, also known as Hello Kitty Land, is an indoor theme park located in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan. Opened on December 7, 1990, it hosts attractions, live shows, shopping outlets, and restaurants dedicated to Sanrio characters such as Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, Gudetama, and Aggretsuko, in a manner akin to Disney theme parks. Sanrio Puroland attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year, and is ranked among the major theme parks in Japan, along with both Tokyo Disney Resort parks and Fuji-Q Highland. Sanrio also operates Harmonyland, an outdoor theme park in Oita Prefecture. History Origins During its conceptual phase, Sanrio Puroland was known by many names - first as Sanrio Communication World, as well as Sanrio Heart Park and Sanrio Piero Land. The original theme was going to be "communication", as opposed to Sanrio's existing works, including its characters. Sanrio Puroland was a "bald attempt" to challenge the Walt Disney company and its theme parks. To build the theme park, Shintaro Tsuji (then the president of Sanrio) worked with Landmark Entertainment Group and established a subsidiary called Sanrio Communication World Co., Ltd. (now merged into its current incarnation, Sanrio Entertainment Co. Ltd.). The initial design phase began in 1987, and Sanrio Puroland broke ground in November 16, 1988. It took a team of 2,500 workers approximately two years to complete, at a cost of around JPY 60-70 million. Early days Sanrio Puroland opened on December 7, 1990, and would operate at a loss for the first few years of operation, due to factors such as the aftereffects of the Japanese asset price bubble burst and complaints from city locals. Modern times Notable temporary closures Sanrio Puroland was temporarily closed from February 22 to July 20, 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Points of interest Attractions Rides Sanrio Puroland offers visitors two dark rides. The Sanrio Characters Boat Ride, which tells the story of various Sanrio characters preparing for a party held by Hello Kitty, was the park's only ride until the opening of SANRIOTOWN in 2013, and with it the introduction of Mymeroad Drive, where riders are taken to a tour of Mariland (My Melody's homeland) via a rental car designed by Kuromi, My Melody's rival. Both rides offer commemorative photographs which can be separately purchased. Walkthrough attractions Sanrio Puroland has two walkthrough attractions, both found at SANRIOTOWN (second floor), as follows: Lady Kitty House