Ghibli Park in Aichi

Most of us have been touched by a classic Ghibli movie at some time in our lives, and now that Studio Ghibli magic is being brought to life in the autumn of 2022 with the opening of Ghibli Park in Aichi.

The theme park is set to open on 1 November 2022, just in time for the reopening of Japan to overseas tourists. The sprawling attraction is located at Expo Memorial Park in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture.

The 7.1-hectare park will feature attractions from iconic films such as Mononoke Village from Princess Mononoke, and the castle from Howl’s Moving Castle. The experience will be enhanced with Ghibli themed cafes, restaurants, and playgrounds.

The theme park will be divided into five different areas: Hill of Youth, Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Mononoke’s Village, Valley of Witches and Dondoko Forest.

The Entry to Ghibli Park via the Elevator Tower

The facility will initially open with 3 areas which are the Hill of Youth, Ghibli's Grand Warehouse and Dondoko Forest. The other two areas will open in the near future with Mononoke's Village scheduled to open in 2023 and the Valley of Witches in March 2024. 

The lush green park was the site of the 2005 Aichi World Expo, so it is a perfect match for the nature of the famous flicks.

Hill of Youth 

Located near the north entrance of the park, this area is modeled after the settings of "Whisper of the Heart" (1995) and "The Cat Returns" (2002). The highlight here is the recreation of the World Emporium, the antique shop from Whisper of the Heart. The attention to detail in the shop is amazing with food in the refrigerator and even trash in the garbage bin. 

The World Emporium at the Hill of Youth

The Cat Returns

Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse

This large indoor area covering 9,600 square meters is home to an exhibition room, a children’s playground, shops, restaurants, and a small theatre. The idea of this area is to allow visitors to immerse themselves in the whimsical worlds of Ghibli and interact with famous scenes from the movies. You can see the Iron Giant from "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" (1986) and take a virtual train ride with Kaonashi from "Spirited Away" (2001). 

Ghibli's Grand Warehouse

The Iron Giant from Laputa 

Dondoko Forest

Dondoko Forest is dedicated to the film "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) with a 5-meter-tall wooden Totoro that visitors can actually climb inside. 

Dondoko Forest

A five-meter-tall wooden Totoro at Dondoko Forest

The highlight of the Dondoko Forest area is walking through Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbor Totoro, which was set in a rural landscape from the Showa period (1926-1989). The attention to detail in the house is amazing with period-specific furniture and items. There are actual real items from the 1950's here including newspapers and books. Part of the fun is looking around and discovering all the small details. 

Satsuki and Mei's House from My Neighbor Totoro

Real Show Era items inside the house

Mononoke’s Village

Mononoke’s Village will feature a real-life recreation of Tatara-ba, the irontown depicted in the movie "Princess Mononoke" (1997). The beautiful scenery will transport you back in time to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) of Japanese history, where the movie is set.

Mononoke's Village (Photo: ©Studio Ghibli)

Valley of Witches

The Valley of Witches draws inspiration from films that feature protagonists with magic powers such as "Howl’s Moving Castle" (2004) and "Kiki’s Delivery Service" (1989).

It will be home to a real-life, 16-meter-tall replica of Howl’s Moving Castle, including moving cannons resembling eyeballs.

Howl's Moving Castle (Photo: ©Studio Ghibli)

Entry to the Expo Memorial Park is free but visitors will need to reserve tickets in order to enter each of the five areas. 

Adult tickets for Ghibli's Grand Warehouse cost 2,000 yen on weekdays and 2,500 yen on weekends, while entry to the Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest is 1,000 yen at all times. The fees for children are half-price.

This will be no ordinary theme park. You will not find rollercoasters or death-defying rides here, but simply a fantasy world, where you can feel part of your favourite Ghibli movie.

Summer Fireworks in Japan

Summer fireworks in Japan have a long history and can be considered a quintessential part of the warmer months in Japan. Across the country, hundreds of fireworks festivals are held every year, but two of the best and most traditional are held in the Mikawa region of central Japan.

Armadas, a video production company based in Japan recently released a stunning 8K video which captures all the thrills and excitement of a summer fireworks festival in Japan.

Shot in the Mikawa region of eastern Aichi Prefecture, this old province in central Japan was one of the few places where gunpowder could be manufactured during the Edo period (1603-1868). The making of firearms gradually evolved into the production of fireworks, including the unique tezutsu hand-held fireworks, which originated in Toyohashi City. Originally used as a form of battlefield and inter-castle communication devices, they are now a popular summer festival attraction.

The Gamagori Summer Fireworks Festival which is held annually on the last weekend of July, starts on the Saturday with “Yosakoi” street dancing and climaxes with a stunning fireworks display on the Sunday. It can boast the largest explosive round in the entire Pacific Rim with an astounding 90cm-diameter 300 kg shell.

Image from Aichi Now

The Toyohashi Fire Festival in September at the home of hand-held fireworks in Japan features tezutsu hanabi accompanied by the sounds of taiko Japanese drumming.

Image from Aichi Now

Take a look at this 8K video from Armadas shot in Toyohashi and Gamagori City to experience a traditional Japanese summer fireworks festival at its best.

A Tour of Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture is best known for Nagoya Castle and the Toyota Motor Corporation, but if you delve further under its surface you will discover many amazing and unique things about this wonderful part of central Japan. From Japanese food culture and umami as the home of sushi and matcha to innovation and technology from Japan’s first wooden robots to modern-day marvels, Aichi has it all with a vast array of attractions.

Join me as I explore the best off the beaten-path experiences that the heart of Japan has to offer.

Mizkan Museum (Handa) 

A fun and interactive museum where you can learn about the history of the famous Mizkan company as a vinegar producer in Japan. Traditionally Japanese vinegar was made from rice, but Mizkan being the innovative company that it is, decided to make vinegar from sake lees, a by-product of sake that is usually just thrown away. This new type of vinegar was cheaper to produce and tasted amazing giving sushi rice the kick it needed to elevate sushi to star status. In the early 1880s, as nigiri sushi was starting to take off in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Mizkan saw a business opportunity and capitalized by quickly mobilising and shipping their amazing vinegar to Edo to catch the boom. The rest is as they say history. Today Mizkan produces vinegars, mustards, salad dressings, authentic Asian sauces, natto, pasta sauces and other food products, which are sold around the world.

http://www.mizkan.co.jp/mim/ 

Japanese Restaurant Ittou (Hekinan) 

An amazing Japanese restaurant to experience the best food that the Chita Peninsula has to offer. Ittou specialises in traditional Japanese food made with the best local ingredients of the area. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch here prepared by chef, Nagata-san, who learned how to cook at the famous Tsukiji Tamura in Tokyo.

http://www.katch.ne.jp/~kobanten/kobanten08.html

Hichifuku Brewing Corporation (Hekinan) 

The home of shiro shoyu (white soy sauce) in Japan with the Hichifuku Brewing Corporation being the only manufacturer of this amazing product. The amber-coloured sauce is organically made and keeps intact the colours of other ingredients it is cooked with unlike regular soy sauce. Hichifuku Brewing also manufactures shiro dashi (white broth) which is made with its famous white soy sauce along with a broth of carefully selected dried bonito, konbu (kelp) and shiitake mushrooms, giving umami to any dish. A tour of the factory will allow you to see and learn how these delicious products are made.

http://www.7fukuj.co.jp/arigato_sato/ 

Aiya Matcha Museum (Nishio) 

Although not as well known as Uji in Kyoto, Nishio City is the home of matcha (powdered green tea) with a history of over 800 years. The Aiya Matcha Museum gives you an interesting hands-on experience where you can learn how to differentiate between the different quality of matcha by colour, aroma, texture and taste, as well as make your own unique matcha blend, which you can grind with a mill stone, whisk up to perfection and enjoy in the traditional tea ceremony room.

https://www.matcha.co.jp/ 

Japanese Restaurant Genjiko (Minami Chita) 

Enjoy fresh seafood from the Chita Peninsula at this traditional Japanese-style Inn located in Minami Chita Hot Spring Village. The tasty dishes prepared by Genjiko feature a lot of fresh fish from Ise Bay including the famous Ise-ebi spiny lobster.

http://www.genji-koh.co.jp/

Kameya Yoshihiro Confectionary (Nagoya) 

Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets made of mochi and anko (red azuki bean paste) that were originally made to be enjoyed and counter the bitterness of matcha green tea. Nagoya established itself as a center for wagashi during the age of the samurai with the city home to many famous samurai warlords. One of the most famous wagashi makers in Japan is Kameya Yoshiro which was founded in 1949 and now has 17 shops around Nagoya. We experienced making Jonamagashi, fresh Japanese sweets designed to capture the colour and seasonal beauty of Japan. The wonderful experience included watching a certified wagashi master with 40 years of experience make a cherry blossom flower (spring), iris flower (summer), autumn leaf (fall), and chrysanthemum (winter), before trying our own hand at making a cherry blossom flower.

http://www.kameya-yoshihiro.co.jp/

Midtown BBQ (Nagoya) 

An American style BBQ restaurant in the heart of Nagoya in the Fushimi area. The steak & smokehouse make their own original BBQ rubs and sauces with everything cooked over fire. I enjoyed a fantastic lunch here specially prepared by the chef for our visit. The lunch included a A5 Black Wagyu Shiitake Mushroom Cheeseburger and BBQ Smoked Spareribs featuring an original BBQ sauce made with Hatcho Miso, a local variety of red miso. I really like how this restaurant combines American classics with Japanese umami through great local ingredients.

http://midtown-bbq.com/

Karakuri Dolls at Tsutamo (Nagoya) 

Japan is renowned for its futuristic robots but did you know that these innovative marvels have their roots dating back to the age of the samurai? Karakuri Ningyo were Japan’s original robots made during the Edo Period (1603-1868) to entertain guests. These traditional mechanized puppets use only the power of springs or weights, and can do it all from accurately shooting arrows at a target to writing calligraphy and serving tea or sake to their guests. These days you can find them at the top of festival floats entertaining the crowds at local festivals. I was lucky to be able to learn all about the workings of these mechanical wonders at the traditional Japanese restaurant, Tsutamo in the Sakae area of Nagoya, where a 9th generation master craftsman of karakuri-ningyo gave us a lesson in all things karakuri.

Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology (Nagoya) 

Did you know that the Toyota Motor Corporation started out in the textile industry? At the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya you can learn all about the fascinating history of Toyota from making innovative textile weaving machines to their evolution as a motoring giant. The museum utilizes and preserves the old factory and industrial heritage at the birthplace of Toyota in Nishi-ku, Nagoya. The interactive museum allows visitors to explore the wonderful history and technological revolutions of Toyota with over 3,000 real machines and moving exhibits spanning the modernization of Japan.

http://www.tcmit.org/

Ichinomiya Tanabata Festival

The Ichinomiya Tanabata Festival is one of the three largest and most famous Tanabata festivals in all of Japan. Held in Ichinomiya City in Aichi Prefecture from the last Thursday to Sunday of July, which is July 24 to 27 in 2014 this is one must see festival in the Chubu area of Japan.

Tanabata (七夕) also known as the “Star Festival” is a Japanese festival with its origins in ancient Chinese legend. The festival celebrates the meeting of two stars (lovers) who are only allowed to meet one night of the year, which is Tanabata. It is one of the most romantic nights of the year in Japan.

More about Tanabata 

The festival centers on the 500 meter long Honmachi Shotengai Shopping Arcade near Owari-Ichinomiya Station. The climax of the festival is along the approach to Masumida Shrine.

We arrived late afternoon to Owari-Ichinomiya Station and the festival was already in full swing with the station decorated in beautiful Tanabata streamers called fukinagashi, and crowds of people many in yukata (summer kimono) heading to the festival.

Fukinagashi (Tanabata Streamers) outside of Owari Ichinomiya Station

 Stepping out of the station you’ll notice that the station itself is also decorated with colourful Tanabata streamers, and there are many fukinagashi around the station. The approach to the Honmachi Shopping Arcade is lined with food stalls (yatai) on both sides of the road selling all kinds of delicious Japanese street food. The atmosphere is electric and has a carnival vibe to it with many stalls offering the chance to play a game or two to win a prize.

Street stalls with food and games

The Honmachi Shopping Arcade is decorated in colourful Tanabata streamers on both sides. Some of the decorations contain coloured paper (tanzaku) which are small pieces of paper with wishes on them. These are made by local Elementary School children and stuck on the decoration in hope that the wish will come true.

Colourful Tanabata Streamers at the Honmachi Shopping Arcade

Other decorations feature famous or popular anime (animation) characters in Japan. We saw many different characters ranging from Doraemon to Anpanman.

Shimajiro character Tanabata decoration

The main action is centered at Masumida Shrine which the Honmachi Shopping Arcade leads to from the station. Masumida Shrine was the most important and principal shrine of Owari Province, which is now modern day Aichi Prefecture. The shrine grounds are also decorated in colourful Tanabata streamers with even more food stalls and entertainment. There is a stage set up were you can watch some traditional Japanese dance performances.

Masumida Shrine

When the sun goes down and the evening approaches you can see a parade down the Honmachi Arcade to Masumida Shrine. The parade is conducted to dedicate local products to the shrine for good luck.

Parade on Honmachi Street near Masumida Shrine

Ichinomiya Tanabata Festival

Tanabata Streamers at the Honmachi Shopping Arcade

The approach to Masumida Shrine

The crowds at Masumida Shrine

Beautiful Yukata at Masumida Shrine

More Yukata at Masumida Shrine

Yukata and Japanese Lanterns at Masumida Shrine

Food stalls at Masumida Shrine

Japanese Festival at Masumida Shrine

INFORMATION: 

WHAT: Ichinomiya Tanabata Festival
WHEN: July 24 to 27 2014
TIME: Most of the action happens from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm
WHERE: Honmachi Arcade near Owari Ichinomiya Station
ACCESS: From Nagoya take either a JR or Meitetsu train to Ichinomiya

Ichinomiya Tanabata Festival 

138 Tower Park Ichinomiya

138 Tower Park in Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture is short trip down the road for us here in Gifu City. It is an amazing park, one of the best public parks in Japan with lots to do and see for the whole family.

The must see attractions include the spectacular 138 meter high observation tower with dual arches, which gives the park its name. A rose garden with around 4000 perpetual roses, and a beautiful garden that features seasonal flowers such as cosmos. It is also one of the best places in Aichi Prefecture to see the beautiful cherry blossoms in spring.

There is also a lot for families including Japan’s first plant made maze “Pisani’s Maze”, large grass field, large wooden playground, fuwa fuwa dome, rock climbing and lots more.

138 Tower Park Observation Tower

Observation Tower 

The Twin Arch 138 Observation Tower at 138 meters tall was built in honour of Ichinomiya City. In fact, 138 can be read in Japanese as ichi-(no)-mi-ya and hence the name. It is the tallest arch style tower in Asia and contains an observation deck 100 meters above the ground. The view from the observation deck is spectacular with an awesome view of the surrounding area including the Japan Alps, Nobi Plain and Nagoya.

Observation Tower during Autumn

Cosmos

There are various kinds of cosmos flowers at the park ranging in colour from pink, purple and white. The best time to see them is typically late September to mid-November.

A field of Cosmos

Cosmos at 138 Tower Park

Kochia

The park also has a small collection of kochia, also known as summer cypress. It is a type of large herb that grows in bushes about 90 centimeters tall. During Autumn they take on a brilliant red colour lending the name "Burning Bush".

Kochia at 138 Tower Park during September

Kochia at 138 Tower Park during October

Seasonal Events at 138 Tower Park 

Cherry Blossom Festival – Late March to early-April, come and enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms with a “hanami” under the flowering trees.

Spring Festa – mid-April to early-May and features colour flowers such as tulips, hyacinths and poppies.

Rose Festa – mid-May to early-June, 9 varieties of 4000 roses can be enjoyed at their peak during this time of the year.

Summer Festa – mid-July to late August, splash around in the “Pond of Comfort” and enjoy events such as Bon-Odori and an open-air movie theatre.

Autumn Festa – mid-September to early-November, experience the beautiful cosmos at their peak.

Winter Illuminations – mid-November to late-December, the park is decorated with around 500,000 light creating a spectacular winter illumination.

Details 

Address: 21-3 Urasaki, Komyoji, Ichinomiya, Aichi Prefecture 491-0135
Admission: FREE
Hours: Weekdays 9:30 am to 17:00 pm / Weekends 9:30 am to 21:00 pm
Closed: Every 2nd Monday of the month (following day if public holiday)
Parking: FREE

Best Spots for Cherry Blossoms in Gifu / Aichi

We are lucky here in the Gifu and Aichi area of Japan to have many great spots for viewing the beautiful cherry blossoms. This year they are expected to start blooming earlier than usual and the estimated start date of the bloom is around March 21 in both Gifu and Nagoya. The peak is estimated for around March 29-30.

Below are some of my favourite spots for cherry blossom viewing in the area.

Nagoya-jo Castle – featuring 10 different types and 1600 cherry trees around the park and along the moat of the castle. This is one of the best places for cherry blossom viewing in Japan. Best from late March to early April.

Tsuruma Koen – located in Tsurumai, Nagoya, it features 1000 cherry trees. It is a popular hanami spot with many food stands and plenty of space for hanami parties under the trees. Best from late March to early April.

Inuyama-jo Castle – located in Inuyama City, just outside of Nagoya, it features 400 cherry trees set around the grounds of the famous castle. Best from late March to early April.

Sunomata-jo Castle – located just outside of Ogaki City, Gifu on the banks of the Sai and Nagara Rivers, it features 1000 cherry trees. The castle is a replica of the famous original, which is said to have been built in one night. The area around the castle is illuminated at night and is very spectacular. Best from late March to early April.

Gifu Koen – featuring 480 cherry trees in the area around Gifu park from the foot of Mount Kinka to the Japan-China Friendship Garden, it is one of the best spots for cherry blossom viewing in Gifu. This spot can be enjoyed during both the daytime and the evening/night. Best from late March to early April.

Shinsakai River - located in Kagamigahara City near the Shimin Koen Park this is one of the best spots in Gifu and features in Japan's top 100 best sakura locations. The banks of the river have around 1200 cherry trees and there are many food vendors making this a fantastic hanami location. Best from late March to early April.

Usuzumi Sakura – located in Motosu City, Gifu, it is one of the oldest cherry trees in Japan and considered one of Japan's Three Great Sakura. This unique cherry blossom initially sprouts pale pink flowers, which become white in full bloom. Usuzumi Park features around 50 cherry trees. Best from early April to late April.

Take a look at the Cherry Blossom Forecast 2013 from Japan Travel Advice

Where are you planning to see the Cherry Blossoms this year?