Sanrio Details Around Tama Center You'll Walk Past

The walk from Tama Center Station (多摩センター駅) to Sanrio Puroland only takes a few minutes, but it is lined with small Sanrio touches that are free to see and easy to miss when you are hurrying to opening time. Tama City has promoted the area as “a town where you can meet Hello Kitty” since 2002, together with local businesses, so the decorations are deliberate and spread across the station, the main street and the park next door.

The route at a glance

Stop	What to look for	Source
1. Keio Tama Center (京王多摩センター) Station	Sanrio character decor, Puroland-themed train approach melody	Tama City
2. Station exits	Hello Kitty designs on the entrance wind screens and stairs	Tama City
3. Parthenon Boulevard	Hello Kitty flags on street lamps, a rest spot	Tama City
4. Around the station area	Two Hello Kitty manhole covers	GO TOKYO
5. Hello Kitty Street / Shimajiro Plaza	Hello Kitty and Shimajiro monument	Tama City
6. Intersection by Puroland	Illuminated Hello Kitty light ball	Tama City
7. Tama Central Park (detour)	“Road Bike Hello Kitty” manhole cover	GO TOKYO

1. Keio Tama Center Station

Start before you even leave the station. According to Tama City, Keio Tama Center Station has been decorated with Sanrio characters, and news reports at the time said Hello Kitty was appointed the station’s honorary station master in 2016. The city also notes that the train approach melody at the station is the Puroland song “Puro March”, so listen for it on the platform as your train arrives.

Press coverage of the 2016 renovation described a stained-glass-style ceiling light in front of the ticket gates showing Hello Kitty and other characters dressed as station staff, with themed signs, clocks and benches on the concourse and platforms.

Tip: Puroland’s official access page says to exit through the Keio central gate (or the Odakyu west gate) and turn left. If you arrive by Odakyu or the monorail, you can still walk back into the Keio concourse area to see the decor; .

2. Station exits

Tama City lists Hello Kitty wrapping on the station entrance wind screens and stairs. These are the kind of thing you walk straight past while following the crowd.

3. Parthenon Boulevard

Parthenon Boulevard (Parthenon Odori) is the wide pedestrian street running from the station toward Tama Central Park and Parthenon Tama. Tama City lists Hello Kitty designs on the street lamp flags along the main streets, and a rest spot called “Space Picoron” on Parthenon Boulevard.

4. Hello Kitty manhole covers

GO TOKYO lists three Hello Kitty manhole cover designs near Tama Center Station:

• “After the Rain” Hello Kitty and “Sun Shower” Hello Kitty, installed in December 2017
• “Road Bike” Hello Kitty, installed in March 2020 inside Tama Central Park (stop 7)

These are actual working manhole covers in the pavement, so stand to the side of the walkway when you stop to photograph them.

Collecting the manhole cards

Japan’s manhole cards are free collectible cards, and Tama City distributes four designs: three Hello Kitty covers and one Rascal design from the Seiseki Sakuragaoka (聖蹟桜ヶ丘) area. As of October 2026, the city’s page says:

Card	Where	Hours
Road Bike Hello Kitty	Green Live Center (Tama Central Park)	9:30–17:00, closed Mondays (next day if Monday is a holiday)
Sun Shower Hello Kitty	Nagayama Community Center	9:00–17:00, closed 1st and 3rd Thursdays
After the Rain Hello Kitty	Sewerage Division at City Hall (weekdays) or Nagayama Community Center (weekends)	9:00–17:00

One card per person per design, no mail orders, and the city asks visitors to avoid the 12:00–13:00 break. The Road Bike card is the easy one for Puroland visitors because Green Live Center is in the park next to the station.

5. Hello Kitty Street and Shimajiro Plaza

According to Tama City, “Hello Kitty Street” and “Shimajiro Plaza” were named in 2013, and the plaza has a monument of Hello Kitty together with Shimajiro, the children’s character from Benesse. The city also mentions a welcome board for photos.

6. The Hello Kitty light ball near Puroland

At the intersection next to Sanrio Puroland, Tama City lists an illuminated Hello Kitty light ball. It should be most noticeable after dark, which makes it a good last stop on the way back to the station.

7. Detour: Tama Central Park

Tama Central Park is about a 5-minute walk from the station and is where the “Road Bike Hello Kitty” cover is. The design reflects the area’s popularity with cyclists. Pick up the matching manhole card at Green Live Center in the park while you are there.

Also on the move: buses and trains

Tama City notes that Sanrio-character buses have run in the area since 2005 and that Keio Line trains with Sanrio wrapping were renewed in 2025. You cannot plan to ride one, but keep your camera ready at the bus terminal and on the platform.

Practical notes

• When to go: before Puroland opens or after you leave. Midday the main walkway is busy with park visitors.
• Strollers and wheelchairs: Puroland’s official access page says there is a separate pedestrian path from Tama Center Station that is easier with strollers and wheelchairs.
• Winter: from mid-November the area is also lit up for the Tama Center Illumination; see Tama Center in Winter.
• Next steps: for more to do nearby, see Things to Do Near Sanrio Puroland; to find your way around the three stations, see the Tama Center station guide.