Ghibli Park

Ghibli Park is the long-awaited theme park dedicated to the films of Studio Ghibli, the beloved Japanese animation house behind Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro, Princess Mononoke and Howl's Moving Castle. Opened in November 2022 within the grounds of Moricoro Park, the former site of the Expo 2005 world exposition in Nagakute east of Nagoya, it offers fans a chance to step bodily into the worlds of Hayao Miyazaki and his colleagues, and it has become one of the most sought-after attractions in Japan.

Rather than a conventional amusement park of thrill rides, Ghibli Park is conceived as a series of immersive areas woven into an existing landscape of woods, hills and ponds, in keeping with the studio's deep reverence for nature. The park unfolds across several distinct zones. Ghibli's Grand Warehouse is a large indoor hub filled with exhibitions, recreated film sets, a children's play area and photogenic scenes, including a life-sized recreation of the eerie spirited-away bathhouse world. Hill of Youth centres on an antique shop from Whisper of the Heart, while Dondoko Forest is home to a full-sized replica of the wooden house from My Neighbour Totoro, complete with a giant Totoro to greet children.

Newer areas have expanded the experience dramatically. Mononoke Village evokes the world of Princess Mononoke with its Tatara ironworks and forest spirits, and the Valley of Witches brings together Howl's Moving Castle and Kiki's Delivery Service, including a towering recreation of Howl's own ambulatory castle. Throughout the park, careful detail and hidden references reward fans who know the films intimately, and the settings are designed for wandering and discovery rather than queuing for rides.

The visiting experience requires planning. Tickets are date and time specific, must be purchased in advance online, and are released periodically for future months; they frequently sell out within minutes of going on sale, so securing them early is essential and should be arranged before building a trip around the park. The park is also physically large and spread across the hilly former expo grounds, so comfortable shoes and a sensible plan of which areas to see are important, especially as some zones require separately timed entry.

The natural setting is part of the magic. Moricoro Park is a beautiful expanse of forest and greenery, lovely under fresh leaves in spring and blazing colour in autumn, and Ghibli Park deliberately preserves this landscape rather than paving it over, so a visit feels like a walk through an enchanted wood dotted with scenes from the films. This gentle, atmospheric approach captures the spirit of the studio far better than a typical theme park could.

Getting there is an experience in itself. From central Nagoya, take the Higashiyama subway line to Fujigaoka, transfer to the Linimo maglev line, and ride to Ai-Chikyuhaku-kinen-koen Station beside the park, gliding the last stretch on a magnetically levitated train. The park is accessible, though its scale and terrain mean some walking is unavoidable.

For Ghibli fans, Ghibli Park is a dream realised, a tender, detailed and deeply atmospheric tribute to some of the most cherished films ever made, set in a forest just beyond Nagoya.