Confectionery company Nakataya has teamed up with Sanrio to release the Hello Kitty Kintsuba.   Kintsuba is a type of traditional Japanese confection of sweet beans wrapped in wheat-flour dough. Nakataya is famous for their kintsuba, which are made with large-grained beans and red bean paste. They have maintained the flavour and quality of these confections, each of which is made with the utmost precision, and all individually.   This year marks the 85th anniversary since Nakataya opened. The long-standing store hopes to bring in more foreign and younger customers by collaborating with Hello Kitty. They have crafted several flavours. Pictured above is the apple pie flavour, Hello Kitty's favourite. It's made with fuji apples from Aomori Prefecture which is known for its incredible apples. It's mixed with white bean paste and is lightly flavoured with cinnamon. The mixed berry flavour is a fruity sweet and sour mix of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries which have been mashed together with white bean paste. The confection comes in two kinds of packaging: one designed by Nakataya's founder Nakata (中田憲龍), and a Hello Kitty version where she is dressed as a dragonーa symbol of the shop. This is a completely original Hello Kitty design made specially for the collaboration. The outer packaging is made with a wrapping cloth to both pass down an aspect of traditional Japanese culture while also catering to the eco-friendly lifestyle of the modern age. It's made from amuzen fabric and can be reused. The inner packaging is a simple paper tray so can be recycled. And if you take the wrapping cloth back to the store, they can refill it with the three Hello Kitty kintsuba confections at a discounted price.

To celebrate 5 years since the grand opening of the Hello Kitty Room at Keio Plaza Hotel Tama, guests are being treated to a very special present.   Friday November 1 marked the 45th anniversary of Hello Kitty. Together with the 5th anniversary of the hotel room, all guests who stay in any of the Sanrio character-themed hotels at Keio Plaza Hotel from now until February 29 next year will receive an application paper. Once they fill it out and then post it in the box in the lobby on the second floor they will be entered for a chance to win a one-night ticket to one of the three Sanrio character rooms. Exclusive merchandise will also be sold to commemorate the 5-year milestone. The hotel poster promotional videos for the three rooms over on their homepage. This includes the revamped Hello Kitty Room, the My Melody Room which opened back in June, and the Little Twin Stars Room.

The official Hello Kitty theatre and restaurant HELLO KITTY SHOW BOX, which opened back in August on Awaji Island, updated its show program on October 10 and is now hosting a new show themed on the Seven Lucky Gods titled "A Record of the Seven Lucky Gods of Awaji Island."

A Record of the Seven Lucky Gods of Awaji Island

The HELLO KITTY SHOW BOX is home to a gallery that makes use of media art like 3D holograms. The theatre's shows incorporate song, dance and musical performance, while the restaurant serves healthy, vegetable-packed meals including vegan-friendly options.   The building itself is situated within farmlands and is crowned with the adorable hidden face of Hello Kitty which can’t be seen from the ground.The all-new show will feature an original story based around the Seven Lucky Gods of Awaji Island, a mystical island that is even mentioned in the Kojikiーa sacred text and first written recording of Japan.   ©1976, 2019 SANRIO CO., LTD.　APPROVAL NO. G602779