Something you may not know about me, is I’m quite a fan of Studio Ghibli. Despite not having seen all the movies yet (I’m working on it), I’ve been to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Tokyo and have an extensive tattoo sleeve on my arm that features Totoro, and Cat Bus.
It seems I’m not the only fan of the Japanese animation studio, as a theme park is on the way, and fans are excited.
Previously announced to open in 2022, the Ghibli theme park is being built on the site of 2005’s world expo in Nagakute, Japan. If you didn’t know, that’s just outside of Nagoya. Sitting at an area of 7.1 hectares, the final park promises to be something special.
Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, there were building delays and concerns that Ghibli Park would be a long way from completion. Fear not, as the park is back on track.
Building work resumed yesterday with a ceremony to commemorate the park finally breaking ground. Speaking to the media, governor of Aichi, Hideaki Omura announced that the park was still on track to open late in 2022, at least partially.
Ghibli Park will be split into five different areas, covering a number of different movies. Fans can enjoy areas based on Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke.
Unfortunately, only 3 of these areas will be ready when the park opens, with the rest coming by the end of March 2024. It’s a blow to have to wait so long for the full experience, but it’s exciting none the less. Plus, it gives us all the time to catch up on the Studio Ghibli movie collection over on Netflix.
