Fans of Hayao Miyazaki rejoice — the celebrated Japanese animator is getting a theme park in his honor. Set to open in 2022, the Studio Ghibli theme park will celebrate the creator of some of the world’s most beloved animation masterpieces, as reported by AFAR. The park will open on the site of the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park in Nagakute city, just outside of Nagoya.
Photo: ohmura_hideaki
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Get a Sneak Peek at Japan’s Long-Awaited Studio Ghibli Theme Park
After three years of waiting since the project’s initial announcement, fans are finally getting a first look at what they can expect.
Photo: @ohmura_hideaki/Twitter
Notable features of the Studio Ghibli theme park will include a replica of the antique shop from Miyazaki’s smash hit Whisper of the Heart and a gate area built to look just like the set of Howl’s Moving Castle. The grounds will include five separate areas, each resembling a different piece of Miyazaki’s work. They will aptly be named Youth Hill, Ghibli Large Warehouse, Mononoke’s Village, Dondoko Forest, and Witches’ Valley. There will, of course, be a theater onsite for visitors to get their fix of Miyazaki classics, along with event spaces and what is certain to be among the world’s most epic gift shops.
Photo: @ohmura_hideaki/Twitter
AFAR reports that a replica of Howl’s castle is also said to be in the plans.
Photo: Studio Ghibli
The park will also feature rides, though nothing like you’d find at Disneyworld or Six Flags. The park’s aesthetic is designed to be more nature-based and fantastical than flashy and gaudy, to reflect the elements found in many Studio Ghibli movies. 
A version of this article was previously published on December 31, 2019, and was updated on April 14, 2021, with more information.