Honest Review: Ghibli Park Japan Is A Gigantic Waste Of Time

I love Studio Ghibli films, but Ghibli Park Japan, was a colossal waste of time.

Ghibli Park Japan was a bad experience right off the bat, from the time it took to get to the park, to being downright unimpressed and overwhelmed all at the same time. There were hardly any positives about going to Ghibli Park.

Here’s my unfiltered, honest review of Ghibli Park Japan…

Psst! This blog post contains affiliate links in it which sends me a bit of extra money if you use them… at no extra cost to you!

What Is Ghibli Park Japan?

Ghibli Park opened in 2022 as a theme park for every Ghibli fan.

It’s not an amusement park, so there aren’t any rides (although there is a ferris wheel in the area).

Ghibli Park came after Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, which doesn’t allow any photography. So the idea (I assume) was to create a Studio Ghibli theme park to recreate the worlds from each film so fans can photograph to their heart’s content.

The park consists of a Grand Warehouse with different exhibits inside and then several outdoor themed areas based on the movie.

For example, there’s Dondoko Forest with Mei and Satsuki’s House. There’s the Hill of the Youth, with the antique shop from a Whisper of the Heart.

The Studio Ghibli Theme Park is not finished yet. In fact, since I visited in August 2023, Mononoke Village has opened. They’re also currently working on a Valley of Witches area.

What’s The Difference Between Ghibli Museum & Ghibli Park?

Ghibli Park is NOT the same as Ghibli Museum.

Ghibli Museum is the original Ghibli themed attraction in Japan. It’s about an hour outside Tokyo (in Mitaka), and is more of a typical museum (contained in one building with different exhibits).

If you’re interested in going to Ghibli Museum instead, you can read my review for it here.

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outside-building-ghibli-museum-mitaka — *The Ghibli Museum in Tokyo*

The Hassle Of Buying Ghibli Park Tickets

The first problem with Ghibli Park Japan comes way before you even walk through the doors.

You see, Ghibli Park is no exception to the headache of buying tickets for Japan attractions (Ghibli Museum and Pokemon Cafe I’m looking at you!).

You Have To Reserve In Advance (Like 3 Months In Advance!)

As with most other ticket sales in Japan, there’s a specific date that Ghibli Park tickets go on sale.

For Ghibli Park tickets, every 10th of the month at 2:00 PM JST, tickets go on sale for the next available time slots, which will be 3 months away. So if you’re looking to go in February, tickets go on sale November 10th at 2:00 P.M..

Keep in mind when buying Ghibli Park tickets that you have to take into account the time difference.

Needless to say, you have to know your Japan itinerary quite a bit in advance.

A bit of saving grace for Ghibli Park is that it doesn’t seem as quick to sell out (when compared to the Ghibli Museum). We were actually a day late when buying our tickets (thanks to the time difference!), but they weren’t completely sold out yet.

I have a suspicion that they weren’t completely booked because it was still a fairly new attraction when we went.

Let’s just say, I can totally see it getting worse, if the Ghibli Museum is any indication of what it can become…

Each Area Is A Different Ticket (With Its Own Entry Times)…

Now the fun part of buying Ghibli Park tickets sets in! As you know, there are different areas in Ghibli Park Japan.

Unfortunately, just to complicate your life a bit, Ghibli Park doesn’t sell a general entry ticket to the park (because it’s technically free to walk around!).

So, you have to buy a separate ticket for each area that you want to visit. There is an exception now, you can book Mononoke Village with Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse (I think they realized that this system doesn’t work…). So this whole “ticket per area” might be changing in the near future (hopefully!).

And to make matters worse, each area has a timed entry. So now adding to the panic of buying Ghibli Park tickets before they sell out, you also have to plan your day around specific entry times.

2024 Ticket Update!

Now that more areas are open in Ghibli Park, they’ve updated their ticket options, and it’s a lot simpler. You can choose between three passes: Ghibli Park Grand Walk Ticket (O-Sanpo Day Pass), Ghibli Park Grand Walking Ticket Premium (O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium), and Ghibli Park Walking Ticket.

The main difference is that the Premium pass gives you access to seeing the interior of certain attractions (like Mei & Satsuki’s and The Okino Residence…etc.).

And Ghibli Park Walking Ticket is just the outdoor areas, without the Grand Warehouse.

The price ranges from 3,500 ¥ for the regular to 7,800 ¥ for the premium pass.

Read more about pass options to Ghibli Park.

At the time that we were booking tickets, we were also only able to buy two area tickets per account… which meant we would only be able to visit two of the THREE areas…very logical! So now, we had to make a new account in the panic of it all…

You Might Not Need Tickets To Explore Each Area

At the time, we didn’t exactly know what we were buying tickets for.

You definitely need a ticket to Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, because otherwise you can’t see anything.

The areas are technically free to walk around, as they’re part of the park. But each area will have a paid portion. For example, Dondoko Forest is actually free to walk around. The paid part is to go inside Mei and Satsuki’s House.

But once you’re going, it’s better to be on the safe side. Because keep in mind, you can’t buy tickets once you’re there.

How Expensive Are Ghibli Park Tickets?

Outdoor areas are about ¥ 1,000 each. Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is double at ¥ 2,000. You can add Mononoke Village for only ¥ 500 to your Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse ticket (making it the cheapest area at the park).

They also add an additional ¥ 110 service fee TO EACH TICKET!

So, although it seems cheap, it’s just ¥ 1,000 there and another ¥ 1,000 here. When you add it all up, everything comes to ¥ 4,830 (including the extra service fees!).*

Now I guess it doesn’t seem like all that much for an entire day’s worth of activities. But you don’t actually get all that much for what you’ve paid. Especially the outdoor areas, which are like 10 minutes of entertainment – if even.

*These prices are all based on my tickets in 2023! You can see updated ticket prices on Ghibli Park’s website.

Where Is Ghibli Park: Nagoya Japan (I.E. Not Really Near Anything…)

Another major downside to Ghibli Park is that it’s not really near anything.

You see, Ghibli Park is in Nagoya, Japan, which is between Kyoto and Tokyo. But! The Studio Ghibli theme park isn’t exactly in the city centre of Nagoya, but an hour outside it!

Either way, there’s no much of interest in Nagoya, or near the park…

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Don’t Stay In Nagoya, Go On A Day Trip To Ghibli Park Instead

When I went to Ghibli Park Japan, I actually added a stop in Nagoya – thinking I would explore a new city and be closer to the park.

This was a mistake. A big mistake.

There’s nothing in Nagoya, and English was a huge struggle, even in the city centre.

If you’re still interested in going to Ghibli Park Japan, I would recommend going on a day trip from Kyoto instead. It will be a bit of a longer day, but it’s better than wasting your day in Nagoya.

Nagoya is about a 45 minute train ride from Kyoto, and then the park is another 50 minutes away from Nagoya Station.

You can also go on a day trip to Ghibli Park from Tokyo, but it will be much longer as Tokyo is about a 2.5 hour train ride.

P.S. Looking For Hotels In Japan

If you’re coming from Kyoto, we stayed at the Rinn Gion Yasaka, in Gion of course. It was the perfect mix of modern and Japanese style hotel. See it on Booking.com.

If you’d rather stay in Nagoya, we stayed at the Lamp Light Books Hotel. Although I loved the simplicity of this hotel, I would recommend staying closer to the train station, at the Mitsui Garden Hotel Nagoya Premier (I stayed at a Mitsui Garden hotel in Tokyo and enjoyed my stay!).

See the Lamp Lights on Booking.com, or the Mitsui Garden Hotel Nagoya Premier hotel on Booking.com.

Getting To Ghibli Park From Nagoya…

I was also hoping that it would be more streamlined to get to Ghibli Park Japan, considering it’s like the only interesting thing to do in Nagoya.

If you take public transit (the recommended way), it will take about an hour and will be two trains from Nagoya Station. You’ll have to transfer to the Linimo Local line, this is the only train that stops in front of Ghibli Park.

There is a direct bus from the Nagoya station with Meitetsu Bus Company. The problem? They don’t run that often and you can’t reserve tickets in advance. There’s a maximum of 6 shuttles per day.

You can read more about getting to Ghibli Park Japan.

At The Studio Ghibli Theme Park: What Else Is In The Area?

Part of the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park has been repurposed for Ghibli Park. So it’s really just a giant park.

Although there isn’t all that much else in the area, you can get away with some extra outdoor activities, if you have time between ticket entries or you just get really bored!

For example, you can rent a bike and ride around the park. There’s also a tennis court and even an ice rink (with skate rentals).

For non-sporty folk, like myself, there’s also a tea ceremony house in the park (Kanare-tei). Would it be an appropriate park in Japan if there wasn’t a teahouse!?

There’s also a ferris wheel you can ride!

The Main Attraction: Too Many Issues At The Warehouse

Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is the main attraction, and it had the most issues of anything at Ghibli Park Japan.

It’s meant to draw you into the wonderful world of Ghibli: amaze you and lift you up where you belong, to feel the magic of the studios, and ultimately take pictures with all your favourite characters.

The Warehouse itself is meant to be explored. There are several buildings inside the Warehouse with exhibits, shops, a theatre, and more!

What’s In Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse?

There are three main exhibits in the Warehouse: “Becoming Characters in Memorable Ghibli Scenes”, “Delicious! Animating Memorable Meals Expanded Edition”, and “Everything Ghibli”.

There’s also an “Open Warehouse” within the warehouse with actual artifacts from productions.

And throughout the Warehouse there are also themed areas and photo spots from your favourite films. For example, the Directors Room with Yubaba, and the Philosophy Club Room from From Up on Poppy Hill.

The Cinema in Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse shows one of ten original Ghibli short films every month (they’re on rotation). These are exclusive shorts to the Ghibli Museum, and now Ghibli Park Japan.

Even though it all sounds spectacular, there were more issues with the Warehouse than good things about it…

Warehouse At Ghibli Park Review: It’s Ultimately Disappointing

The Warehouse itself just didn’t do it for me.

I know I was supposed to feel transported into the world of Ghibli but it really just felt as though I was in a giant warehouse. It felt more like an anime convention or even a quasi Barcelona (the main stairs are very similar to Gaudi’s Park Güell) over entering a Ghibli film.

All around it felt disjointed and ultimately lazy. The ceiling was a giant skylight mixed with warehouse vibes. So although it let in natural light, it actually took away from the overall atmosphere, making me feel less encapsulated by the magic of Ghibli.

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More About Waiting In Lines Than Seeing Content

When it’s time to actually go into any exhibit, or get a photo with a character in the warehouse, you will most likely be greeted with a line…

You might get lucky with your timing, and find an exhibit that is line free, but that’s the exception to the rule. And by the way, if that does happen take advantage ASAP!

And if you see a line that you think is long, just wait, it will only get worse! At Ghibli Park Japan, you just have to bite the bullet and wait in the lines.

The best part is that sometimes there’s really no point in the lines. People in Japan just seem to like lining up for things.

Most of the lines are to wait your turn to take Ghibli Park photos with your favourite character. But sometimes it’s just because people are walking in a single file line through an exhibit… and that to me just doesn’t make sense. I should be able to walk through an exhibit at my own pace.

Unfortunately, after waiting 45 minutes in line for the main exhibit, we were so over waiting in any more lines that we didn’t care for the other exhibits or photos.

Main Exhibit: All About Ghibli Park Photos But Not Set Up Properly…

The main exhibit in the warehouse, “Becoming Characters in Memorable Ghibli Scenes”, had the most issues.

First, of course, it started with a line. And it was our longest line of the day, a 45 minute wait! All this time waiting just to take some photos with your favourite characters from the Ghibli films.

Once you’re inside the exhibit it’s complete chaos. Because even though it’s all about taking photos, it’s in NO WAY properly set up for you to actually take those photos.

Apparently that staff aren’t allowed to take photos for you, and I’m not really sure why. It seems that it should be their only job, if only just to streamline the process and make the line move faster.

So if you’re a solo traveller, or want a photo with your whole group, you’ll have to ask a friendly stranger. Which isn’t the worst… at first…but it becomes repetitive when there are 10 (plus?) scenes you want a photo with.

Or if they don’t want to hire staff to take photos for guests, at least place a stand so eveyrone can set up their phone on a timer.

On top of all this, most of the scenes aren’t even set up properly to take a nice photo. You would either end up seeing the unfinished warehouse ceiling or you would cut off someone’s head!

Needless to say, we both left the warehouse VERY frustrated after this experience.

failing-at-taking-pictures-in-ghiblis-grand-warehouse-ghibli-park-japan — *I love the warehouse ceiling featured in all my photos!*

Lack Of Translations At Ghibli Park Japan

For the most part, you don’t need English at Ghibli Park, since there really isn’t a lot to read. As I said, it’s more about taking photos than anything else!

But the exclusive short film is 100% in Japanese, and there’s no warning!

We were lucky that our film was 95% silent, so we were still able to enjoy it. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the same experience at Ghibli Museum (and they show the same films), so it could have easily happened at Ghibli Park Japan as well.

I’m not necessarily expecting them to dub the film just for foreigners, but at least have a warning that it’s only in Japanese. We were stuck in a 15 minute movie not understanding what was going on. But, hey, at least it was pretty to look at!

I feel like a print out with a synopsis of the story could have been given, at least to have a general idea of what’s going on in the film.

More Disappointments At The Gift Shop

All I wanted in Japan was an epic cozy Ghibli sweater that I could wear back home. All my partner wanted was a Ghibli hat. To our disappointed, this didn’t exist anywhere.

The Gift Shop in the warehouse is meant to have exclusive items. But honestly, it was just more of the same useless souvenirs we saw throughout Japan at Ghibli stores. There were A TON of overpriced collectables.

I’m not so keen on buying dust collectors… You can see my recommendations for souvenirs in Japan here.

*It was also just complete madness in the Ghibli Warehouse gift shop*

Outdoor Areas Were Lacking That Ghibli Magic Too

At the time I visited Ghibli Park, there were two other areas open to the public: Dondoko Forest and Hill of The Youth.

Unlike Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, these are all outdoor activities… meaning they are in fact weather dependent…

These areas are for the most part free, with a few sections that are payed to enter. You will need a separate ticket for each of the exclusive aspects of each area.

For example, Dondoko Forest is free to walk through, but you must reserve a ticket in advance to go inside Satsuki and Mei’s House.

Honestly, in Dondoko’s forest, you could have been in any forest.

And Satsuki and Mei’s House was underwhelming. There was a line to go inside, of course, and it was weird walking through a house that never existed. It was only built for Ghibli Park Japan, so it’s not like walking through an original set for a movie.

The same could be said for the Hill of The Youth. They also make it seem like there’s a lot more here than there actually is. You need a separate ticket to see the Cat Bureau (the coolest part), and the World Emporium. For some reason, photos aren’t allowed inside the World Emporium though, which I feel defeats the entire purpose of Ghibli Park Japan…

*Mei and Satsuki’s House in Dondoko Forest*

Silver Lining: Some Decent Parts Of Ghibli Park Japan…

The best part was actually the Elevator Tower to get down to the actual park from the train and parking lot.

The tower is inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle, and it’s such a unique piece of architecture. The elevator was the one thing that felt magical in the entire park.

But it all went downhill from here… Literally and figuratively!

Keep In Mind, They’re Adding More To Ghibli Park Japan

I know Ghibli Park wasn’t nearly complete when I visited, but everything I did visit, was completed.

Since I’ve visited, they’ve added Mononoke Village and the Valley Of The Witches.

I don’t really have much hope for those areas though, just based on the two I did see.

In Mononoke Village, there’s Tatara Ba, where you can actually try a hands-on \-cooking experience (for an additional fee of course!). You can cook your own Gohei-mochi (rice cakes) on a charcoal grill.

Valley Of The Witches was the last to open, and I will admit, I’m a bit jealous I didn’t see this one. It features A LOT more than the other areas. You can visit Okino Residence and Guchokipanya Bakery from Kiki’s Delivery Service. And Howl’s Castle and Hatter’s Millinery from Howl’s Moving Castle.

Apparently, they are also adding a cat bus that will take you around the park, which would be very useful if it’s raining. That would be really neat just to see!