A theme park based on the works of the renowned Japanese animation house, Studio Ghibli, will start welcoming visitors in central Japan on Nov. 1, the studio and local officials said Thursday.
The opening date for the eagerly awaited "Ghibli Park" was revealed on the studio's Twitter account alongside an illustration of the cuddly forest spirit character Totoro.
The site is currently under construction within a huge area of parkland in the central Aichi region, 250 kilometers (150 miles) west of Tokyo, at a total cost of 34 billion yen ($300 million), documents show.
One of the theme park's five areas includes a life-size model of the house where the main characters of the 1988 classic "My Neighbor Totoro" lived, evoking the luscious scenery of the Japanese countryside.
There will be walking tours and paths planned in this area, which is designed to take a lot of the existing infrastructure of the area into account.
It will be the first section of the Ghibli Park to open this year, a local government official said.
"Visitors will be able to go inside a Totoro-like statue built at the back of the house," the official told Agence France-Presse (AFP), adding that information on tickets is not yet available.
Two more areas – one themed on "Princess Mononoke," the tale of a girl raised by wolves in a forest, and another inspired by "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Howl's Moving Castle" – will open next year, the official said.
The "Witches’ Valley Area," inspired by both "Kiki’s Delivery Service" and "Howl’s Moving Castle," will house a small amusement park, as well as a replica of Kiki’s parents’ house and Howl’s castle.
Meanwhile, on "Springtime of Life Hill" (or Youth Hill) – based on "Howl's Moving Castle" – visitors will be able to see a giant steampunk elevator, which will allow guests a view of the whole land. It will also feature some inspiration from "Whisper of the Heart," specifically the buildings inspired by the antique shop featured in the movie.
There is also "Mononoke’s Village Area," dedicated to Princess Mononoke, which will house a replica of Irontown and evoke the Muromachi period between 1336 and 1573 that inspired the film. It’s also going to house giant sculptures of the movie’s spirits and creatures.
The park will also house the "Ghibli Large Warehouse Area," designed to be accessible any time of year, regardless of weather, featuring Japanese and Western-style buildings that will host the dining locations, shops, playing areas and exhibition spaces. There will be a dining area here inspired by Spirited Away.
Studio Ghibli was co-founded by Hayao Miyazaki, known internationally for directing 2001's "Spirited Away," about a girl who gets lost in a mysterious world and tries to save her parents who are turned into pigs.
The studio already operates the hugely popular Ghibli Museum on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Tickets for the museum only go on sale at the beginning of each month and regularly sell out within hours.
