World's first Studio Ghibli theme park to open near Nagoya, Japan in 2022

Hopefully there's a life-size Totoro to pose next to.

Ashley Tan | June 05, 2019, 08:49 PM

If you've ever wished you could experience the magic of Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli movies in real life, here's some great news.

A brand new Studio Ghibli theme park is set to open in Aichi prefecture, Japan, in 2022.

200ha and five themed zones

The opening of the theme park was first announced in 2017 by Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and Aichi governor Hideaki Omura, according to Sora News.

The park will cover over 200 hectares, and will take over the space previously occupied by the 2005 World EXPO.

Currently, the theme park is slated to consist of five themed zones centred around several of Ghibli's most beloved movies.

Even the concept art of the theme park looks like it could belong in a Ghibli movie itself.

1. Seishun no Oka area (Youth Hill area)

The first zone includes a steampunk elevator inspired by Howl's Moving Castle (bottom left), and a full-size replica of Chikyuya's antique shop from Whispers of the Heart.

Photo from @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter

Here's some beautiful concept art of the antique shop with the elevator in the background.

Photo from @tokai_newsone / Twitter

2. Ghibli Dai Soko Area (Ghibli Large Warehouse Area)

This second zone will contain shops, cafes, exhibition rooms and playing areas.

Photo from @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter

3. Dondoko Mori Area (Dondoko Forest Area)

This lush zone filled with greenery will replicate the rural hometown from the movie My Neighbour Totoro.

Visitors can even check out a real life version of the house that the main characters of the movie, Mei and Satsuki, live in.

Photo from japantravel.com

Photo from Rachel and Jun / Youtube

According to Sora News, the park plans to arrange walking tours in the surrounding forest too.

Photo from @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter

4. Mononoke no Sato Area (Mononoke’s Village Area)

This zone will be dedicated to the characters and setting from Princess Mononoke.

The area will have buildings reminiscent of the rural Japanese landscape from the movie.

Photo from @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter

5. Majo no Tani Area (Witches’ Valley Area)

The last zone, as indicated by the word "Witches" in its name, is inspired by Kiki's Delivery Service and Howl's Moving Castle.

Restaurants and rest areas can be found here, and the buildings will have the same "Northern European" feel seen in both movies.

Photo from @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter

It is anticipated that the first three zones will open in 2022, while the last two zones will be ready in 2023.

Meanwhile, here's another beautifully drawn concept art of the theme park to hype you up.

Photo from @tokai_newsone / Twitter

Photo from @tokai_newsone / Twitter

Photo from @tokai_newsone / Twitter

Theme park's logo revealed

The theme park is an ongoing collaboration between the studio, the prefecture, and the Chunichi Shimbun Newspaper.

In a press conference on May 31, 2019, Suzuki, Oomura and Chunichi CEO Uichiro Oshima released more details about the upcoming theme park, including its logo.

Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki created the first word "Ghibli" (“ジブリ”), while Suzuki created the second word "Park" (“パーク”).

Very exciting.

Top photo from Wikipedia and @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter