A Guide to Ghibli Park in Nagoya, Japan

Postcards from Asia, Part 9

Dear friends,

I’m a massive Hayao Miyazaki fan, partly due to watching his films growing up with my younger sister and cousins. The themes of resilience, deep platonic love, enchantment in the everyday, and moving through grief have resonated with me for decades, and I knew I wanted to visit the life-size park that pays homage to Studio Ghibli.

What I like about this park is that it's an amusement park for people who may not be overly fond of amusement parks. Miyazaki designed it in a way that it blends in with the natural landscape; a good deal of the park is forested without any attractions other than hiking trails and a Japanese garden. It’s not super costly, I paid less than $25 for access to all the areas, except a few indoor attractions like the inside of Howl’s Castle and Mei’s house. You can also visit areas around the park for free without any ticket at all.

I will say the reservation system can be intimidating as it’s a popular park with Japanese and foreign tourists alike. I’ll offer a step-by-step process of what you need to do to get a ticket and talk a bit about each section of the park.

Please note: this is the Ghibli Park in Nagoya, Japan. There is a Ghibli Museum in Tokyo that is smaller and has another reservation system to navigate.

How to get tickets from abroad

Step 1, Choose Your Pass:

First, if you are a foreign visitor, you need to access the ticketing page from this website. You have two options for your pass: the Ghibli Park O-Sanpo Day Pass and the Ghibli Park O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium.

The main difference is the Premium Pass allows you access to all the buildings inside the park. You should get this pass if you want to explore inside these buildings: World Emporium (Hill of Youth), Satsuki and Mei's House (Dondoko Forest), the Okino Residence, Howl's Castle, the House of Witches (Valley of Witches).

Both passes allow you to enter Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, but you will have an assigned entrance time. You can only enter during this time and then stay as long as you please until the park closes around 5 p.m.

Step 2, Set A Calendar Alert:

You are allowed to purchase passes two months before your visit. I highly recommend setting a calendar alert for this time because I didn’t access the page until later in the month and was unable to purchase a Premium Pass.

Both passes go on sale two months in advance, on the 10th at 2 p.m. (Japan time). I made my reservation later and didn’t get the Premium Pass although I hear you can still get them through third-party resellers and outside tours, but I didn’t want to go this route.

If you are purchasing tickets as soon as they are available, you may have to wait in an online queue as the website sometimes can’t handle the amount of people getting tickets at once.

Step 3, Choose Your Date and Time:

You will click the button for sales online, either by Lawson or Klook. You’ll then choose your month at the bottom of the page. You’ll select the date, your desired entry time to “Ghibli's Grand Warehouse,” and the number of tickets you want. You’ll enter your customer information which includes your name, email address, number, country of residence, passport number, and address while in Japan. If you don’t have your lodging booked yet, I wrote a hostel address in Nagoya (didn’t end up staying there) and had no issues.

You will then make a credit card payment. My visa credit card didn’t work but my debit card did, so if you have issues with payment at first, try another card or contact your bank to let them know what you’re doing.

As of this writing, prices are approximately 3,500 yen for adults on weekdays and 4,000 on weekends and holidays for the regular pass. The Premium pass costs 7,300 or 7,800 yen. Children, adults with disabilities, and children with disabilities pay a lower price.

After you buy your tickets, you’ll receive an electronic ticket with a QR code that will activate when it’s time to enter the park. You’ll need a smartphone with data to display this ticket. Screenshots aren’t allowed since the system updates in real time whenever you access a section of the park. The ticket holder should also bring their passport (not once was I asked to show it), but I would bring it just to be safe.

How to navigate the park

Ghibli Park is divided into five sections based on the different worlds from Ghibli films.

1. Ghibli's Grand Warehouse

2. Hill of Youth

3. Dondoko Forest

4. Valley of Witches

5. Mononoke Village

You will show your pass to access each section of the park, and if you have the Premium Pass, you will show it again to access different buildings.

I was able to see almost every section when arriving at 10:30 am and leaving at 5 pm. The park opens at 10 am so if you want to see everything, I would recommend getting there as soon as it opens.

Since my entrance time to the Grand Warehouse wasn’t until 3 pm, I started with Dondoko Forest and ended at the Warehouse. Your trajectory may look a little different depending on your pass and entry time.

Dondoko Forest

I started with Dondoko Forest, which is the part of the park that’s mostly gentle hiking trails through a forest, based on My Neighbor Totoro. In this section, you’ll find Satsuki and Mei’s House (you need a Premium Pass to access), and a gigantic statue of Totoro next to a wooden playground perched on a hill. You can also find a Japanese garden hidden within the forest and a few lookout points.

Valley of Witches

Valley of Witches is one of the largest sections and has homages to Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Earwig and the Witch, and Castle in the Sky. If you have the Premium Pass, you may enter the Okino residence from Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Castle, and the House of Witches, from Earwig and the Witch.

Other buildings include the Guchokipanya Bakery from Kiki’s Delivery Service, where you can buy pastries, and the Hatter's Millinery from Howl’s Moving Castle, where Sophie worked. There’s also some play equipment for children based on Castle in the Sky, and a restaurant and food stands.

Mononoke Village

Mononoke Village is based on Princess Mononoke and features the Tatara-ba building from the film. Here, I learned how to grill Gohei-mochi over charcoal, a food that comes from the mountains around Aichi and nearby prefectures. There are also a couple slides and statues featuring characters from the movie including Lord Okkoto, the demon spirit, as well as the watchtower from the Emishi Village.

Hill of Youth

The Hill of Youth is what you first see when you enter the park, a large elevator and watchtower inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle. There are also installations from Whisper of the Heart and the Cat Returns: the World Emporium (you need the Premium Pass), and the Cat Bureau. I didn’t spend much time in this section since I didn’t have a Premium Pass but I hear it’s well done if you’re a fan of those two films.

Ghibli's Grand Warehouse

Everyone needs a timed ticket for this section, as it is full of installations and special exhibitions. This was the most comprehensive section, and I enjoyed seeing a short film in the theatre, an exhibit about food in the world of Ghibli, and behind-the-scenes props and inspiration. Here, you can wait in line to take a photo with No Face, play in the life-size world of Arrietty, and buy food and souvenirs.

This was probably my favorite section due to the little easter eggs sprinkled throughout the building and the more detailed look at the production of the films. It’s also a great area for photo ops, with a life-size cat bus that you can sit in and a playground area for children.

Where to stay in Nagoya

Getting to the park is fairly simple, I took the metro from Nagoya, getting the Higashiyama line and transferring to the Limino line. You’ll get off at the Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station which is smattered with pictures of characters from the films.

You’ll walk directly out of the station and see a Lawson convenience store which sells Ghibli merchandise and is a good spot to grab some snacks, and the Hill of Youth watchtower which is free for the public to access without a ticket. You can bring your own food and beverages in areas around the park, and there are some inexpensive food trucks outside Ghibli’s Warehouse. I stayed in the City Lights Book Hotel, right by the metro station and 100% recommend it, especially for bookish solo travelers. It was very clean, affordable, and had a bookshop and coffee shop underneath.

Worth the visit?

Would I visit again? Absolutely. Like most things from Miyazaki, the park is designed with careful consideration. The attractions aren’t overly ostentatious, and the food they sell isn’t too pricey. If you’re a Ghibli fan or have kids, I think this park is well worth the trip.