Studio Ghibli Theme Park is now open: what to expect
Children around the world have grown up with beloved animated films from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Since 1984, Studio Ghibli films have often served as an introduction to the wider world of anime and have obtained a cult following all their own.
Many Ghibli fans have already made a pilgrimage to the popular Studio Ghibli museum in Tokyo. Others eagerly anticipate the release of the upcoming Ghibli film, How do you Live? But fans will be thrilled to learn that the Ghibli theme park opened on November 1, 2022, and is now bringing the films to life in Nagoya!
The park is located in the Expo 2005 Aichi Earth Memorial Park, also known as Moricoro Park. Expo Park has long been an attraction for Ghibli fans, as it had already featured a full-scale replica of the home of Mei and Satsuki from the film My Neighbor Totoro.
Nestled in the countryside east of Nagoya, the park will be about a three-hour journey from Tokyo, one made easy by the use of the Japan Rail Pass. You can also get to Nagoya easily from Osaka and Kyoto by Shinkansen train (Tokaido Shinkansen).
The Ghibli Park spans 17 acres out of the almost 200 hectares that make up the wooded hills of Moricoro Park. Interestingly, Miyazaki insisted that no trees be cut down in the formation of the park to celebrate the natural beauty that inspired Ghibli’s lush animation.
There are rides, but the massive rollercoasters that dominate many theme parks are avoided in favor of nature trails that will feel as if they are taken right from the movies. It is meant to be “a hybrid place, between a park and a museum,” said Goro Miyazaki, the son of the studio’s main creative force.
Those arriving at the park’s entrance gate are greeted by the sight of the grinning ‘Catbus’ from My Neighbour Totoro. From there, and true to form for Ghibli, it’s almost like walking into the past.
Vintage candy shops sell sweets that are hard to find in Tokyo. Capsule toys are sold in old-school “gacha-gacha” vending machines. Dessert stands sell combo bottled milk and pastries.
Throughout the park, themed play areas, galleries, and cinemas exist side-by-side with impressive statues of Ghibli creatures.
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