Spring 2022 Sanrio Store Japan Must Haves

The seasons are changing in Japan which means a change in seasonal products. You only need to wallow in your sadness over missing the cut off date of your favorite temporary flavor or menu item for a minute before being tempted by all of the new seasonal products!

Of course spring in Japan brings a sakura (cherry blossom) theme and flavor to many shops and restaurants, so there are many delicious sakura treats to try. Of course the Sanrio Stores in Japan are no exception!

There are quite a few Sanrio stores across Japan, with a large concentration of them in Tokyo. For fans of kawaii goods we recommend the Sanrio Vivitix Harajuku store for specialty “Harajuku” branded items that can only be found at this location. We also recommend the Sanrioworld Ginza store as this is the biggest one in Tokyo.

Both locations also sell discounted tickets to the Sanrio Puroland theme park, so make sure you stop by either store before heading to the Sanrio theme park!   

In Sanrio stores across Japan, Hello Kitty has now traded up her iconic red bow for a pink one in favor of this season. Take a look at all of the cherry blossom pink items available at the Sanrio Store that you won’t want to miss!

Plush

This spring, Sanrio released many products with a sakura theme or motif under the Sakura Series. The largest of the items is the super soft 20cm Sakura Plush Toys. With five variations, these plushies have special sakura petal designs in their eyes! Hello Kitty, Kuromi, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, and Pochacco all get this sakura makeover. These same five characters also undergo a little costume change and shrink into chibi (small) sakura style plush keychains as well. 

Accessories

These same five characters are also featured on sparkly double mirror compacts. The compact is double panned which allows small cherry blossom confetti to slide and move around under the clear top design. With the compacts we also have lace sakura themed washcloths with the characters located in the bottom right corner. And lastly we have pink, fuzzy hair ties that feature eight of the most popular characters. The same five Sanrio characters that we mentioned earlier are joined by Pompompurin, Tuxedo Sam, and Hangyodon!

Easter

Although Easter is not commonly celebrated in Japan, international brands like Sanrio and Disney often have Easter related products in spring. This is also further supported by the Easter themes and parades that are put on every year at the Tokyo Disney Resort and Sanrio Puroland.

The Sanrio Easter Series also comes with a large plush as well as a smaller plush keychain option. The larger Easter plushies are a bit bigger than the Sakura Series, which also means a bit more expensive. This line up includes the same five as before with the addition of Pompompurin all dressed up as Easter rabbits with adorably fuzzy hooded jumpsuits. Stripped and polka dot Easter egg designs line the inside of their rabbit ears and the bottom of their feet.

The smaller keychain Easter plushies feature a new lineup of My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Pochacco, and Tuxedo Sam. These little plushies also have rabbit jumpsuits but feature more flowers and are somehow even fluffier.

Can’t wait to get your hands on kawaii Sanrio and other branded items from Japan? Check out YumeTwins, the kawaii culture monthly subscription service that carefully picks the cutest items from Japan and ships them right to your door.

Bad Badtz Maru’s Birthday

Aside from Easter and sakura season there are also Sanrio birthdays to celebrate in April. On April first the very mischievous penguin Bad Badtz Maru celebrates his birthday. This is fitting as April first is also April Fool’s Day, an intentional choice when picking his birthday, I am sure.

For character birthdays, Sanrio stores often have a shelf or display dedicated to that particular character. Items that were available for Badtz Maru this year include many pirate and treasure hunting themed items. The tagline of the series is, “Life is like one big treasure hunt.”

Pompompurin’s Birthday

Another popular character with a birthday in April is Pompompurin, whose birthday is April 16th. Yellow and brown Pompompurin goods line shelves from Pompompurin plush to hair accessories, coin purses, and towels. The colors and motif of his birthday goods are supposed to have a “retro” and “nostalgic” vibe. 

When shopping at the Sanrio store Harajuku located in Cute Cube on Takeshita Street, you can also visit the Pompompurin Cafe located on the 3rd floor of the building! Also included in the building is kawaii crain games and photo booths.

What items are you dying to get your hands on? Let us know in the comments.