Hello Kitty Show Box
Kitty-chan’s Restaurant-Theater
Hello Kitty Show Box is a restaurant staging a show dedicated to Hello Kitty and located on the north-west side of Awaji Island in Hyogo prefecture. Opened since August 2019, the store serves a good meal after which guests get to enjoy Hello Kitty singing and dancing for them.
Is there any fan not dreaming to meet their idol, especially after a good meal at the restaurant? It is a dream come true for Hello Kitty’s admirers who are invited to come meet her in person in her cafe-theater called Hello Kitty Show Box, on Awaji Island in the Kansai area.
The glass, circular building is topped with the head of Sanrio’s little kitten, which can only be seen from the sky! This first original feature hints on the global concept of the restaurant: live a comprehensive experience full of surprises. As a matter of fact, the indulging yet healthy cuisine is particularly highlighted as well as the musical show performed by professionals on a giant digital screen stage.
100% vegan food
For lunch or an afternoon snack, guests are comfortably seated at one of the tables arranged around the stage, after the visit of the upper floor offering a diving view on it, and seats around a semi-circular bar. The room is at the right size, not too small and not too large, so everybody can enjoy the show, and in a lively ambiance.
At lunch, the main dish is served in a bento 🍱 and desserts are offered on an all-you-can-eat buffet. For the afternoon snack, a large choice of appetizing mini-desserts, also on an all-you-can-eat basis, are available. With an environment-friendly approach, the restaurant tries to limit its use of plastic and offers the paper straws option to its customers, which is still rare in Japan. The food is also prepared on site with organic, fresh, and local ingredients from Awaji. The servings are also completely suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Hello Kitty’s in-person show
The show lasts about one hour, on a stage animated from floor to ceiling, with harmoniously timed songs and choreography. The smiling artists share their energy and warm up the audience responding by rhythmed handclapping.
When everybody is in tune with the atmosphere, it is time for the place’s star to appear: Kitty-chan herself. She first appears on the giant screen then on the stage for her musical show. Icing on the cake: if you go to the restaurant-theater in November 1rst, you can wish her a happy birthday!
At the second floor, a small virtual gallery with 3D animated recess, shows a Kitty hologram chasing her dream of becoming a pianist.
Everything is made for a return to childhood in a cute and colorful world, especially since April 2022 and the opening of a new attraction : Hello Kitty Apple House, a giant apple with an observatory to take a picture of Kitty-chan’s face on the top of the restaurant.
The combination of Show Box + Apple Land offers a nice complement to the Hello Kitty Smile facility, only about a few kilometers away. The "kawaii attitude" is necessary to enjoy the moment to the fullest. It is a good change of pace and one usually leave with a big smile and as a souvenir, a few pictures with the Japanese idol.