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\u201cThe Beginning of Kawaii\u201d exhibition explores the backstories of famous Sanrio characters and more<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n 60 years and over 450 characters after its founding, Japanese entertainment company Sanrio<\/strong> shows no signs of slowing down. What began as the Yamanashi Silk Company in 1960 and changed its name to Sanrio in 1973 is now a global powerhouse for original characters that grace everything from stationery to fashion accessories. It\u2019s not a stretch to say that Sanrio is largely responsible for cementing the Japanese pop cultural concept of kawaii<\/em><\/a>, or \u201ccute,\u201d around the globe.<\/p>\n Both longtime and new fans of Sanrio are about to have an opportunity to take a stroll down nostalgic kawaii lane when the\u00a060th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii<\/strong> opens from July 19 through September 15<\/strong> at the Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History.\u00a0<\/strong>Five highlights about the upcoming attraction are previewed below.<\/p>\n \u25cf Japan\u2019s unique culture of kawaii<\/strong><\/p>\n Exactly how did Sanrio get its start in the Showa period (1926-1989) of modern Japan? This section of the exhibit will divulge unique secrets of the Sanrio style, including why it\u2019s now common to see adults carrying around Sanrio goods when such a thing was once unthinkable.<\/p>\n \u25cf The Hello Kitty revolution<\/strong><\/p>\n Ah, yes\u2013the Hello Kitty boom deserves its own spotlight. Learn why the cat-adjacent-but-not-a-cat mascot<\/a> has remained the beloved symbol of Sanrio\u2013and by extension, Japan\u2013for 50 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u25cf Individual character stories<\/strong><\/p>\n Dig deep into the development process of Sanrio\u2019s original characters, their background stories, and why some manage to rise in popularity even decades later. You may be surprised by what you learn about some of the brand\u2019s lesser-known mascots.<\/p>\n \u25cf Character goods around the world<\/strong><\/p>\n The 1980s in general were awash with character goods globally. How did Sanrio\u2019s characters manage to not only survive, but thrive, in this competitive scene?<\/p>\n \u25cf Strawberry News and the fans<\/strong><\/p>\n Finally, the exhibition will pay tribute to the relationship between fans and Sanrio\u2019s Strawberry News<\/em> (Ichigo Shimbun<\/em>), a Japanese-only print newsletter in circulation since 1975 that contains news, interest columns, and even reader fan art. This section of the exhibition will also include stories about various Sanrio shops and merchandise over the years.<\/p>\n \u25bc By the way, photography inside the exhibition is OK! Visitors are encouraged to post their snapshots to social media using the hashtag #\u30b5\u30f3\u30ea\u30aa\u5c55 (\u201cSanrio exhibition\u201d).<\/p>\n Speaking of merchandise, original goods will also be sold at the event, including commemorative masking tape, keychains, and folders featuring popular characters.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Day-of tickets for the 60th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition will cost 1,200 yen (US$8.30) for adults, 600 yen for high school students and seniors 70 years and up, and 300 yen for elementary school and junior high school students. Advance tickets will cost 1,000 yen, 500 yen, and 200 yen for the above categories respectively. Both day-of and advance tickets are available for purchase electronically through ePlus<\/a> and JR East\u2019s Hitachi no Kuni Travelogue site<\/a>.<\/p>\n In preparation for your visit, you may want to check out this year\u2019s hot-off-the-press rankings for Sanrio\u2019s annual character popularity contest<\/a>, for which there\u2019s a new top dog in town.<\/p>\n Exhibition information<\/strong> Source, images: PR Times<\/a><\/em> \u201cThe Beginning of Kawaii\u201d exhibition explores the backstories of famous Sanrio characters and more.\u00a0 60 years and over 450 characters after its founding, Japanese entertainment company Sanrio shows no signs…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1391\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/soranews24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/2.png?w=640\")
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\n60th Anniversary Sanrio Exhibition: The Beginning of Kawaii \/ \u30b5\u30f3\u30ea\u30aa\u5c55 \u30fc\u30cb\u30c3\u30dd\u30f3\u306e\u30ab\u30ef\u30a4\u30a4\u6587\u531660\u5e74\u53f2\u30fc
\nAddress: Ibaraki-ken, Mito-shi, Midori-cho 2-1-15, Ibaraki Prefectural Museum of History
\n\u8328\u57ce\u770c\u6c34\u6238\u5e02\u7dd1\u753a 2-1-15 \u8328\u57ce\u770c\u7acb\u6b74\u53f2\u9928
\nDuration: July 19-September 15
\nOpen: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.)
\nClosed: Mondays
\nWebsite<\/a><\/p>\n
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