If there was one place where you could see the real Hal's Castle, the house where Koyuki and Mei's family lived in Totoro, the ironworks in The Ghost Princess, and Kiki's home in The Witch's House ...... then where would it be? That's right, it's Ghibli Park, which will be opening on November 1, 2022.
▲Image from: Studio Ghibli
The Aichi Expo Memorial Park (愛・地球博記纪念公園) in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, once hosted the World Expo in 2005, and the house created by Studio Ghibli, modeled after the home of Koyuki and Mei in Totoro, became a popular attraction at the venue that year. Then later, Ghibli announced that it would create a park here.
▲Image from: Studio Ghibli
Now that the park is less than six months away from opening, Studio Ghibli is already warming up for the opening with Ghibli Park-themed exhibitions at several art museums across Japan, allowing visitors who want to enter the world of Ghibli to enjoy an early stroll through Ghibli Park.
▲Image from: Studio Ghibli
As the opening of Ghibli Park draws near, it also makes you increasingly curious as to how well the scenes on those park plans that have been released can actually be recreated.
According to the plan of Ghibli Park, the park will be divided into five zones, of which "Youth Hill", "Ghibli Grand Warehouse" and "DonDoKo Forest Zone" will open on November 1, 2022 as the first phase, while "Magical Princess Village Zone" and "Valley of the Witch Zone" are planned to open in November 2023 as the second phase.
▲Image from: Ghibli Park
In the Youth Mound area, there is an elevator tower in the style of "Howl's Moving Castle" as the entrance (this elevator tower has already been opened), and "Earth House," a boutique antique shop that is one of the scenes in "Sideways Hearing" that connects the love affair of the hero and heroine.
▲ Image from: Tour Research
Originally a heated pond in the Aichi Expo Memorial Park, the Ghibli Grand Warehouse Area (ジブリの大倉庫エリア) has been transformed into a large warehouse filled with Ghibli's secrets. This indoor space features a large exhibition of Ghibli's works, an area for children to play, a video gallery, a café and a shop.
▲Image from: Studio Ghibli
As for the DoDoKo forest area (どんどこ森エリア), there will naturally be a home for Koyuki and Mei. Since this scene already existed in the Aichi Expo Memorial Park, it will be renovated and refurbished, and the forest at the back of the hill will be turned into a walking trail.
▲ Image from: Studio Ghibli
The name of this area will be familiar to anyone who has seen Totoro. DoDoKo comes from the dance that Koyuki and Mei did with Totoro in the movie after they planted the seeds to make them sprout faster (I wonder if there will be that gnarly tree in the movie here).
▲Image from: Studio Ghibli
The "Enchanted Princess Village Area" (もののけのりエリ) in Phase 2 of the park is naturally related to "Ghost Princess" and will feature buildings designed around the theme of "Dadaara Castle" and installations based on the themes of "Naga God" and the Boar God, Lord E.
▲Image from: Studio Ghibli
The Witch's Valley area is designed with the themes of Hal's Moving Castle and Witch's House, and there is nothing more appealing than the view of Hal's castle.
▲Image from: Studio Ghibli
The specific time slots and ticket prices for Ghibli Park have been announced, with the park open from 10:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays during long school holidays, and closed on Tuesdays, with a more specific work calendar to be announced later.
▲Image from: Ghibli Park
Ticket prices on Ghibli's official website vary slightly from area to area, with Ghibli's large warehouse area costing 2,000 yen for adults on weekdays and 2,500 yen on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. For children (4 years old to elementary school students), tickets cost 1,000 yen on weekdays and 1,250 yen on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
▲Image from: Ghibli Park
All tickets are priced at 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children (4 years old to elementary school students), regardless of the time of year, and reservations are required.
▲ Image from: Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli has also started recruiting staff for Ghibli Park, which will open on November 1, 2022. We are looking forward to discovering the "secrets of Ghibli's world" in the park, which does not have large rides and is accompanied by forests and wind.