Sanrio Park’s Event Welcomes Visitors with Disabilities

Hiji, Oita Pref., Oct. 20 (Jiji Press)–An event that visitors with disabilities can also enjoy was held at the Sanrio Character Park Harmonyland theme park in Hiji in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Oita. At the park operated by a subsidiary of Sanrio Co., known for its Hello Kitty character, staff explained the concept of a character parade with sign language in advance to about 40 visitors with disabilities and their families. They were also given opportunities to touch stuffed toys and popular Sanrio characters including Hello Kitty to feel their shapes. During the parade, they used tablets provided by the park that give explanations through sign language videos and audio guides. At the venue, Honda Sun Co., a special subsidiary of automaker Honda Motor Co. that promotes employment of people with disabilities, offered test rides of its next-generation mobility device, Uni-One, which can be operated by shifting body weight. Harmonyland is planning to introduce the device for visitors with difficulty walking to move around the park. The event was hosted by companies including Heralbony Co. of Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, which handles licenses for paintings and drawings by artists with disabilities. “We want to make this more than just a one-time event and keep creating places that embody our corporate philosophy of ‘everyone gets along,'” said Aya Komaki, president of Sanrio Entertainment Co., which runs Harmonyland. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]