Opening Friday, April 3rd: A museum embodying the wish for "everyone to get along" | Yamanashi Strawberry King Museum, Sanrio Founder Shintaro Tsuji Memorial Museum | NOMURA Co.,Ltd. is in charge of the overall spatial design.

The Yamanashi Strawberry King Museum, a museum created by Shintaro Tsuji (Representative Director Shintaro Tsuji Memorial Museum Co., Ltd.), the founder and honorary chairman of Sanrio Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Sanrio), opened on Friday, April 3, 2026.
NOMURA Co.,Ltd. was responsible for the overall production of the space (planning and concept design of architectural renovation, exterior work, landscaping, and outdoor signage; planning, design, layout of displays spaces, signage, graphics, and construction).

Sanrio's founder, Shintaro Tsuji, believed that "people cannot live alone. Therefore, let's all live together, helping each other," and in 1960 he established the Yamanashi Silk Center, the predecessor of Sanrio.
Sanrio has always helped people connect with each other by giving small gifts accompanied by messages. Characters like Hello Kitty were born from this idea.
The Yamanashi Strawberry King Museum is a museum created by Shintaro Tsuji, a native of Yamanashi Prefecture, in his hometown with the wish for "everyone to get along," as a gift from Shintaro Tsuji and his alter ego, "Strawberry King," to all Sanrio fans, where you can learn about the founding period and history of Sanrio that have never been publicly discussed before.

At NOMURA Co.,Ltd., we understood Mr. Shintaro Tsuji's philosophy, and first and foremost, everyone involved in the project became a Sanrio fan more than anyone else, and we worked with the goal of "how to make visitors happy." In terms of sculpting and graphics, we utilized our experience from working on various Sanrio projects to faithfully express and implement "the world of Sanrio."


 

● About Mr. Shintaro Tsuji 

Born on December 7, 1927, in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture. His experience of the air raids while a university student taught him firsthand the importance of peace, leading him to decide to work towards creating a world where everyone can live together in harmony, helping each other and showing compassion. After 11 years working at the Yamanashi Prefectural Government, he founded Yamanashi Silk Center (now Sanrio) in 1960. He operates his business under the slogan "Small Gift Big Smile" (giving small gifts to each other becomes a starting point for communication and expands the circle of friendship). He has created numerous popular characters, including "Hello Kitty," and has been involved in the planning and sales of gift goods, as well as the greeting card business where people can add messages to their gifts, publishing, and entertainment businesses such as the theme park "Sanrio Puroland" which serves as a place to foster communication. In addition to being a businessman, he is also a writer, and has been involved in writing many stories and creating original works for shows. In Sanrio's public relations magazine, "Monthly Strawberry Newspaper," he has contributed messages as "the King of Strawberries" for 50 years since its inception, continuing to convey Sanrio's corporate philosophy of "everyone getting along."
 

displays overview

left:
At their first directly managed store, "Shinjuku Gift Gate," they have a welcome area and shop fixtures that displays pianos that were actually played.

Center:
Shintaro Tsuji Memorial Museum
The museum features the office of Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji (currently Honorary Chairman), a personal timeline, displays of related items, and a theater.

Right side:
Sanrio History Museum
A historical displays (characters and merchandise) showing Sanrio's journey from its founding through the years, and displays of the Strawberry Newspaper.