Hero image courtesy of ghibli-park.jp

The long-awaited Ghibli Park, a Studio Ghibli theme park, has finally opened in Aichi prefecture, Japan, giving anime fans yet another reason to travel to the island nation sooner rather than later. However, as fans may have already been informed, the 17.5-acre theme park does not feature "big attractions" or rides as many would expect a theme park to have. So what does Ghibli Park have in store for the millions of fans of Hayao Miyazaki's animated films?

Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki stated at a promotional event for the park earlier that "People think of it as a theme park, but I've always wanted it to be a park. I think that parks are first and foremost for the local people, so I want them to be loved by the people of Aichi more than anyone else. Even if people can't come right away, I would be happy if they could take a peek at the entrance and visit the exhibition."

More of an immersive experience for fans to be able to explore their favourite Ghibli universe, whether that be of My Neighbour Totoro or the world of Spirited Away, Ghibli Park currently has three different zones for its visitors to explore, with two more zones still in the works. The main zone is Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, an indoor village containing a little bit of everything from Studio Ghiblis. The highlights perhaps are the replicas of iconic scenes from Castle in the Sky and the two aforementioned famous titles. Here, visitors can also expect a cinema playing exclusive shorts (a similar experience to the one at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo), as well as themed gift shops, cafes, and a Children's Town.

The second zone that's open to visitors is Hill of Youth, this one highlighting the charms of Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns. 

The last area visitors can access now is Dondoko Forest, a zone dedicated to Totoro.

The two remaining areas that are still under construction are slated to highlight the films Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Kiki's Delivery Service. So if those are some of your favourite Ghiblis, then you might want to wait for the announcement of the zones' completion in 2023.

Ghibli Park is open 10am-5pm on weekdays and 9am-5pm on weekends and public holidays. The park is closed on Tuesday. There is no general admission ticket for the park. Tickets must be booked in advance per zone and are currently only sold on this Japanese-language website. Tickets are paired with identification, meaning they are non-transferable, and range in price from 1,000 yen to 2,500 yen per zone.

Ghibli Park is located within the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park, or Moricoro Park.

For more information, visit ghibli-park.jp.