First Studio Ghibli theme park to feature Howl's castle, Kiki's house & Mononoke's Irontown

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

Ashley Tan | February 06, 2020, 02:30 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.

The park will cover over 200 hectares, and will be located in the town of Nagakute, near Nagoya, according to Sora News.

Currently, the theme park is slated to include 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 (Hill of Youth 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.

Visitors can also take a look at the cat office from The Cat Returns.

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's Giant Warehouse Area)

This second zone is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the studio's animated works.

In addition to shops, cafes, exhibition rooms and playing areas, there will also be a 170-seat theatre, which fans hope will be displaying Ghibli anime shorts.

The warehouse area will also contain a cafeteria, which local news Asahi Shimbun Digital claims will look similar to the ghostly food stalls in Spirited Away.

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 (Village of Mononoke 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 and guests can visit Irontown, the town where Lady Eboshi resides.

Photo from @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter

5. Majo no Tani Area (Valley of the Witches 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.

Guests can visit Kiki's house and Howl's castle, though it is uncertain if the latter will actually be moving like in the movie.

Restaurants and rest areas can be found here, and the buildings will have the same "Northern European" aesthetic 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 some more beautifully drawn concept art of the theme park to get you hyped.

Photo from @tokai_newsone / Twitter

Photo from @tokai_newsone / Twitter

Photo from @tokai_newsone / Twitter

Fanart shows what theme park could look like

One artist and Studio Ghibli fan has even taken it upon himself to create fanart of what he thinks a Studio Ghibli theme park could look like.

The Japanese artist, Takumi, has even drawn in a monorail shaped like Totoro's cat bus, and a Laputa roller coaster.

Do note that this is not official art, and some of the elements featured will not be included in the actual theme park.

Very exciting.

Top photo from Wikipedia and @ohmura_hideaki / Twitter