-Shop cute Japanese products and cool products from Japan. This cute blog is about Japanese kawaii, kawaii Japan, kawaii fashion, Japanese pop culture and more. It's a kawaii blog from Japan, Japan blog in English by a Japanese girl.

Hello Kitty Lovers
14/NOV/2009 on air

How much do you like Hello Kitty? I think some of the Hello Kitty lovers go way too much, at the same time though it’s amazing that Kitty-chan can attract them that much!

There are a “Hello Kitty Sweets” cafe, a Hello Kitty hospital, and a Hello Kitty inspired airport in Taiwan. These cannot be found anywhere else in the world. They are so unique! Why do they need Hello Kitty inside the hospital? “We tried to have the surroundings that make our patients feel easy and relaxed.” says the hospital director.

European and American celebs like to take Hello Kitty elements into their fashion. Over 50,000 kinds of new Hello Kitty items are produced yearly in the total of 70 different countries. Above all Hello Kitty is the top of all in Japan – a country of character superpower with about 2000 unique characters.

Yamaguchi-san is the 3rd generation of Hello Kitty designer who has led Hello Kitty to this popular character inside and outside Japan. Hello Kitty was not such a successful character when it appeared in 1974. At that time it was designed for kids and the sales were weak. Since Yamaguchi-san became the 3rd designer of Kitty in 1980, she’s tried to modify it to make more sales. She took fashion trends into the style of Hello Kitty. With some trial-and-error approaches, adults such as housewives and female workers have started to buy Hello Kitty since 1995.

Nowadays look at QUESTINA in Ginza, Tokyo, for example, adult customers come here to shop Kitty-chan that is not too childish. There are women who like to have Hello Kitty nails .

Yamaguchi-san’s Hello Kitty for the year 2008 wears extension bangs, fake eyelashes, and she even has a neck as if she were a human.

Sanrio, a maker and the licenser of Hello Kitty, regards it very important to agree with the right image when they collaborate with any brands for licensing agreements. They plan to produce over 2000 kinds of new products every year, and they are basically open for licensing agreements with any brands except for liquor and tobacco. Many fashion brands nowadays produce outfits with Hello Kitty on. A Gyaru fashion brand uses rocker Kitty, a British trad fashion brand uses chic Kitty, a jeans brand supported by Japanese young men uses Kitty on hip pockets and on T-shirt, and a luxury bag brand that targets the wealthy even takes out eyes and nose from Kitty, with Sanrio’s permission. Hello Kitty is so flexibly collaborated with other brands like this.

It’s 58,000yen per night to stay at Hello Kitty resort villa in Taiwan. The furniture, the electrical appliances, the amenity goods, and anything inside the villa are all something Hello Kitty inspired. The villa is full of reservations from the Asian customers. In Taiwan, a famous actor, 39 years old, has been a big fan of Hello Kitty for over 21 years. He likes Hello Kitty mah-jong best of all his collections. In Japan, this housewife is so crazy about Hello Kitty. She drives a very unique Kitty car that she won the chance lottery to authorize the purchase of the car. Inside her house, there are Hello Kitty goods everywhere! Her husband is totally amazed, tired and speechless.

Yamaguchi-san thinks it’s important to design Hello Kitty for men’s fashion, reflecting demands from young men today. 5 young men are selected to share their ideas with Yamaguchi-san what kind of Kitty fashion they want to have.

Cat cafe is popular at the city area in Japan. (as well as rabbit cafe today) It’s where we can stay with the cat that we choose from the list by paying 1500yen per hour. Customers are those who need healing and people who are tired of human relations.

referral links
Neko Cafe Mike in Kawasaki
Neko No Mahou in Gotanda

Kirin’s opinion:
I didn’t know that Taiwanese like Hello Kitty that much! I’d feel sick if I were surrounded by characters all over, even if I usually find them cute.
I feel sorry for the husband of the Kitty craze housewife, but that looked funny. He was even wearing Hello Kitty T, because he was forced to? (LOL)

***There are archives of episodes listed under the page titled “Tokyo Kawaii TV” that is just located under the title banner of this blog.