A Magical Time at the Studio Ghibli Theme Park (& How You Can Visit It Too!)
Ghibli Theme Park
The Ghibli Theme Park is an interactive park dedicated to the world of Studio Ghibli. You will find yourself immersed in scenes from our beloved Ghibli classics as you explore all this park has to offer. It is located in Aichi, Japan, and is not to be confused with the Ghibli Museum which is located in Tokyo, Japan. The Ghibli Theme Park is still fairly new and undergoing expansion, so this post will only cover information on the parts of the park we visited- Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse. However other areas of the park include the newly opened Mononoke Village, Dondoko Forest, and the Hill of Youth.
To access the Ghibli Theme Park advance registration and ticket purchase are required. Currently, ticket prices for entry to different areas of the park are from $7 to $20 USD. Tickets go on sale for dates about 3 months in advance so be sure to plan accordingly. Each area of the park also has scheduled entry times. If you’re an international visitor, you can purchase tickets from the official website here.
How to Get There
Getting to Aichi is no easy feat- however, we decided to make the stop on our way from Tokyo to Osaka with luggage which may have made the journey more troublesome. (Keep in mind the park does not allow luggage so be sure to store it in the train station lockers). If you’re in Tokyo, your best route is to take the JR/Shinkansen from Tokyo to Nagoya station. Once you get to Nagoya station, switch to the Higashiyama subway line and change to the Linimo line at Fujigaoka. Exit at Ai-Chikyuhaku Kinen Koen Station. It takes about 50 minutes from Nagoya station. There is also the Meitetsu shuttle bus that departs from Nagoya station.
Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse
The current main attraction at the Ghibli Theme Park is known as Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse and it’s got everything from a screening room to 14 interactive exhibits to a gift shop and cafe. It’s easy to spend several hours here. You can become part of the film when you’re shrunk down into the world of Arrietty, standing next to the robot soldiers from Castle in the Sky, sitting on the cat bus from My Neighbor Totoro, and peeking into Yubaba’s office from Spirited Away. You can also step into a mock shopping street full of real stores selling scale models, candy, and books or explore an exhibit like Delicious! Animating Memorable Meals which highlights why food looks so delicious in Studio Ghibli films.
We probably spent 3-4 hours inside the Ghibli Warehouse. Even though there is timed entry, the warehouse is open to explore any way you wish and the park itself is still very new so we had to queue for pretty much everything. The longest wait came from the Becoming Characters in Memorable Ghibli Scenes exhibit where you are able to take photos with characters during iconic scenes such as No Face from Spirited Away as you ride the sea railway train. Understandably, this was the longest wait because it’s the most interactive and people can essentially take as many photos at each photo station as they’d like. While it took the longest amount of time, it definitely was my favorite part of the warehouse.
Another part of Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse that I really enjoyed was the open warehouse. Here you are able to see many production artifacts, sculptures, and prototypes that were used in past Studio Ghibli exhibits both in Japan and abroad.
The theatre is currently screening original animated shorts that were previously shown at the Studio Ghibli Museum. They screen the shorts one at a time and the current schedule is available on the website. A different short is selected to be shown each month. Although we missed out on seeing the film while we visited, I appreciate that the screening ticket is included with your purchase of the main attraction.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Ghibli Theme Park. As someone who considers themself to be a huge Ghibli fan, with a No Face tattoo to boot, it was such a magical place to visit. The nature park it is seated in perfectly fits the tranquil atmosphere all Ghibli films seem to have. I hope to visit again in the future once they have added new areas to the park. Howl’s Castle from Howl’s Moving Castle, the Guchokipanya Bakery from Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the House of Witches from Earwig and the Witch are all additions scheduled for 2024.
