How Tourists Can Buy Studio Ghibli Park Tickets & What To Expect

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Ghibli Park Aichi

You may be familiar with the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo, but a newcomer has arrived on the scene with bigger exhibitions, more to see and do and all set in the beautiful Aichi Expo Memorial Park outside Nagoya.

Want to know how to buy tickets as a tourist and scroll down for a step by step guide.

What Is There To Do and What Films Can I Experience At the Ghibli Park?

Ghibli Park is split into 5 themed areas: The Hill of Youth, Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Mononoke’s Village, Valley of Witches and Dondoko Forest. The themed areas, or ‘lands’ are separate and will require walking through the public park within to reach each one.

Ticket go on sale once a month and you have to buy individual tickets for each of them. Scroll down to see a step by step guide.

At present, the Hill of Youth, Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Dondoko Forest  and Mononoke’s Village are open and  with Valley of the Witches is expected to be unveiled in  2024.

1) Hill of Youth – situated by the park’s north entrance, this gateway leads you into the magical world of the Ghibli Park!

Laputa – An antique observation and elevator tower with stunning views and architecture inspired by sci-fi steampunk in the vein of the 1986 classic.

Whisper of the Heart & The Cat Returns – you can visit the orange-fronted antique store from the charming coming-of-age film Whisper of the Herat, complete with its impressive balcony views, while inside it also features a miniature Cat Bureau from its sequel, The Cat Returns.

2) Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse – this indoor area houses exhibitions, a cinema, a playground and shops and eateries, along with the warehouse itself, with many of the classic films represented.

Laputa – the warehouse features a recreation of the timeless sky garden from the city in the clouds.

My Neighbour Totoro – a playroom with a giant Catbus, similar to the Ghibli Museum will provide kids with hours of fun.

Spirited Away – The tunnel that whisks Mei from the real world to the spirit world in this iconic film is set to open in the future.

Arrietty – The Borrowers’ home will transport you to the world of the tiny little people, complete with giant everyday objects!

3) Mononoke’s Village – this outdoor area includes recreations of Muromachi-era Japan from Princess Mononoke, complete with sections of Irontown, including a furnace, and fantastic creatures from the movie too.

4) Valley of the Witches – Not surprisingly, this European-inspired area is where you’ll visit to get lost in the world of Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Kiki’s Delivery Service – Visit Kiki’s beautiful home and her home-away-from-home, the heart-warming bakery, Gütiokipänjä!

Howl’s Moving Castle – The star attraction here is the metallic house of the famed wizard, complete with moving sections and the option to look inside and see the Calcifer’s kitchen area!

Earwig and the Witch – This cute British-style cottage may look unassuming from the outside, but inside is a Witch’s studio, complete with potions galore to explore!

5) Dondoko Forest – another impressive outdoor area, this beautiful forest is home to everyone’s favourite magical creature…

My Neighbour Totoro – Not only can you visit the quaint little house that Satsuki and Mei call home, but there’s also a Totoro statue that children can play inside!

6) The Cat Returns Play Area – The name speaks of itself here, but this area, yet to open, will feature a maze, slides and zip lines, all drawn from the magical Cat Kingdom!

You can find a map here.

How To Buy Ghibli Park Tickets?

Tickets are available via the official ticket website. The different areas of the Ghibli Park require separate tickets and have varying entry fee prices. Tickets are also tied to Admission Slots, for example, 12.00, 14.00, 15.00, etc.

How To Buy Ghibli Park Tickets As A Tourist

Are you a tourist? Then you can buy them via their international tickets page.  Tickets for February are going on sale on November 10th, 14:00 Japanese time.

Make sure to set your alarm and join the queue, it took me about 3 hours and there were still tickets available. Once you are in select the month and the park.

That will take you to the calendar overview where you can select your date and then confirm the timeslot. As mentioned above right now the two timeslots for tourists are 12.00 and 14.00 for the Warehouse & Mononoke combi tickets, 11.00 and 15.00 for the Hill of Youth as well as Dondoko Foresr

Select your date, and scroll down to confirm select. On the next screen, you can add the number of visitors you’ll be booking tickets for. Right now that’s up to 6 people.

Enter your info, confirm you’re a human, and process your payment. Make sure you remember the info and the password as you’ll need it to access and print out your ticket.  Then wait for e-mail confirmation and that’s it.

Forgotten your password? You can e-mail Lawson to the dedicated Ghibli Park e-mail < ghiblipark-en@ent.lawson.co.jp > and request a reset.

What Are The Opening Times?

Ghibli Park is open to the public from 10.00 to 17.00 on weekdays (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) and 09.00 to 17.00 on weekends and public holidays. It is closed on Tuesdays, except when Tuesday is a public holiday. To make sure the dates are right, check out the official calendar here.

Where Is The Ghibli Park?

The Ghibli Theme Park is located near Aichi Expo Memorial Park near Nagoya. The Ghibli Grand Warehouse is 500m from Aichi Expo Memorial Park Station, Hill of Youth is 400m away and Dondoko Forest is 1200m.

How To Get To the Ghibli Park from Nagoya & Tokyo Station?

From Nagoya Station, take the Higashiyama Line (yellow line) to Fujigaoka Station (28 mins). Then at Fujigaoka Station, change and take the Linimo to Aichi Expo Memorial Park Station (13 mins)

To get there from Tokyo Station, take the Tokaido Sanyo Shinkansen to Nagoya Station (1 hour 40 mins). Then take the Higashiyama Line to Fujigaoka Station (28 mins). Then at Fujigaoka Station, change and take the Linimo to Aichi Expo Memorial Park Station (13 mins)

You’ll find a Lawson, a Ghibli gift shop, and an Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park information center when you exit the station. Don’t spend too much time at the gift shops initially. You can come back later. At the information center, you’ll find lockers where you can leave your bags if needed.

What To Expect Inside The Grand Warehouse As An Overseas / International Visitor?

While walking around the park, you’ll be able to see a few things that are open to the general public, including the house from “Whisper of the Heart”, the Cat Bureau from “the Cat Returns” and the Clock Tower (which is actually an elevator) in the style of “Castle in the Sky” and “Howl’s Moving Castle”. Other sites are currently blocked due to construction, but you can catch a glimpse of Howl’s Castle and Mononoke’s Village.

Head towards the Grand Warehouse entrance and join the queue. Your ticket and passport will be checked while you wait and then scanned once you’re inside. You can pick up a map at the info deck and then explore at your own pace. You’ll likely notice a queue at the red building, which is for a photo opportunity with No Face from the train scene in Spirited Away. I recommend saving this experience for later in the day.

I suggest attending the Orion Cinema screening of the short film early, as there tends to be a long queue later in the day. They will advertise which short film is screening that day. I saw “Koro’s Big Day Out,” which will be shown until June 27th. From June 28th to July 31st, “House Hunting” will be screened. The screening times are posted above.

 

Make sure to visit the gift shop early, as it gets crowded later in the day. The gift shop is spacious and offers a wide range of items, from cards and plush toys to pins, mugs, stickers, and notebooks. While many of the items can be found in the six Ghibli gift shops around Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, there are some items unique to the Ghibli Park, like t-shirts and tote-bags, as well merchandise featuring characters like Koro.

 
 

You’re allowed to bring food inside, so I recommend doing so and avoiding the long queues. There was a constant line for the cafe when I visited on a weekday, so you can imagine how busy it gets on weekends. The restaurant/food area is not themed, and the only Ghibli-related item you’ll receive is a Ghibli flag if you order one of the sandwiches. It’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it. Personally, I think bringing your own food and enjoying it in the style of “The Wind Rises,” with milk and cake with sweet beans, is a good option.

The “Garden in the Sky” (inspired by the robot from “Castle in the Sky”) and the “House Below” (an oversized version of Arrietty’s house) areas had a decent flow and never felt too crowded. You’ll pass by them multiple times, so don’t feel obligated to join the queue right away.

The Minami-machi “shopping street” is one of the quieter parts inside the warehouse. You’ll find a row of shops, including Neppu Bookstore for books, Open Sky Models for scale model kits, and Penny Candy Shop Cat Princess. This little corner also features two gachapon machines, in case you were wondering.

The same applies to the Special Exhibition. It can get busy at times, but the line moves quickly. When I visited in May, the exhibition focused on food in Ghibli movies and was probably my favorite part of the visit.

Save the Exhibition for later in the day when the queue is shorter, allowing you to take your time. The main wait in the queue was for a photo with the No Face photo op, but there was no wait for the other photo opp sets.

All in all is it worth it going for just the Warehouse?

 

As of June 2023, foreign visitors can only go to the Grand Warehouse and the park itself is still under construction and you only have the option to visit the Grand Warehouse, whether it’s worth it depends on your level of interest in Studio Ghibli.

The Grand Warehouse is likely to feature exhibits related to Studio Ghibli’s films and may offer merchandise for sale. If you’re a big fan of Studio Ghibli and want to experience more of their work, even if it’s just through exhibits and merchandise, then visiting the Grand Warehouse could be worthwhile for you.

However, if you are looking for a more immersive and comprehensive Studio Ghibli experience, visiting the Ghibli Museum near Tokyo would be a better choice. The Ghibli Museum offers a unique and enchanting experience, showcasing the art and creativity of Studio Ghibli in a beautifully designed museum setting. It provides a deeper understanding of the studio’s animation process, history, and storytelling techniques.

If you have already been to the Ghibli Museum and have spare time during your trip or if you are specifically interested in visiting Nagoya, then it could be worth considering a visit to the Grand Warehouse. Nagoya has other attractions such as the Aichi Park, which can make for an enjoyable day out.

Ultimately, I had a good time because of the Arrietty area, the Special Exhibition on food and finally seeing Koro’s Big Day Out on the big screen, but it is worth noting that as a foreigner you can’t see everything you might want to, and much of the park’s areas are still under construction so are off-limits. So overall, your experience may vary.

 

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