A: Hey there! Guess what's happening in Oita?
B: Not really sure, what's up?
A: They renamed their airport to Oita Hello Kitty Airport and it's going to stay like that until the end of 2025! Can you believe it?
B: Wow, that's awesome! What else is there?
A: Well, they also announced plans to renovate Harmonyland, the Sanrio theme park near the airport. They want to make it like an amusement park in the sky!
B: Really? That sounds amazing! What about the hotel and hot springs?
A: Yeah, they're building a new hotel next to Harmonyland. It will be both classy and cute, with views of the park, nearby mountains, and Beppu Bay. They even mentioned hot spring baths!
B: Incredible! I can't wait to visit when it's done. By the way, have you heard about their goal for the renovated Harmonyland?
A: Oh yeah! They want to make it "the kindest place in the world," where everyone, no matter their age, gender, or physical characteristics can enjoy themselves.
B: That's really sweet! I hope they succeed and bring even more happiness with Sanrio characters. Let's go there together someday!
1. Oita Airport has been officially renamed Oita Hello Kitty Airport and will remain so until the end of 2025, with a possible extension beyond that.
2. Harmonyland, a Sanrio theme park near the airport, is set for renovation and expansion into a resort, featuring new attractions such as a ropeway, an outdoor canopy, an amphitheater, and a hotel.
3. The developers aim to create a destination that offers visitors a blend of Oita's natural beauty, food culture, hot springs, and hospitality along with Sanrio's signature cute style, positioning it as "the kindest place in the world."
Japanese prefecture that already has a Hello Kitty airport is getting ready for even more Sanrio cuteness.
In April, Japan’s Oita Airport renamed itself to Oita Hello Kitty Airport. This wasn’t just a silly tongue-in-cheek gesture, like when Kagawa Prefecture named a Pokémon as its new governor. The facility now really is officially called Oita Hello Kitty Airport, and it’s decked out in all sorts of Sanrio character decorations.
The original plan was for this arrangement to last for half a year, but that was obviously too short a time for an arrangement so awesomely adorable, and it’s now been extended until the end of 2025. There’s been no word yet as to whether or not another extension is going to happen, but it wouldn’t be a shock if one does since Harmonyland, the Sanrio theme park located not far from the airport, is going to be renovated and expanded into something developers are saying will be grand enough to be considered a resort.
The announcement was made on Monday in a ceremony at the Oita prefectural capital building (pictured at the top of this article) attended by Hello Kitty, Oita Governor Kiichiro Sato, and other government and Sanrio representatives.
Harmonyland, in the Oita town of Hayami, is one of two Sanrio theme parks in Japan, the other being Puroland, located in the Tama district of northern Tokyo. With Harmonyland sitting on a hillside, the renovation plan is to create the atmosphere of an amusement park in the sky. While concrete details are still being hashed out, a ropeway to ferry visitors around the vertically varied topography and an outdoor canopy to make the park more usable on days with rain or intensely strong sunshine have already been mentioned, as has a new amphitheater for stage shows and musical performances.
▼ Concept art/images for the reimagined Harmonyland
Also part of the plan is a brand-new hotel, currently under construction on a plot of land adjacent to Harmonyland, providing guests with accommodations both classy and cute, in addition to views of the park, nearby mountains, and Beppu Bay.
Speaking of Beppu, you might recall that the town of that name is one of Japan’s top onsen (hot spring) travel destinations, and Oita as a whole takes great pride in the quality of its hot springs. At the announcement ceremony for the resort, the developers said they want to create a destination where visitors can enjoy Oita’s beautiful natural scenery, food culture, hot springs, and hospitality along with Sanrio’s style of cute fun, suggesting that hot spring baths might be among the hotel’s amenities.
No timetable for the completion of the project has been set, but the overall goal for the new Puroland, the developers say, is for it to be “the kindest place in the world,” where “all visitors, regardless of age, gender, or physical characteristics can enjoy themselves.” That’s definitely a lofty goal, but a sweet one too, and if there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about being able to make friends with just about anyone, it’s Hello Kitty.
Source, images: PR Times
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1. Naveen Rao, former AI head at Databricks, has raised $475 million in seed funding for his new startup, Unconventional AI, which aims to build an energy-efficient computer for AI and eventually match the efficiency of biology.
2. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and Lightspeed Ventures, with participation from Lux Capital and DCVC, with a potential goal of up to $1 billion.
3. Unconventional AI's previous startup, MosaicML, was acquired by Databricks in 2023 for $1.3 billion, following Rao's co-founding and successful sale of the machine learning platform Nervana Systems to Intel Corp. in 2016.
A: Hey there, how's it going?
B: Hi! Doing good, what's new in the tech world?
A: Oh, check this out! Remember Naveen Rao, ex-AI chief at Databricks?
B: Yeah, I think so... why?
A: Well, he's started a new company called Unconventional AI and raised an insane amount of money for it!
B: No way! How much are we talking here?
A: $475 million to be exact, with plans to reach up to $1 billion. Crazy, right?!
B: Wow! That's a big deal. What's the company all about?
A: He wants to build an energy-efficient computer for AI, aiming to make it as efficient as biology.
B: That sounds interesting... I wonder how that will turn out.
A: Yeah! And just a heads up, he also sold his previous startup, MosaicML, to Databricks in 2023 for $1.3 billion.
B: Wow, the guy knows how to make money! Can't wait to see what Unconventional AI brings us next!
A: Same here! Keep your fingers crossed!
A: Hey there! Did you catch the news lately?
B: Nope, what's up?
A: So, Japan's Defense Minister said that we didn't know about this danger thing because China didn't tell us everything.
B: Oh, really? What happened exactly?
A: Last weekend, a Chinese fighter jet aimed its radar at our planes. But the problem is, they didn't tell us where or when their training would be!
B: That sounds intense! So Japan didn't know about it and got detected by the Chinese radar?
A: Exactly! And you know what else? They claim our planes used radar against Chinese aircraft. But Koizumi said that's not true.
B: Yeah, I heard about that. It's pretty tense between us two lately, huh?
A: You got that right! Anyway, Japan's gonna keep watching the waters and airspace closely, and work on better communication with the Chinese defense authorities.
1. Japanese Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro stated that Japan did not receive specific information about Chinese fighter jet training areas last Saturday, potentially leading to danger for Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft.
2. A social media account affiliated with Chinese state-run media released an audio recording claiming a Chinese navy ship had notified a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel of the planned flight training.
3. Koizumi confirmed that Japan received the notification, but emphasized they did not receive details on the training's location, timing, or coordinates, leaving them without enough information to avoid potential danger.
Japan's Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjiro says the country was not given sufficient information to avoid danger after at least one Chinese fighter jet aimed its radar intermittently at Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft last Saturday.
Koizumi spoke to reporters on Wednesday. On the previous day, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state-run media released what it claimed was an audio recording of a Chinese navy ship notifying a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel in nearby waters in advance of its planned flight training.
In the audio, a voice is heard saying in both Chinese and English that the fleet will conduct flight training of carrier-based aircraft as planned, followed by a response in English from what is said to be an MSDF vessel that it had received the message.
The subtitles in the social media post said Japanese aircraft entered the training area, approached to less than about 50 kilometers, and came automatically within the Chinese radar search range, resulting in detection.
It also claimed that radar from the Japanese aircraft was detected, citing the Chinese side's sources.
Koizumi told reporters that a Chinese naval vessel notified a Japanese destroyer on Saturday that it would begin flight training, and that Japan heard the message.
But he said that the Self-Defense Forces were not given concrete information on which airspace the training would be conducted in.
He said no aviation information was provided on the timing of the training or on their longitude or latitude, and no navigation warnings were issued for ships.
He explained that Japan therefore lacked sufficient information to avoid danger.
Koizumi also denied that ASDF fighter jets used radar against aircraft operating from the Chinese carrier Liaoning.
He added that Japan will take all possible measures to monitor the surrounding waters and airspace, and work to ensure communication between the defense authorities.
Quiz 1:
On which day did the incident between Japanese Air Self-Defense Force aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet occur?
A. 2025-12-08
B. 2025-12-09
C. 2025-12-10
D. 2025-12-11
Quiz 2:
Which of the following best describes Koizumi's claim about the information provided by China regarding the flight training?
A. Japan was given concrete information on the airspace, timing, and location of the training.
B. Japan was not given any information about the timing or location of the training.
C. Japan was given navigation warnings for ships but no aviation information.
D. Japan was given concrete information on the timing, location, and aviation details of the training.
Quiz 3:
What did Koizumi say about radar usage in the incident?
A. Japanese fighter jets used radar against aircraft operating from the Chinese carrier Liaoning.
B. There was no use of radar by either side during the incident.
C. Koizumi denied any use of radar by Japanese fighter jets.
D. The use of radar during the incident is still under investigation.
A: Hey there! Guess what? Got some news about Trump and Ukraine, eh?
B: Really now? What's up?
A: Well, apparently they asked Ukraine to consider a peace deal where they have to give up some territory.
B: Whoa, that sounds serious! What did Zelenskyy say about it?
A: From what I heard, he's still not willing to give up any Ukrainian land to Russia. Instead, he'll soon present a revised proposal to the US, worked out with other leaders like the British and French.
B: That sounds interesting! What do you think will happen by Christmas?
A: Trump said he's hoping for a deal by then, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. He also mentioned that Russia has an advantage in the battlefield right now.
B: Sounds like a tough situation for Ukraine, but I hope they find a peaceful solution soon. Let's keep an eye on this one!
