Studio Ghibli, which produced classic animations such as ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ and ‘Princess Mononoke’, announced plans for a Ghibli Park in 2017. The theme park will feature attractions such as ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ and ‘Spirited Away‘. Despite the disruption caused by Covid-19, the park is set to open on November 1, 2022.
Ghibli Park was originally scheduled to open in 2020. In July 2020, it was announced that the Studio Ghibli theme park, which had been temporarily suspended, had resumed construction. Hideaki Omura, Governor of Aichi Prefecture, said, “We are making steady progress toward opening the park in the fall of 2022. Construction of Ghibli Park began in early 2020. It was then temporarily put on hold in response to the coronavirus crisis. Work resumed after a while beginning with the Hills of Youth, Ghibli’s Great Warehouse, and Dondoko no Mori.
Location Of The Park
On 7.1 hectares of land, there will be a Studio Ghibli theme park. The venue is located at Aichi Earth Expo Memorial Park, which served as the previous location of 2005 World Expo. The Aichi Prefectural Government and Studio Ghibli are working
together on it.
The site is not far from Nagoya, the administrative center of Japan’s Aichi Prefecture. The area has a completely constructed copy of Satsuki and Mei’s home from the Studio. Ghibli’s film ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ was erected for the 2005 World Expo, which was held on the premises earlier. The owners of this property will care for it, as well as the trails in the forest beyond it, for the new Ghibli Park.
Attractions Of The Park
According to studio Ghibli’s announcement, the park will be divided into five areas; Hill of Youth, Ghibli’s Large warehouse, Mononoke’s village, Valley of witches, and Dondoko forest. All of these attractions are based on Ghibli studios’ most famous works. Hill of Youth will have a Howl’s Moving Castle theme with a vast elevator that offers aerial views. It will be situated at the entrance of the park. Visitors can find elements from The Cat Returns and the gift shop from Whisper of the Heart here.
Buildings with the Japanese and Western fusion style will be found in Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse. This indoor attraction will include a gallery, a video gallery, play areas, retail spaces, and cafes. At Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, the Air Destroyer Goliath from Castle in the Sky will make an appearance. Satsuki and Mei’s home will be located in Dondoko Forest. This will have lush vegetation and a rural setting reminiscent of the Showa era (1926 – 1989). The neighborhood will serve as the rural landscape in the movie.
Princess Mononoke will be on display in Mononoke Village. It is based on Irontown (Tatara), which is surrounded by walls and a lake in the movie. A sculpture of a Tatarigami spirit monster, the boar god Lord Okkoto, and other ethereal beings will also be housed there. The setting of the movie, the Muromachi period (1336–1573), is brought to life at Mononoke Village. The wastelands in the movies Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle served as inspiration for Valley of Witches. The property will have dining establishments and entertainment venues. The home of Kiki and her parents, Karikiya, will also have a duplicate.
What Are The Ticket Prices?
Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Dondoko Forest, and Hill of Youth are three of Ghibli Park’s five themed zones and each has its own set of admission costs. A lottery-based ticketing system is used at Ghibli Park to control visitor numbers and prevent crowding. When you apply for your tickets, you must select a certain day and time as well as your chosen location. There may still be a few unused tickets for December that are sold on a first-come, first-served basis even though applications for November and December trips are already closed.
Tickets for January 2023 are available for purchase online through October 21. On November 4, around 3 pm, winners will be notified.
Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse admission on weekdays is 2,000 yen ($16) for adults and 1,000 yen ($8) for kids between the ages of four and twelve. Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse admission on weekends and holidays costs 2,500 yen ($19) for adults and 1,250 yen ($10) for kids. On weekdays, weekends, and holidays, admission to Dondoko Forest and Hill of Youth will cost 1,000 yen ($8) for adults and 500 yen ($4) for kids. Free entry is offered to children under three years old. This is everything you need to know about Studio Ghibli Theme Park.
