The PuroPass is the single biggest thing to know before you go. The Sanrio Character Boat Ride, the park’s best attraction according to multiple reviewers, regularly runs 100–140 minute waits without one. Buying the inexpensive PuroPass in advance cut that same wait down to around 15 minutes for one reviewer, and the Mymelody & Kuromi car ride down to just 5 minutes. It’s cheap enough that skipping it barely saves any money, but costs you well over an hour of standing in line.
The character meet-and-greets are a genuinely different experience from other theme parks. After entering, you connect to the park’s free Wi-Fi and book a session with a specific character through a QR code, getting one posed photo per booking. Reviewers consistently say to book these the moment you’re inside, since popular characters’ slots fill up fast. The Kabuki-style show, performed in costume with almost no dialogue needed to follow along, is also repeatedly recommended even by visitors who don’t speak Japanese.
Bring cash, even though the gift shops take cards. The on-site PuroPass machines, capsule toy machines, and photo-print machines mostly run on coins and cash. A few reviewers specifically mention carrying cash just for these, while saving cards for the gift shops.
It pairs naturally with a stop at the station. Tama Center Station, right by the park, has a shopping mall with a large tax-free MUJI and GU, plus a food court downstairs. If you’d rather not deal with the park’s own restaurant lines (which build up fast after 11am), this is an easy backup for a meal before or after.