Sanrio Tour: Overseas

Here's an update of actual Sanrio stores in other countries like Europe, Oceania, and South America. Excluded from the list are USA and Asia. There doesn't seem to be any official stores in Canada, Australia, or any other places of Europe besides the one listed.

Sanrio Stores
Oceania/Europe/South America
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NEW ZEALAND

Sanrio Gift Gate Auckland
Shop G8, Canterbury Arcade
166 Queen Street
1010 Auckland City
Phone: 09 281 9121
E-mail: info@sanrio.nz
Notes: Inside Canterbury Arcade. Accessible through 47 High Street


Sanrio Gift Gate Albany
Unit O
6 Rosedale Road
Pinehill 0632 Auckland
Phone: 09 213 0088
E-mail: sales@kittyshop.co.nz
Notes: N/A
Website: Kitty Shop

GERMANY

Sanrio Outlet Shop Wentorf
Zwischen den Toren 9
21465 Wentorf
Germany
Phone: 49 40 54779650
E-mail: N/A
Notes: N/A
Facebook link here and here. Yelp link here.

Cr: Sanrio Outlet Wentorf

SOUTH AMERICA
Below is a list of stores not yet confirmed if still in business.



Sanrio Surprises
Garten Shopping
Avenida Rolf Wiest, 333 -- lj. 92
CEP: 89.223-005
Bom Retiro
Joinville  -  SC
Brazil
Phone: 47 3043.9310
E-mail: jle.garten@cristina.com.br
Notes: N/A

SANTA CANTARINA

Cr: Garten Shopping

RIO GRANDE DO SOL, South Region 

Sanrio Surprises
Loja Barra Shopping Sul

Avenida Diário de Notícias, 300 - lj. 2074

Bairro Cristal
CEP: 90.810.090
Porto Alegre - RS
Brazil
Phone: 51 3072.9911
E-mail: poa.barra@cristina.com.br
Notes: N/A

Sanrio Surprises
Loja Bourbon Shopping Wallig

Av. Assis Brasil, 2611 - lj 349/350

Cristo Redentor
CEP: 91.010-006
Porto Alegre - RS
Brazil
Phone: 51 3028.5097
E-mail: poa.bourbon@cristina.com.br
Notes: N/A


Sanrio Surprises
Loja Contente Park Shopping

Rodovia BR 101 - KM 211 _ Esquina c/ Rod

Distrito Industrial
CEP: 88103800
Balneario Camboriu - SC
Brazil
Phone: 47 3062.8230
E-mail: sj.continente@cristina.com.br
Notes: N/A

SANTA CANTARINA



Sanrio Surprises
Loja Neumarkt Shopping

Rua 7 de setembro, 1213 - lj. 71

Centro
CEP: 89.010-911
Blumenau - SC
Brazil
Phone: 47 3209.5113
E-mail: bnu.neumarkt@cristina.com.br
Notes: N/A


Sanrio Surprises
Loja Balneario Camborio Shopping

Avenida Santa Catarina, 01 - lj 27

Bairro dos Estrados
CEP: 88.339-005
Balneario Camboriu - SC
Brazil
Phone: 47 3062.8230
E-mail: bc.balneario@cristina.com.br
Notes: N/A



Sanrio Surprises
Loja Norte Shopping

Rod BR 470, KM 54, n 3000 - lj 108

Salto do Norte
CEP: 89.065-800
Blumenau - SC
Brazil
Phone: 47 3057.2211
E-mail: bnu.norte@cristina.com.br
Notes: N/A






Sources: HK Brasil, Sanrio,  

Recomendation: Personal Shopper Japan

If you are looking for another International Shopping Agent...

www.personalshopperj.com

This past year, I realized that I needed to keep my options for a Shopping agent open to more than one company. Some agents are willing to go the distances just to keep their customers happy and I've found that with Personal Shopper Japan aka PSJ. Whatever required service that you need, PSJ is willing to accommodate in a timely fashion.

Consistent Communication. Smooth & Excellent Transactions. Speedy Delivery.

With my experience with PSJ, I was able to get a Hello Kitty plush that cannot be bought online from Puroland. They provide a service that a staff member will personally go to Sanrio Puroland and buy your item.  Since then, I've had four successful transactions with PSJ. Superb service.

More importantly, if you ever need to find a limited and/or exclusive item, this is one shopping service that will try their best to go one step further to get that limited stock item in the hour that the item is being released. Due to time constraint, many personal shopping services are not able or willing to accommodate a customer's special need. I know because I've contacted many other shopping agents, who have told me that they cannot provide the time constraint service that I needed for my Sanrio obsession. At the end of the day, PSJ is one of two shopping agent services that I keep returning as one of their loyal customers. 

Without these Japan Shopping Agents, my Sanrio collection would never have grown to the size that it has to date.  

Happy Sanrio hunting, fellow collectors!

Hello Kitty: Asia vs. Mainstream Designs

Why does a majority of people see Hello Kitty as for children only?

This is a very fair question because even if there are a lot of Sanrio fans out there, there are even more larger groups of people, who are not into the "kawaii" fascination.

In order to view this objectively, I would probably think the answer lies in how Hello Kitty is presented. Design is the answer for this question. Hello Kitty was introduced in the right direction with quality designs, leading to it's popularity during the 90's, then it hit a brick wall. 

I believe Sanrio was at fault in how Hello Kitty's image was taken from a quality design to a more neutral, but plain look like above for the mainstream crowd. Maybe it was aimed to be a universal effect, but their designs backfired on them. I believe these kind of designs influenced adults to think only children would like it. In their reasoning, children/young teens are not mature enough to know better since the average adults would never like Hello Kitty for themselves. No matter how much die hard Hello Kitty fans protest, this is the majority of opinions for non-biased adult consumers. They're going to think HK adult fans are in a "phase" or that something is wrong with their taste preferences. 

In the beginning, I don't believe Sanrio would foresee that their character, Hello Kitty, would become such a big success worldwide. At first, they mainly targeted children, but they possibly never took account that those children would grow up and still be so fascinated with Sanrio's characters, especially Hello Kitty. 

"Design makes a difference..." 

Pic Source

Pic Source

Pic Source

A slight change to the color, shade, or alternation to a design can change an image dramatically. It can effect it's surroundings by the change of a mood in the room. Like above examples, particular designs can give off a mature or childish/young teen atmosphere that could contribute to a theme in a room. 

If you put a quality designed HK product, it attracts the eye. It's cute and pretty, therefore the concept of it being childish has disappeared. It's now "kawaii" to most adult fans, rather than dismissing HK fully as a kid's product brand. Below is an example of how design really matters and effects the average adult's opinions.

 Pic Source

Despite Sanrio being popular these days, the "plain universal" designs left a mark in most people's first impressions of Hello Kitty. Somehow, that can't be changed, but, Hello Kitty has bounced right back with better designs that have rekindled the love for HK with most adult fans.

International Seller Recommendation

I know how it's frustrating to find something online and not know how to get one yourself.

I've already got some inquiries about the lovely big plush, My Melody's *Pipi & Popo*

Here are the info:

I got the My Melody *Pipi & Popo* plush from e-bay. Specifically, I got it from this international Hong Kong e-bay seller, Lala6905. All you have to do is ask Lala6905 or you can ask one of your main Hong Kong/Japan international e-bay sellers to get it for you.
I can refer you to this one seller (who is very kind and helpful):
Her name is Yusuke
Her eBay ID is yusukeya.
She has a service of shopping agency.  This is her Web site: http://www.private-import-japan.com/
You can send an e-mail directly if there is an image or URL of the item that you want.  
EMAIL:  pp@private-import-japan.com

When there is stock in a manufacturer, she can get every kind of items you want.
For example, there are a lot of people who order an item off of Japan's official Sanrio shopping website:http://shop.sanrio.jp

Here's a direct link to the my melody *Pipi & Popo* Japan site: http://www.sanrio.co.jp/goods/200910/mm_myfavorites/mm_myfavorites.html
You can give her that direct link.

Or you can try:

KozyTomo

Japamart (Thanks to Arista from NY)

Just keep in mind, that these international sellers do charge a selling fee and the service doesn't come cheap. If you really want it, it's going to cost you. Tip: You can always ask for quotes from each and see which one you prefer.

UPDATE

To get items in Singapore, China, Malaysia or Taiwan, here is another shopping agent service that you can go to: Daigou.

Per SGE: "Active in Singapore and Malaysia, the service lets consumers buy from popular Chinese e-commerce portals like Taobao, M18, and DangDang. To supplement their main business, the site has their own e-commerce store and also daigou for Taiwanese goods. The business in its 2 years of existence has attained a modest following on Facebook with about 7,500 likes."

UPDATE #2
ISA Recommendation: Personal Shopper Japan. For more details, you can read it here.

Video of the Day:
This music below is addicting! I can't stop hitting the "replay" button.