Thousands of applicants have registered for a Studio Ghibli-themed dating event to be held next month in the Aichi Expo Memorial Park.
Organised by the Aichi prefectural government, the matchmaking event is known as ‘konkatsu’ in Japan, the Mainichi Shimbun reported (via SoraNews24).
The event is for single participants aged between 20 and 39, and either living, working or studying within Aichi prefecture. Participants must also be a fan of Studio Ghibli.
Ghibli-themed ‘konkatsu’ event
Guests will be split into groups of six and take part in a Ghibli-themed art hunt across the Aichi Expo Memorial Park, which is where the new Ghibli Park is located.
The local government started accepting applications last month for the event, which is created for 400 participants. However, it received a total of 2,249 applications.
“I think this shows that people are looking for a chance to find a romantic partner,” said an official involved in the planning.
The Studio Ghibli-themed konkatsu event is scheduled to take place on 7 October, and 400 applicants have been selected.
Ghibli Park, the world’s first theme park dedicated to Studio Ghibli, is separated into five themed areas, three of which are now open. These are Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth, and Dondoko Forest.
The two remaining lands, Mononoke Village and Valley of Witches, launch on 1 November and 16 March respectively.
Also coming to the park in March is a fleet of of real-life ‘Catbus’ shuttles. The My Neighbor Totoro-inspired electric vehicles are based on Toyota’s APM (Accessible People Mover).
Images courtesy of Studio Ghibli
