Rejoice, Studio Ghibli fans! The much-awaited Studio Ghibli theme park that has been under construction since 2019 has finally got an opening date–and it’s scheduled this year!
In a tweet, the studio behind award-winning films “Spirited Away,” “Howl’s Moving Castle,” and “My Neighbor Totoro” announced that the theme park will be officially welcoming visitors on November 1, 2022.
「ジブリパーク」の開園日が発表されました。 pic.twitter.com/weMpQjsyEV
— スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) January 27, 2022
The park will be located in Aichi’s Expo Park in Nagoya and will span 200 hectares. There will be five areas in total that visitors will be able to explore, each inspired by Studio Ghibli’s most iconic works: the Seishun no Oka (Youth Hill) Area that will sell actual Studio Ghibli antiques and feature a replica of the Chikyuya shop from “Whisper of the Heart;” the Dondoko Forest from “My Neighbor Totoro;” Mononoke no Sato (Mononoke’s Village); Majo no Tani (Witches’ Valley) where restaurants and rest areas will be set up, including the Okino residence from “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and a huge replica of the moving castle from “Howl’s Moving Castle;” and, finally, the Ghibli Warehouse which will be an indoor facility that will hold special exhibitions, film screenings, and plenty of memorabilia.
According to local officials, the forest area inspired by “My Neighbor Totoro” will be the first to open this November while the areas designed after the villages in “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “Princess Mononoke” will open next year. The final two areas are expected to open at the end of March 2024.
It’s also been confirmed that the theme park will have rides (but no large-scale rollercoasters) and that guests will predominantly enjoy nature trails.
(ALSO READ: LOOK: Studio Ghibli Park is Building a Real Life-Sized Howl’s Moving Castle!)
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