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Studio Ghibli Theme Park Set to Open in November

Photo: David Wongty Images/South China Morning Post via Get

Traveling to Japan counts as doing “inner-child work,†right? Reboots of classic television shows and movies like Home Alone and Degrassi (yes, Degrassi is classic television!) have made ignoring your adult responsibilities and hyper-fixating on nostalgic memories so much easier. But going to a theme park based on your favorite animated movie might be the ultimate form of healing your inner child. Studio Ghibli announced that a theme park based on the works of animation legend Hayao Miyazaki will open on November 1, 2022, in Japan. About three hours from Tokyo by train, the theme park is a part of Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park, a family park formerly home to the 2005 World Expo event. It has a replica of Satsuki and Mei’s home from My Neighbor Totoro that’s currently open to the public. My Neighbor Totoro will also be the first themed area featured in the park to open, adding more attractions based on the movie in addition to the replica house. Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Howl’s Moving Castle areas are set to open sometime next year, according to Deadline. While there will be no large-scale roller coasters, the theme park will favor nature trails and small attractions inspired by the Ghibli films. Nature-inspired attractions do favor the magical elements in the films and honestly, roller coasters would just get in the way of building giant trees with forest spirits anyway.

Studio Ghibli Theme Park Set to Open in November