Animation film company Studio Ghibli and the Aichi prefectural government have agreed to aim for fiscal 2022 for the opening of a Ghibli theme park in Nagakute in the prefecture.
They have drawn up a basic plan for the park, in which an elevator building at the main entrance area will be refurbished to evoke the world of the Ghibli film "Howl's Moving Castle." The Chikyuya antique shop from "Whisper of the Heart" will also be re-created nearby.
The prefectural government announced in June last year a plan to build the theme park in the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park. The about 200-hectare park was the venue for the 2005 world expo and is already home to Satsuki and Mei's House, a replica of a home in the popular animated film "My Neighbor Totoro." About 107,000 people visited this attraction in fiscal 2017.
The prefectural government and other entities intend to use this replica as well, to present the world view of Studio Ghibli's films.
The prefectural government will implement the project, while Studio Ghibli plans and supervises it.
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