Studio Ghibli’s theme park is due to open 1 November. Initially three themed areas will open: Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Dondoko Forest and Hill of Youth. Mononoke Village and Valley of Witches are expected to follow later in fall 2023 and March 2024.
The much anticipated attraction has been operating a lottery system, but has announced new plans for allocating tickets.
Limited capacity
Ghibli Park will be all about the Studio’s art and recreating the ambience of the movies. For that reason there won’t be thrill rides and character parades. And in order for guests to feel as though they are entering Hayao Miyazaki‘s iconic animes, capacity will be limited. Caps will be designated by area.
According to Japan Today, the highest cap is just 4,000 people per day in the Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse on weekends. And just 650 guests will be allowed into the Dondoko Forest at weekends. 1.8 million annual visitors are expected once the theme park is fully open.
Lottery ticketing
Currently, the only way to get a ticket for the ¥34 billion ($232 million) Ghibli Park has been to apply on the 10th of each month. The reservations are allocated three months ahead, effectively on the basis of winning a lottery and then being granted the option to buy a ticket.
It’s now been announced that from 10 November, tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis, with admissions for February 2023 onwards. There will be a lottery ticket option open to Aichi residents on the 27th of each month.
New ticketing options will also be available to group together different zones of the park. Peak price for a two zone ticket is ¥3,500 ($24) for adults and ¥1,750 ($12) for children. Overseas fans do not yet have a dedicated ticketing gateway.
