Park Ghibli, the first in Japan – and the world – dedicated to the work of the beloved Ghibli animation studio (and director Hayao Miyazaki), responsible for such contemporary classics as “My Neighbor Totoro”, “Princess Mononoke” and the Oscar-winning “Incredible Journey”, will open in – November 1, 2022, And in light of Japan’s reopening to tourists (along with the well-timed launch of El Al’s direct flights to Japan), the meaning is that you too will be able to dive into the disturbed and exciting worlds of Miyazaki as you have never seen them before. The park is located in the Expo 2005 Aichi Park, in the city of Nagakota – a distance of about three hours by train from Tokyo.
The park will be divided into five areas: Hill of Youth, Ghibli’s Great Warehouse, Mononoke Village, Valley of the Witches and Dondoku Forest. All attractions are based on the most famous films of the studio, which has existed since 1985 and has so far released dozens of films, most of which are available on Netflix. Here we have collected all the photos available so far from the park (some photos, some simulations) and also all the information that has been published about it so far.
An orange house from the movie “The Whisper of the Heart” at the entrance to the park (from the Studio Ghibli website)
The Ministry of Cats from “Kingdom of Cats” (2002) (from the Studio Ghibli website)
A life-size (!) model of the robot from “The Floating Castle”
and the airship from the same movie (from the Studio Ghibli website)
And there is also a napping Totoro, of course (from the Studio Ghibli website)
A doll similar to the scarecrow of the witch Yobhavah from “The Wonderful Journey” (from the Studio Ghibli website)
A perfect statue of a Totoro-like creature in the park (from the Studio Ghibli website)
Looks awesome, right? But you have to remember that this is not an ordinary amusement park. There will be no roller coasters or Ghibli-themed attractions, or actors inside puppets and music from the movies on speakers. The park does not treat you as a visitor to be entertained but is designed so that you feel as if you have slipped into the Ghibli universe. Also note that not all of the park will be open at the same time: Hill of Youth, Ghibli’s Great Warehouse and Dondoku Forest will open on November 1st, but Mononoke’s Village will only open in the fall of 2023 and the Valley of the Witches – in March 2024.