The new Studio Ghibli Park will have its grand opening on November 1. The announcement was made by Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and Aichi Governor Hideaki Ōmura. The attraction will be located in Nagakute which is located in the Aichi prefecture.
The Aichi Tourism Bureau created a new website to help promote the attraction alongside a four-minute promotional video.
Construction on the park’s first three areas began in July 2020, with construction company the Kajima Corporation spearheading the operation. The park is expected to take up roughly 17.5-acres of the 479-acre Aichi Expo Memorial Park.
Work on the project began back in 2019 and construction is expected to last for another two or three years. The Aichi prefecture has budgeted ¥31 billion (roughly US $280 million) for the park’s construction. An additional ¥3 billion (roughly US $30 million) was budgeted for the design and planning process.
Three different areas of the theme park will open on November 1; the Giant Ghibli Warehouse, Hill of Youth, and Dondoko Forest. The Princess Momnonoke inspired Mononoke Village and Kiki's DeliveryService inspired Witch Valley will open sometime in the latter half of 2023.
The park will feature a variety of attractions inspired by Studio Ghibli films, such as the 9,600-square-meter Ghibli no Daisōko building which will be four times larger than the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, a massive recreation of the airship in Castle in the Sky, a replica of the witch's home from Earwig and the Witch, and a recreation of the shrine and path from My Neighbor Totoro that will feature a wooden Totoro playground statue that can fit up to five elementary school children at a time.
1 million people are projected to visit the first three areas annually when the park finally opens, with the number expected to rise to 1.8 million once the park is fully open in 2023. An additional 1,500 parking spaces are being added to the area and roads surrounding the park in order to help control additional traffic created by visitors.
Source: Anime News Network
