Oita, a scenic region on the Japanese island of Kyushu known for its natural hot springs, recently renamed its airport hub Oita Hello Kitty Airport to attract fans and tourists.
The six-month rebranding, which runs from now until October 13, will inject the otherwise sleepy airport with an extra dose of the country’s much-needed cuteness – or “kawaii” in Japanese.
As expected, Hello Kitty (who, by the way, is not a cat) is everywhere.
Arriving passengers peering through the plane windows will receive their first greeting from the Japanese character painted on the boarding bridge. As they make their way to the baggage belt, they will see posters of Hello Kitty pulling a suitcase and riding on a small plane.
The rebranding rides on the excitement of Osaka Expo 2025 and seeks to provide an alternative destination for those already overwhelmed as Japan grapples with record numbers of tourists. The tourism boom – which saw a record 10.5 million in the first three months of 2025 – has delivered a much-needed boost to the world’s fourth-largest economy, but has also caused headaches for locals.
“We hope to encourage more tourists to visit Oita, especially those visiting high-traffic destinations like Tokyo and Kyoto,” a spokesman for the Oita prefecture government’s tourism bureau told CNN on Thursday.
Oita is about an hour by plane from Osaka and four hours by train.
Hello Kitty will be joined at Oita Airport by friends like My Melody, Little Twin Stars and Pochaco. All are characters from Sanrio, the merchandising company behind her cute universe.
Why Oita? Sanrio operates a theme park called Harmonyland in the prefecture. The company will sell exclusive Hello Kitty key chains and T-shirts at the domestic terminal.
“We aim to capitalize on the global popularity of Japan’s Sanrio characters and their theme parks, not only by highlighting the unique attractions of major urban areas such as Tokyo and the Kansai region, but also in Oita Prefecture and Kyushu, such as hot springs, nature and food,” Sanrio said in a statement.
“We are full of hope that this airport will become a bridge connecting countless smiles,” Sanrio Entertainment President Aya Komaki said at a recent launch, before advertising the Hello Kitty slogan written on a flag she holds on posters at the airport: “Hello to the world from Oita.”
Oita Prefecture is located about 40 miles southeast of Kyushu’s largest city, Fukuoka, and is home to some of Japan’s most sought-after onsen towns, such as Beppu and Yufuin.
However, it is more popular with domestic tourists than international visitors. About 80% of the 530,033 passengers last month were domestic.
The airport mainly operates domestic flights, but also operates a few international routes to Seoul, South Korea, and Taipei, Taiwan.
It is not the first airport to be named after one of the nation’s most revered cartoon characters, and Japanese manga and anime are among the country’s most influential exports.
In the central city of Tottori, officials renamed its airport Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport in 2015, in homage to the Japanese manga and anime series “Case Closed,” about the child detective Conan who fights criminals with cool gadgets like James Bond.
Neighboring Yonago Kitaro Airport also takes its name from another manga and anime series, “Gegege no Kitaro,” which follows the quest of a young boy named Kitaro to fight demons — or yokai in Japanese — to protect people.
Other airports have also featured popular characters from Super Mario Bros. and Pokémon in their travel campaigns, but they were reluctant to change the name.
The country with the world’s most complex rail network also puts its favorite characters on its trains, including — guess who — Hello Kitty.
