Visiting the Ghibli Park in 2023: The Ultimate Guide

Did you know that Studio Ghibli just opened a theme park under the name of Ghibli Park? If you are a Studio Ghibli fan read our article to find out what this park has in store for you.

Japanese animation is famous not only in Japan but all around the world. Millions of people belonging to different age groups, and genders watch the multitude of anime genres that the creative Japanese animators breathe life into. When talking about Japanese animated movies, the most prominent name that comes to mind is Studio Ghibli. Studio Ghibli movies are the epitome of brilliant writing, design, and animation. For decades these movies have had the entire world in their grasp. One major aspect of Studio Ghibli that other animation studios can’t replicate is the rare balance between fantasy and reality in its movies.

The attention to detail in the movies creates such an immersive environment that one can’t help but relate to its characters. To give their fans a chance to feel like a Ghibli character, Studio Ghibli launched its very own Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture. In this article, we will provide you with the ultimate guide to visiting Studio Ghibli Park. Let’s begin!

Visiting Studio Ghibli Park – Overview

Ghibli Park is a theme park that belongs to Japan’s most famous animation studio, Miyazaki Hayao’s Studio Ghibli. People from all around the world are quite familiar with the studio’s work like Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Grave of the Fireflies. The Ghibli Park can be found nestled on the site of Ai-Chilyuhaky-Kinen-Koen. It is a vast 17-acre park where the World Expo 2005 was held.

Unlike Disney parks, Ghibli Park doesn’t offer any rides. You can, however, walk around the park and immerse yourself in the world of Studio Ghibli films. Ghibli Park is divided into three areas namely Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth, and Dondoko Forest. There are two other areas, Valley of Witches, and Mononoke’s Village, that are under development and will be opened to the public soon.

Visiting Studio Ghibli Park – Tickets

Due to the popularity of the Ghibli movies, the park is always swarming with tourists and locals, and getting a ticket is a difficult task. There you have to book beforehand and get the tickets for the area you are interested in visiting. The tickets are sold on a first come first serve basis and if you are a die-hard fan, we suggest you start booking them now. Given below are the entry times, and cost of the tickets for the three operational areas of the park.

Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse

Hill of Youth

Dondoko Forest

Things to do at the Studio Ghibli Park

The Fantastical Land of Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse

Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ghibli Park. This fantastical realm consists of a Children’s Town, the Philosophy Club Room that will transport the visitors to the world of From Up on the Poppy Hill, the fans of Arrietty can visit The House Below and The Little People’s Garden to see what the world looks like to the Little People, The Cat Bus Room, where the cat bus awaits to take you to the realm of My Neighbor Totoro, and a playing room for kids which is designed to replicate the Higashi-Koganei Station area in Tokyo.

There is also a Director’s Room that reassembles the office of Yubaba from Spirited Away. In the Garden in the Sky, Robot Soldiers from Castle in the Sky await to welcome the visitors. Being a Studio Ghibli attraction, of course, it has to add scrumptious food to its arsenal and lure the fans in with the decadent smell. The attraction houses the Transcontinental Flight Café where you can rest after your Grand Warehouse adventure and stuff yourself with sandwiches and pizza. For something sweet, you can visit the Milk Stand Siberian which offers cake with sweet beans like the “Siberia” from The Wind Rises.

The Warehouse also has interactive exhibitions that offer 14 famous scenes from 13 Ghibli movies. There you can transform into the characters from your favorite Studio Ghibli films and act out scenes. Our personal favorite is that of the mysterious sea railway train from Spirited Away where you will get to become Chihiro sitting next to No Face.

Enjoy the Views from the Hill of Youth

Calling all Whisper of the Heart fans, this is your chance to step in the shoes of Shizuku Tsukishima and visit the real-life repair and resale shop, World Emporium. You can take in the picturesque view of the entire park from the first and second-floor terraces of the World Emporium. Another great attraction that the Hill of Youth harbors is the Elevator Tower, the structure of which was inspired by the late 19th-century sci-fi architecture that appears in Studio Ghibli’s hit films like Howl’s Moving Castle and Castle in the Sky. You can also visit Baron and Muta from The Cat Returns. You will find them lounging in a single-story cat-sized wooden building called The Cat Bureau.

Explore the Enchanted Dondoko Forest

Dondoko Forest will transport you to the world of My Neighbor Totoro, where you will find yourself surrounded by Satsuki and Mei’s house. The house is a Japanese-Western-style house and harbors a kitchen, sitting room, bathroom, bedroom, study, and more. When you step inside the house, if you are quiet enough you will be able to hear the echoes of the dust bunnies. At the top of the hill, behind the house, you will find “Dondoko-do”. Dondoko-do is a 5-meter-tall wooden structure where only children under twelve can play.

Find the Fifteen Forgotten Items

There are 15 forgotten items that are placed around the park that you can come across if you just look hard enough. Snap a picture with the items and post it on Instagram as Studio Ghibli Park is the most Instagramable place on earth.

Studio Ghibli Park Souvenir Guide

If you want to get a souvenir, you can visit the main souvenir shop, Adventurous Flying Squadron in the Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse. The Warehouse also has several smaller shops from where you can purchase Studio Ghibli merchandise like bags, plushies, t-shirts, stationery, postcards, and prints.

Tickets and Bookings

You can book your Studio Ghibli trip via Viator where you will be offered a package that includes an entry ticket for Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, one night’s accommodation and breakfast as well as a round-trip Shinkansen ticket between Tokyo and Nagoya.