A huge grinning Totoro and other whimsical exhibits yesterday welcomed visitors to Japan’s new Ghibli theme park as three of its five sections opened to the public.
The attraction in central Japan has been long awaited by fans of Studio Ghibli’s beloved animations, from Howl’s Moving Castle to the Oscar-winning Spirited Away.
Now a fluffy Cat Bus, a life-sized No-Face and recreations of buildings from the films are ready for visitors less than a month after the country fully reopened its borders to foreign tourists.
Photo: AFP
Tickets are reservation only and are already sold out until the end of the year.
One middle-aged visitor, who described himself as “a huge fan,” told broadcaster TV Asahi that he had been lining to enter the park since the previous day.
“Congratulations,” said a hand-drawn note posted on Twitter by Studio Ghibli, illustrated with a row of figures resembling the spirit creature Totoro and signed by company cofounder Hayao Miyazaki.
Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki also spoke of his excitement at a ceremony on Monday ahead of the opening.
“I didn’t sleep very well last night. It’s a bit different from a film release,” Suzuki said.
Spread over 7.1 hectares of a 194 hectare park in Aichi region where the 2005 International Expo was held, the site features large open-air areas in keeping with the importance of nature in Ghibli films.
Among the three sections now open is the “Hill of Youth,” the gateway to the park that features an elevator tower inspired by Ghibli films including Castle in the Sky.
Elsewhere, “Dondoko Forest” evokes the retro peace of the 1988 classic My Neighbour Totoro, with bucolic walking paths and an enormous Totoro figure.
A major draw will be Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, a hangar-like indoor portion of the park with attractions including 14 sets from 13 of the studio’s film classics.
Visitors can stroll along an alley designed to look like the opening scene of Spirited Away, or perch on the red velvet-covered train seat in a carriage next to the movie’s instantly recognizable No-Face character.
Aichi region is predicting an influx of 1.8 million visitors a year once all five areas of the park are open from next year, with an estimated annual economic impact of ￥48 billion (US$326 million).
Studio Ghibli, founded in 1985 by Miyazaki and fellow animator Isao Takahata, has captivated fans around the world with works blending nostalgia, courage, greed and interaction with the natural world.
The studio already operates the hugely popular Ghibli Museum on the outskirts of Tokyo, which offers tickets only at the beginning of each month and regularly sells out within hours.
Merida Industry Co (美利達) has seen signs of recovery in the US and European markets this year, as customers are gradually depleting their inventories, the bicycle maker told shareholders yesterday. Given robust growth in new orders at its Taiwanese factory, coupled with its subsidiaries’ improving performance, Merida said it remains confident about the bicycle market’s prospects and expects steady growth in its core business this year. CAUTION ON CHINA However, the company must handle the Chinese market with great caution, as sales of road bikes there have declined significantly, affecting its revenue and profitability, Merida said in a statement, adding that it would
Greek tourism student Katerina quit within a month of starting work at a five-star hotel in Halkidiki, one of the country’s top destinations, because she said conditions were so dire. Beyond the bad pay, the 22-year-old said that her working and living conditions were “miserable and unacceptable.” Millions holiday in Greece every year, but its vital tourism industry is finding it harder and harder to recruit Greeks to look after them. “I was asked to work in any department of the hotel where there was a need, from service to cleaning,” said Katerina, a tourism and marketing student, who would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
RISING: Strong exports, and life insurance companies’ efforts to manage currency risks indicates the NT dollar would eventually pass the 29 level, an expert said The New Taiwan dollar yesterday rallied to its strongest in three years amid inflows to the nation’s stock market and broad-based weakness in the US dollar. Exporter sales of the US currency and a repatriation of funds from local asset managers also played a role, said two traders, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. State-owned banks were seen buying the greenback yesterday, but only at a moderate scale, the traders said. The local currency gained 0.77 percent, outperforming almost all of its Asian peers, to close at NT$29.165 per US dollar in Taipei trading yesterday. The
RSS