Hello Kitty Smile opened in April 2018 in Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, north of Awaji Island. It is about 10 minutes by car from Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway, Awaji IC. As you go along the coast, you will catch glimpses of a huge, white, and round object looming in the distance. “What!? Could it be?” Yes, it sure is... Hello Kitty!

The long, oval building that lines the coast is120m in length! With palm trees surrounding the area and the sea right beside it, it has a very tropical atmosphere! Let’s head into the building right away!

As soon as you come through the glass entrance, you are greeted by a Benz! Its white body is painted in pastel-colored butterflies, flowers, and Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty sits with her boyfriend Daniel to welcome us.

Also at the entrance are two Hello Kitties that are so huge, you might not even notice what they are at first. Here’s a hint: the thick pink lines drawn on the wall to the side of the Benz!

On the floor are footmarks painted in pink, marking the best angle from which to snap a picture of Hello Kitty. In addition to the foot marks, there is also photo equipment that you can use for a fee (1000 yen for one 2L print + data download, 800 yen for photo print only, and 500 yen for data only; all tax included). You can enjoy taking photos as you please.

Hello Kitty Smile Gallery & Theater is a paid access area (1500 yen for 13 and up, 750 yen for ages 4 to 12, and free for children 3 and under). It is open from 11:00AM~7:00PM. Last entry is 6:40PM. The theme of the gallery changes depending on the season. When we went in February, the works were strawberry-themed.

The paintings on display are by Yuko Yamaguchi, the Hello Kitty designer since 1980. Hello Kitty was born in Japan in 1974 in Japan, and has been drawn by three designers since. Yamaguchi is the third.

The exhibition area is divided into two separate rooms. The inside is decorated with six paintings, and various objects of various sizes. The most popular is the small room in the corner of the gallery. You will definitely want to check it out for yourself!

Another popular spot i the gallery is the huge kaleidoscope.

The images you see are of Hello Kitty’s favorite things. Images automatically rotate around you using mirrors, with items such as apples and pianos making an appearance. There’s a particular part of it that I would like to introduce.

▲I couldn’t take my eyes off all the colorful jewelry flying around me!

Next to the kaleidoscope is a spiral staircase leading to the second floor. As you go up, you come upon a white, window-less, domed space. This is actually the inside of the giant Hello Kitty’s head that we just saw outside! Here you can enjoy the projection mapping shown on one of the walls.

It is a 15 minute video about a sleeping Hello Kitty and the dreams she has. Check out the first 40 seconds. You’ll be taken aback by how real it seems, enjoying the mysterious projected images and letting out shouts of joy at the sight of the adorable Hello Kitty.

▲The film is produced by NAKED, the company famous for producing commercials, movies, projection mapping, and more.

Additionally, Gallery & Theater has a commemorative Hello Kitty 45 year anniversary exhibition that, since March 20, 2019, follows the changes Hello Kitty has gone through throughout the years.

Also, together with the Hello Kitty objects decorated with strawberries, are other unique artworks made in collaboration between Hello Kitty and Alice in Wonderland.

There is also an authentic restaurant here at HELLO KITTY SMILE. Haruyuki Yamashita, a chef from Kobe who established with HAL YAMASHITA Tokyo, is the general producer. Along with executive chef Chon Che Win from Hong Kong, we have developed four creative Oriental restaurants that combine traditional Chinese techniques with Japanese elements.

First we will introduce SMILE Restaurant on the second floor, where you can enjoy some creative cuisine dishes in buffet style or course menu.

The most popular course is the MIKETSUKUNI Course (5,500 yen plus tax), an order-style buffet course with over 70 dishes to choose from. For those who really want to be fancy, we recommend the IZANAGI Course (7,800 yen plus tax), which has about 80 dishes to select from, including King Crab Stew and Fukahire (shark fin) Collagen Soup.

Additionally there are three lunchtime course options, including the Nanohana Course”(4,800 yen plus tax), and four dinnertime courses, such as the Crystal Course (6,500 yen plus tax).

We also recommend the Special Fukahire (shark fin) Stew as a lunch dish (12,000 yen plus tax), and for dinner, the Special Kesennuma Fukahire Course (15,000 yen plus tax). It seems that even male customers, who you might never expect to be fans of Hello Kitty, are nonetheless regular fans of the these delicious meals.

Our PARTY Balcony recommendation is the High Tea. You can choose from among three kind of tea. High Tea is an afternoon tea set that includes sweets and snacks served on a double or triple cake stand. The most popular option is the luxurious 3-tiered High Tea Elegant Course, which is also the most gorgeous in appearance.

The top tier includes a canele and macaron, but the main focus is of course, Hello Kitty! It is a Hello Kitty daifuku with custard cream that you could eat in just one bite.

The middle tier includes brownies and egg tarts. The Hello Kitty ribbon tart in the middle really stands out. The ribbon is made of chocolate.

The High Tea Elegant Course is pretty voluminous. Even if visiting with a group of people, you can order a 1-person High Tea Course and individual drinks. However in that case, you’re going to have to figure out how to decide who gets the single Hello Kitty Daifuku...
*Hello Kitty Daifuku also included with “Oriental High Tea Course’ (2,980 yen plus tax).

There are two other restaurants, PARTY Terrace ~Seafood Grill Garden~, which newly reopened on March 21, and SMILE Terrace, which reopened on March 27 and offers about 30 different Oriental Dishes. Both places serve fine foods and incredible views.

The shop offers tons of cute goods decorated with, of course, Hello Kitty drawings. The shopping area towards the back of the first floor offers tons of Hello Kitty goods made in collaboration with various other brands. There are many adorable items here that are guaranteed to capture the hearts of even grown-up girls!

There are also affordable goods and sweets available in the shop, which make great souvenirs.

Hello Kitty is widely adored not just by children, but also adults! Here, you can feel free to return to your childhood self and get lost in the world of Hello Kitty. If you want to experience this world of Hello Kitty in a whole new way, then please make sure to stop by!