Studio Ghibli Theme Park Japan Opens 2022

Ghibli Studio illustration (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - A theme park with the world theme of Studio Ghibli in Japan will open in the fall of 2022. Construction has been going on for a long time and was halted for two weeks in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The theme park was first announced in 2017, and a report from The Japan Times in 2018 said the organizers behind the park were targeting an opening in 2020.

Launching Antara, Sunday, July 26, Studio Ghibli president Kiyofumi Nakajima reportedly attended the July 28 groundbreaking event as construction continued.

Studio Ghibli Theme Park is under construction in Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya. The exact location is at the Aichi Expo Commemorative Park. According to the governor of Aichi Prefecture, Hideaki Omura, the park is on track to open to the public in the fall of 2022.

The park is divided into five different rides, each based on one or more of the animated titles by Studio Ghibli.

Three areas are currently under construction, namely the "Hill of Youth" area inspired by "Whisper of the Heart" and "Howl's Moving Castle"; the "Giant Warehouse" area, based on "Spirited Away"; and the "Dondoko Forest" area which takes inspiration from "My Neighbor Totoro".

Meanwhile, two areas that have yet to begin construction are "Mononoke Village", based on the film "Princess Mononoke," and "Witch Valley", which was inspired by "Kiki Delivery Service" and "Howl's Moving Castle". Development of this area is expected to start in 2021.

The concept image of the first look for Studio Ghibli theme park debuted in April 2018 and sparked a lot of excitement from fans.

This amusement park is said to be the latest milestone in the revival of Studio Ghibli.