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Who killed Hello Kitty…?! Sanrio’s Puroland wreaks gory havoc with zombies, ghoulish cuisine

Katy Kelly Apr 25, 2018
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The newest instalment of Sanrio’s yearly horror night has a special twist, and covering your eyes won’t help you!

In these uncertain times, with threats of war, disease, and pollution lurching toward us like a sluggish ghoul, it’s no surprise that zombies are experiencing a major boom. Japan has proven particularly adept at zombie attractions, with the Zombie Museum in Osaka held two years ago and the ever-popular room escape games both featuring the creatures.

Still, this is Puroland we’re talking about: the Tokyo theme park dedicated to Hello Kitty and her cute Sanrio friends. It’s a place synonymous with cuteness, dreams, and adorable mascots. In fact, if you asked me the least likely place to encounter a zombie, I would probably say “Puroland.”

Yet for just two Saturdays in 2018 (June 9th and 16th) that is exactly where the zombies will be. Puroland’s fluffy, sparkly doors will swing shut, and its insides will transmogrify into a nightmarish hellscape from which there is no return! (NOTE: You may leave at any time.)

▼ A video preview of the event

This will be the fourth time Puroland holds its mission-style “Haunted Zombie Land” attraction. So many visitors are desperate to get the Pochacco scared out of them that the event sells out year after year after year – but this time Sanrio promises to kick the terror up to eleven. “Haunted Zombie Land 2018” will be the debut of a brand new feature, the “Blindfold Restaurant”.

If your hunger for horror has been stoked, you’re in luck. Here’s the scoop on all the events.

● Clear missions while fleeing from the undead!

The second the doors close on the chosen Saturdays, the zombies will assemble. They will stalk around the halls of Puroland in packs, hoping to ensnare (and infect) the hapless guests.

The goal for said guests is simple: avoid the zombies and complete the set missions in six separate areas (five of the regular Puroland areas plus the parking lot). Guests can choose to run, hide, or shoot their way through the zombie hordes, avoiding infection and deciphering the passwords hidden throughout the park.

Clear all the areas with no infection? Congrats! You earn a super-special ultra-rare limited badge, as well as the knowledge that you’ll be one of the last to die in the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

● Chomp down on some disgusting delicacies!

On the first floor, Puroland’s character food court gets its own creepy makeover. The event-only menu includes such tasty treats as the Puroland Fermented Vaccine drink and Plucked Eyeball Blood-clotted Cheesecake. Scrumptious! Both items sell for 800 yen (US$7.40) .

Maybe after guzzling down an eyeball you’ll feel like switching sides? Fear not! The attraction features a makeup booth where you can pay a professional to sculpt you some cuts, burns, scratches, and gunshot wounds so you’ll fit right in.

● Plus the brand new attraction…

If you’re anything like me, you’re itching to know more about that Blindfold Restaurant. This attraction has a limited guest list and markets itself as being for “experienced thrillseekers who sense terror through their taste buds and nostrils alone”.

They do say that if you obstruct one sense, the others get stronger to compensate. Wondering what horrible sensations the Sanrio team could conjure up has me shivering already!

● Don’t worry though, it’s still Puroland!

Maybe at this point in the article you’re wondering what happens if you don’t have a heart made of steel. All that creepy stuff must take a toll, right?

Puroland has made a brand out of healing hearts through the power of cute, so it’s the best place in Japan to treat horror burnout. One hall has a dedicated safe area where not only can you bask in safety from the zombie threats, you can snap a selfie with them too. Another area, the “Fun Zone”, is visited by a cute Hello Kitty ghost or vampire mascot. This is the kind of hospitality you expect from Sanrio!

● Get your tickets quickly!

The “Haunted Zombie Land in Sanrio Puroland 2018” event runs from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on June 9th and June 16th, 2018. A single ticket for adult or child guests retails at 4,980 yen (US$46.20), but you can also snag a deluxe ticket (comes with a pass for the “Blindfold Restaurant” and a limited-edition Zombie Land print shirt) for 6980 yen. The tickets are up for sale from 10 a.m. on April 21st, and will only be sold at the door if stock remains.

Judging from how quickly tickets ran out in previous years, however, this might be an event you want to plan 28 Days Earlier.

Event information
Haunted Zombie Land in Puroland 2018 / オバケンゾンビランドinサンリオピュロランド２０１８
Venue: Sanrio Puroland / サンリオピューロランド
Address: Toyko-to, Tama-shi, Ochiai 1-31
東京都多摩市落合１−３１
Event hours: 7:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
June 9th and 16th
Admission: 4,980 yen (adults)
Website

Source, images: Press release
[ Read in Japanese ]