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.
Taiwan would remain in the same international network for carrying out cross-border payments and would not be marginalized on the world stage, despite jostling among international powers, central bank Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) said yesterday. Yang made the remarks during a speech at an annual event organized by Financial Information Service Co (財金資訊), which oversees Taiwan’s banking, payment and settlement systems. “The US dollar will remain the world’s major cross-border payment tool, given its high liquidity, legality and safe-haven status,” Yang said. Russia is pushing for a new cross-border payment system and highlighted the issue during a BRICS summit in October. The existing system
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to grow its revenue by about 25 percent to a new record high next year, driven by robust demand for advanced technologies used in artificial intelligence (AI) applications and crypto mining, International Data Corp (IDC) said yesterday. That would see TSMC secure a 67 percent share of the world’s foundry market next year, from 64 percent this year, IDC senior semiconductor research manager Galen Zeng (曾冠瑋) predicted. In the broader foundry definition, TSMC would see its market share rise to 36 percent next year from 33 percent this year, he said. To address concerns
Intel Corp chief financial officer Dave Zinsner said that a formal separation of the company’s factory and product development divisions is an open question that would be decided by the chipmaker’s next leader. Zinsner, who is serving as interim co-CEO following this month’s ouster of Pat Gelsinger, made the remarks on Thursday at the Barclays technology conference in San Francisco alongside co-CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus. Intel’s struggles to keep pace with rivals — along with its deteriorating financial condition — have spurred speculation that the next CEO would make dramatic changes. That has included talk of a split of the company’s manufacturing
PROTECTIONISM: The tariffs would go into effect on Jan. 1 and are meant to protect the US’ clean energy sector from unfair Chinese practices, the US trade chief said US President Joe Biden’s administration plans to raise tariffs on solar wafers, polysilicon and some tungsten products from China to protect US clean energy businesses. The notice from the Office of US Trade Representative (USTR) said tariffs on Chinese-made solar wafers and polysilicon would rise to 50 percent from 25 percent and duties on certain tungsten products would increase from zero to 25 percent, effective on Jan. 1, following a review of Chinese trade practices under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974. The decision followed a public comment period after the USTR said in September that it was considering
RSS