Designed as a deliberate rejection of the modern amusement park by by Studio Ghibli, one of the most influential animation studios in the world, this five-year-old park brings the studio’s films into physical space without turning them into “attractions.” Studio Ghibli is known for hand-drawn animated films that blend fantasy with everyday life — works like Howl´s Moving Castle (top), My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke. While often labeled as animé, Ghibli films aren´t primarily aimed at children but are rather gentle, contemplative stories about nature, memory, war, and growing up, and have a large adult following both in Japan and internationally. The park reflects that sensibility. There are only a couple of rides (including a carousel for small children), no costumed mascots, and no prescribed route. Visitors move through carefully detailed environments: a forest path that feels lifted from Totoro, a mountain village inspired by Princess Mononoke, interiors that look as if the characters have just stepped out for a moment. The experience is quiet, nostalgic, and intentionally slow — less about spectacle than about being present inside a familiar emotional landscape. It´s located in Nagakute, 3½ hours by car and train from Tokyo.

Read more in my post 5 of the World's Best Theme Parks Without Rides.

Ghibli Park