Ghibli Park announces opening dates for new areas

Never-before-seen images reveal what we can expect to see at Mononoke’s Village and the Witch’s Valley.

It’s been eight months since Japan’s long-awaited Ghibli Park opened part of its complex to the public, with the promise of new areas opening at an undisclosed date, or dates, in future. Well, those dates were finally revealed yesterday, along with some brand new images that have use more excited than ever to visit the park.

The two new areas, currently under construction in what’s being called “Ghibli Park Phase 2“, are “Mononoke no Sato” (“Mononoke Village“) and “Majo no Tani” (“Witch’s Valley“).

Mononoke Village, pictured above, is a 0.8-hectare (1.98-acre) area that recreates the world of Princess Mononoke, with locations from the anime’s Emishi Village and Tataraba, or “Irontown” as it’s known in English. It’s due to open on 1 November, which is just over three months away, and once it opens, the only way to enter will be by buying a set ticket with admission to Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, priced at 2,500 yen (US$17.80) for adults and 1,250 yen for children on weekdays, and 3,000 yen for adults and 1,500 yen for children on weekends and public holidays.

To get us excited for the upcoming opening, the park has teased us with some new images and information, with Irontown being described as a “hands-on learning facility” where you can try your hand at making Gohei-mochi, a local specialty of the region, for an additional fee.

▼ Irontown

The area will also be home to two giant characters from Princess Mononoke — the boar god Okkoto Nushi and a Tatari Gami, a spider-like demon. While they look both fearsome and majestic in their nature-filled setting, they’re actually slides that kids under 12 can slide down on.

▼ Okkoto Nushi (left) and Tatari Gami (right)

As for Witch’s Valley — the largest section of the entire park, at 2.9 hectares (7.9 acres) — we’ll have to wait a little longer to visit this area, as it’s scheduled to open on 16 March 2024. Previously, the only images we had for this area was the multi-storey recreation of the castle from Howl’s Moving Castle, which stands proud as the centrepiece of Witch’s Valley.

However, we’ve now been given an image of the Hatter’s Hat Shop from Howl’s Moving Castle as well.

As this is an area dedicated to witches, we also have a first look at the Witch’s House, from Earwig and the Witch.

And we can’t forget about the character that’s arguably Ghibli’s most famous witch of all — Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Visitors will be able to step  inside Kiki’s childhood house, known as The Okino Residence…

▼  … and the Guchokipanya bakery, where Kiki operates her delivery service.

Details regarding the playground and restaurants that are set to feature in this area are yet to be revealed, and the ticket prices will also be announced at a later date. If the food here is anything like the food being served at the Transcontinental Flight Cafe and the Siberi ❆ An Milk Stand at Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, then we’re definitely in for a treat. We’ll let you know more details as soon as we have them!

Source, images: PR Times
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