (Entrance Shop), picked up some sweets, and were done. We were all very tired at the end.
Lessons learned
Overall it was a positive trip, with the Boat Ride being the highlight in my mind; as well as the My Melody Road Drive (once we got through the line).
I got the impression that Puroland is a place that rewards expertise. The more familiar you are with it the more you’ll get out of it.
If I were to go again, here is what I’d attempt to do.
Puropasses
Start by gathering Puropasses for the attractions you want to visit. Generally, the Puropass for an attraction is sold nearby the attraction; see the Today’s Schedule pamphlet at the entrance or this page for details.
When you buy a Puropass, you can choose which time you will visit the attraction, subject to availability.
There is also a special Puropass for entering the park earlier than the opening time, called the Priority Entry Puropass (優先入場PUROPASS) which can be purchased online. This may be a good option for advanced visitors who know what they are doing.
With the Puropasses secured, you can then plan the day around the times of the passes.
Character Greeting
A big draw of Puroland is to meet your favorite character(s), which we weren’t able to do this time. Apparently characters are available to greet near opening time in the entrance area, or else at the Character Greeting Residence (キャラグリレジデンス).
According to the Puroland information, you first go to the residence entrance with your smartphone to scan a QR code to get a “Digital Entry Ticket” (デジタル整理券). This ticket indicates the time when you can actually enter the residence to meet the characters.
It is confusing that there is both a Puropass for this attraction, as well as this specified time. My best guess is the Puropass lets you fast-track the line to the kiosk to get a Digital Entry Ticket.
You can confirm which characters are available on a given day by checking the calendar on the Sanrio Puroland website. Click the day, then find the キャラクター グリーティング button. Days too far in the future won’t have the information yet.
Food
I think there is not a great option for this as the food court seems very busy, and you are expressly forbidden from bringing in food.
If you find yourself waiting for a long time in the food court for an open seat, it may be worth seeing if the fourth-floor food court is less crowded than the first-floor one.
Restaurant Yakata also may be a good alternative to the food court table hustle. You get a numbered ticket (整理券) at the entrance which holds your place in line, and you can keep track of the currently called number by checking the QR code.
Another option is to leave the park and go to a nearby McDonald’s etc., but that also takes time, and the Puroland menu itself is of course part of the experience.
Conclusion
Overall I would visit again, especially if I can arrange to visit on a non-crowded day. I would generally recommend this park. Good luck!