Best 5 Attractions of Ghibli Park Which Is Set To Open This November

On November 1, 2022, Japan’s first Ghibli Park—and the first in the entire globe, for that matter—will debut. It is located inside the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park in Nagakute city, not far from Nagoya. From Tokyo, it takes three hours on the train.

We have gathered all the artist’s interpretations, pictures, and videos of the theme park that have been made public up to this point while you wait patiently for the phase one opening in a few more months. So, if you are a big fan like we are, here is what you can anticipate from the renowned creators of the popular anime films “Spirited Away“, “Princess Mononoke” and “My Neighbor Totoro” among others.

According to Studio Ghibli’s announcement, its first Ghibli Park theme would be separated into the following five zones: Dondoko Forest, Ghibli’s Large Warehouse, Mononoke’s Village, Valley of Witch and the Hill of Youth. These attractions are all based on the studio’s most well-known movies. They will all mix in with the park’s natural surroundings. Here is what we currently know.

1. Hill of Youth

The Hill of Youth is the gateway to Ghibli Park utopia. It lies at the north entrance to the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park.

An observation tower that will also serve as the main entrance has been built on top of an old pedestrian overpass. You could recognize fictional 19th-century items in the elevator tower from Ghibli movies like “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”.

This orange structure will be recognizable to viewers of the 1995 film “Whisper of the Heart,” which was filmed in the western Tokyo neighborhood of Seiseki-Sakuragaoka. The surrounding vegetation makes it look like the movie’s antique shop. There is also a replica of the Cat Bureau from the film “The Cat Returns” (2002).

2. Ghibli’s Large Warehouse

Ghibli’s Large Warehouse is three times the size of Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum in the Mitaka area. It was built on the site of a former public swimming pool, which closed in September 2018. The indoor attractions at the Ghibli Park can be enjoyed in any weather because they are protected from the weather elements.

An exhibition space, a playground for kids, stores, and dining establishments, as well as a warehouse to keep all the exhibits, will be located indoors. A modest movie theater with roughly 170 seats will be located in the exhibition space.

Additionally, a 6.3-meter-tall replica of the airship from the film’s renowned sky garden, “Laputa: Castle in the Sky,” hangs from the roof. The “My Neighbor Totoro“-themed playroom will be a hit with children.

The famous tunnel that Chihiro passes through at the beginning of “Spirited Away” is being constructed inside Ghibli Park, according to Goro Miyazaki, son of Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki and director of Ghibli Park. He made the revelation during a recent Twitter Q&A session between Studio Ghibli and its fans. You can peek into the Borrowers’ house.

Sleeping Totoro

Yubaba’s office

Borrowers’ family home.

Borrowers’ house

3. Mononoke’s Village

Mononoke’s Village will have an actual replica of Tatara-ba, the Irontown shown in the movie “Princess Mononoke.” Mononoke is the name for a ghost or other supernatural adversary, while Tatara is the name of the traditional Japanese furnace used for smelting iron and steel.

As a result, the structure includes statues of many mythical characters, including the powerful god of destruction (also referred to as “tatari gami” in the movie) and the boar god Lord Okkoto. The surroundings take you to the film’s setting, a rural region from the Muromachi era (1336–1573).

4. Valley of Witches

Howl’s Moving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service, two 1989 movies with magically gifted leads, served as design inspiration for the Valley of Witches.

This rendering of a European townscape from above includes eateries, parks, and rest spots. You can go to Kiki’s family home, which is encircled by trees and has a lavender garden. Visitors can even tour the interior of the home and spend time in Kiki’s room, as depicted in this artist’s rendering.

Kiki’s family home

Kiki’s room

There will also be a new version of the bakery where Kiki resides and works. Yes, you can buy bread that looks like the loaves from the movie.

There will be a 16-meter-tall Howl’s Moving Castle replica with eyeball-shaped moving weapons. Unlike in the movie, guests are welcome to see inside the magician’s eccentric bedroom.

‘Witch’s House’ set in The Valley of Witches

The home of Bella Yaga from Studio Ghibli’s first computer-animated movie, “Earwig and the Witch,” is recreated in the structure and its interior (2020).

5. Dondoko Forest

There is abundant greenery all around the Dondoko Forest. It replicates a rural setting from the Showa era (1926–89) and includes Satsuki and Mei’s home from “My Neighbor Totoro”. The place’s name comes from the dondoko dance, which the two sisters perform alongside the spirit Totoro in the hopes that the seeds they sowed may flourish.