2026 Ghibli Park Guide: Ticket Reservations, the Five Areas and How to Get There

Hill of Youth: The Earth House and the Cat Bureau

The Hill of Youth recreates scenes from Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns, along with an elevator tower in a late-19th-century science-fiction style. The “Earth House” is a two-story antique shop, with decorative clocks and a wooden horse on the second floor, a violin-making workshop recreated on the first floor and a balcony with views over the park; the “Cat Bureau” is a cat-sized wooden hut containing miniature furniture. On the Circular Plaza you can buy postcards and post letters. How much of each building’s interior you can visit depends on the ticket type, so check your ticket first.

Dondoko Forest: Satsuki and Mei’s House

Dondoko Forest is themed on My Neighbor Totoro, and the park’s “Satsuki and Mei’s House” is a mixed Japanese-Western-style home where you can walk into the rooms and feel the everyday life of the film. The “Dondoko-do” at the top of the hill is a wooden play structure about 5 meters tall, restricted to elementary school children (age 12) and under, and at the top there is also a shop selling charms, drawstring bags and other goods. There is a rest area in the park, and the restrooms are open to all visitors. The “Dondoko Slope Tram” is mainly for visitors with strollers and wheelchairs and is not an amusement ride.

Mononoke Village: The Tataraba and Satoyama Scenery

Mononoke Village takes the Japanese-style satoyama scenery of Princess Mononoke as its image. Its main facilities are the thatched-roof “Tataraba (ironworks),” character-shaped slides, a sculpture in the shape of a cursed god (tatarigami), and a rest shop with a stone-slab roof. At the Tataraba you can take part in a charcoal-grilled gohei-mochi experience, which costs an additional experience fee and is open to ages 10 and over, with those under 12 needing a parent to accompany them; the experience and the slides are both affected by weather, and the slides close when it rains. This area is included in the Grand Stroll Ticket Standard range, and take care to avoid burns when handling the charcoal.

Valley of Witches: Okino House and Howl’s Castle

The Valley of Witches is themed on Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle and Earwig and the Witch, recreating a European-style streetscape with a touch of magic. The main buildings are “Okino House (オキノ邸),” where Kiki lived before setting out, “Howl’s Castle,” which moves and puffs smoke every hour, and the “Witch’s House,” where Earwig lives; these three require a numbered entry ticket first (see above). The park also has a bakery, “Goo-Choki-Pan-ya (グーチョキパン屋),” a hat shop, “Hatter Hat Shop (ハッター帽子店),” and an original goods shop, “Thirteen Witches (13人の魔女団),” while the restaurant “Sora Tobu Oven (空飛ぶオーブン)” serves European-style sweets.

Where to Stay Near Ghibli Park in 2026: How to Arrange an Overnight Stay in Nagoya?

Since Ghibli Park is about 40-50 minutes from central Nagoya, we suggest basing yourself around Nagoya Station or Sakae Station, which have the widest range of transport and dining options.

Booking.comNagoya Station Hotels

Accommodation in Central Nagoya: The Most Convenient Base for Transfers

If you are coming from Tokyo or Osaka, we suggest staying in Nagoya the night before and taking the Higashiyama Line subway and then the Linimo to the park early the next morning, which avoids a tiring same-day round trip that eats into your time in the park. Around Nagoya Station there is a wide range of lodging, from business hotels to luxury hotels, directly linked to the subway and the Shinkansen, and after checkout you can drop your luggage in a station locker and travel light.

If you also want to try Nagoya’s local food, such as tebasaki chicken wings and miso katsu, you can choose the Sakae Station area instead, which is more convenient for shopping and dining in the evening, and getting to the park the next day likewise needs only one transfer.