This spring, tourists going to Oita prefecture will be welcomed by one of Japan’s most famous faces — Hello Kitty.
From April 13 to October 13, 2025, Oita’s main airport will be renamed “Oita Hello Kitty Airport” as part of a tourism campaign with Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty and other well-known characters.
The campaign will take place during Osaka’s World Expo 2025, which is expected to attract over 28 million visitors both from other countries and from inside Japan. The campaign’s organizers say they want to make Oita Airport “the warmest airport in the world,” and hope to welcome tourists from both Japan and overseas.
Oita has a special connection with Sanrio.
The prefecture is home to Harmonyland, a Sanrio theme park in Oita’s Hita city. Opened in 1991, it is one of only two Sanrio parks in Japan. At Harmonyland, visitors can enjoy shows, go on rides, and meet popular characters like My Melody, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin and Hello Kitty herself.
As part of the airport’s name change, it will be decorated with various Sanrio characters. Visitors can also take a special shuttle bus between the airport and Harmonyland from August to October.
There will also be Sanrio character appearances at events like the 2025 Tour de Kyushu cycling race, which has one of its stages in Oita.
Oita is already a well-loved travel destination for Japanese people. It’s famous for its hot springs, with towns like Beppu and Yufuin attracting visitors from all over the country.
It’s popular with foreign tourists too, and the prefecture welcomed a record 1.5 million foreign visitors in 2024.
With this campaign, Oita hopes to increase tourism even more, and show people what the prefecture has to offer.
