A theme park featuring the beloved characters of Studio Ghibli and scenes from its hit animation films such as "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Spirited Away" opened Tuesday in central Japan.
Ghibli Park in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, opened three areas -- Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth, and Dondoko Forest -- to expectant fans of the famed animation studio, with tickets for November already sold out.
Unlike Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea near the Japanese capital and Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, Ghibli Park has no rides but is expected to enchant visitors with artifacts and exhibits reminiscent of their favorite movies.
It is built inside a commemorative park on the site of the 2005 World Expo held in Nagakute, with the areas blending in with nature, a theme often depicted in Ghibli movies.
Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, the park's main area and an indoor facility, recreates, for example, the iconic airship and ruined garden from the 1986 film "Castle in the Sky."
Fans of the Oscar-winning 2001 film "Spirited Away" can look at bathhouse proprietor Yubaba busily working away in her office or sit next to the character No-Face on the train that runs on the sea.
The area also has a children's playroom with "Cat Bus," one of the magical characters that appear in "My Neighbor Totoro," the 1988 classic hit.
Totoro lovers can explore Dondoko Forest, marked by a large statue of the titular character, and tour inside "Satsuki and Mei's House" belonging to the sisters who befriended it.
Fans can head over to the Hill of Youth to delight in the antique shop and violin maker's workshop appearing in the 1995 film "Whisper of the Heart."
Tickets, which can only be purchased domestically, must be booked in advance and are required for each area from November through January. Starting in February, visitors will be able to buy a multi-pass ticket allowing entry to Ghibli's Grand Warehouse and Hill of Youth.
Fees vary by area with Ghibli's Grand Warehouse at 2,000 yen ($14) on weekdays and 2,500 yen on weekends and public holidays for adults. Entry to Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest will each cost 1,000 yen every day. Child tickets are half price.
The multi-pass ticket from February will cost 3,000 yen for adults on weekdays and 3,500 yen on weekends, with kids' tickets costing half.
The park's construction is supervised by Japanese director Goro Miyazaki, son of Ghibli co-founder and legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki.
At a commemorative ceremony on Monday, the younger Miyazaki said he was very happy to see the park's opening and vowed to "do his utmost" until the remaining two areas -- "Valley of Witches" and "Mononoke Village" -- open over the next two years.
The prefecture has said it is preparing to begin selling tickets to individual visitors from overseas possibly from mid-January next year.
When all five areas will have opened in the spring of 2024, Aichi estimates that Ghibli Park will have attracted 2.8 million annual visitors and created an economic ripple effect of about 48 billion yen for the area.
As the prefecture hopes for a regional tourism boost, the park faces the challenge of attracting not just new visitors but repeat customers.
"Parks without rides face a high hurdle of making visitors want to come back," said Megumi Nakajima, a part-time lecturer of management at Meiji University knowledgeable about the theme park industry.
"There are around 5 million people living within an hour's drive to the park. If the park has rotating special exhibits or seasonal events, repeat visitors from the local area will grow and increase the park's profit," she said.
