Ghibli Park One-Day Itinerary: How to Plan Your Day by Ticket Type (2026)

Every time an overseas friend asks me about Ghibli Park, the question is the same one: how many hours do I need? For years I gave the answer everybody gives — a full day, probably more. Then the park refreshed its tickets from the July 2026 entry dates, and I sat down and read the official ticket page line by line. The honest answer turns out to have almost nothing to do with hours. What decides your day is the ticket you bought.

Last updated: August 2026 | Author: Yuu (Nagoya-born, 35-year resident)

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Table of Contents

1. The First Fork: Settle the Ticket and Your Route Is 90% Decided
2. Six Official Rules That Shape Your Day
3. Itinerary A: Five Areas in a Day on the O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium
4. Itinerary B: Building a Day Around the O-Sanpo Day Pass Standard (Three Areas)
5. Itinerary C: Half a Day in Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse Alone
6. Itinerary D: A Day With Children
7. Where to Fit Meals and Souvenirs
8. Ghibli Park in the Rain
9. Using the Gaps and the Waiting Time
10. Frequently Asked Questions
11. The Day in Five Lines
12. About the Author
13. Related Guides

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The First Fork: Settle the Ticket and Your Route Is 90% Decided

Ghibli Park is not the kind of theme park where you pass through one gate and then wander freely. Five areas are scattered across a large public park, each with its own separate entrance. And the ticket is not an admission ticket to “the park” — it is a document that names which areas you are allowed to enter. (What each of those areas actually contains is the job of our complete Ghibli Park guide; this one is about how to move through them.)

The seven current tickets, and the areas they open

From the July 2026 entry dates there are seven tickets [Source]. In the table below, ● means entry at a fixed time slot, ○ means entry with no time slot, and – means the area is not included. That is the park’s own notation.

Source: [Source]

Prices (adult / child)

In the official pricing, the “holiday” column covers Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, which I write below as “weekend & holiday”. The child rate applies to children aged 4 through elementary school — roughly ages 4 to 12 — and children aged 3 and under enter free [Source].

Source: [Source]

Three traps the table does not show you

Trap 1: the gap between Standard and Premium is what happens indoors.
The O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium enters all five areas and gets you inside every building — the World Emporium in the Hill of Youth and Satsuki and Mei’s House in Dondoko Forest included [Source]. The Standard pass enters three areas and stops at the doors: to go inside the Okino Residence, Howl’s Castle or The House of Witches in Valley of Witches, the official page states that you need a Premium ticket (the wristband) or a same-day entry ticket [Source].

Trap 2: two tickets cost exactly the same and contain different things.
The O-Sanpo Day Pass Standard and the Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village ticket are identically priced — ¥3,300 on weekdays, ¥3,800 on weekends and holidays. Here is the difference.

From the July 2026 entry dates, the Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village ticket was expanded, and holders can now view all three of the special facilities in Valley of Witches — the Okino Residence, Howl’s Castle and The House of Witches [Source]. So if getting inside Howl’s Castle is the point of your day, the straightforward choice is this ticket, not the Standard pass.

Trap 3: the Satoyama Stroll Pass does not get you into Satsuki and Mei’s House.
The Satoyama Stroll Pass, new for July 2026, covers the hilltop of Dondoko Forest, Mononoke Village and Valley of Witches [Source]. In Dondoko Forest that means the hilltop only; the inside of Satsuki and Mei’s House, down at the foot of the hill, is not covered. To go inside the Totoro house you need the single-area Dondoko Forest ticket (¥1,000) or the Premium pass [Source]. The Satoyama Stroll Pass also fixes your Valley of Witches entry to the afternoon, 13:00 to 16:30 [Source].

One more thing worth knowing before you plan anything: tickets go on sale at 14:00 on the 10th of the month, two months ahead, and every ticket is for a booked date [Source]. How to buy, and what to do when your date is gone, is all in our complete Ghibli Park ticket guide.

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Six Official Rules That Shape Your Day

Before the itineraries, here are the rules that physically constrain your route. Plan without knowing them and however carefully you build the day, it falls apart.

Rule 1: opening time changes with the day of the week

Weekdays 10:00–17:00; Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 9:00–17:00 [Source]. Weekends and holidays are an hour longer — one of the very few things at Ghibli Park where the busy days work in your favor.

The park is closed every Tuesday (the following weekday when Tuesday is a public holiday), over the New Year period, and on designated maintenance days [Source]. Hours can change without notice, so fix your date against the official calendar before you fly.

Rule 2: last entry is 16:30

The last entry time for every area is 16:30 [Source] — thirty minutes before the 17:00 close. Even holding a ticket that covers five areas, once 16:30 passes you cannot enter an area you have not already visited.

Rule 3: Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is entered at a time you reserved

On the Premium and Standard day passes you choose your Grand Warehouse entry time from 9:00 (see note) / 10:00 / 11:00 / 12:00 / 13:00 / 14:00. The official note reads: “the opening time is 10:00 on weekdays and 9:00 on weekends and holidays” — which means the 9:00 slot exists only on weekends and holidays [Source].

This is the important change from July 2026. The park announced that “from the July entry dates, the 15:00 entry time for Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse will be discontinued” [Source]. With 14:00 now the latest slot, the old shape of the day — outdoor areas first, Grand Warehouse as the finale — is much harder to build. Do not plan a 3 p.m. Grand Warehouse entry off an older blog post.

The single-area Grand Warehouse ticket works on periods rather than fixed times: morning (from opening time to 13:00) or afternoon (13:00–16:30) [Source]. The Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest single-area tickets use the same two-way split.

Rule 4: Valley of Witches is the only area you can re-enter

This is the rule that matters most to route design. The official wording: “Only Valley of Witches allows re-entry. (The Ghibli Park O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium allows re-entry to every area.)” [Source]

And Premium has a condition of its own: “Re-entry is possible for every area. (However, re-entry to Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is from 15:00 onward.)” [Source]

In practice this means one thing. Plan every area except Valley of Witches as “once you go in, you stay until you are finished.” Restrooms, food and shopping all need to happen before you walk out of that area.

Rule 5: you may bring food, but there is nowhere to eat it

The official FAQ is unambiguous: “There is no place inside the Ghibli Park areas to eat food you have brought with you.” Drinking is limited to containers with a lid, such as plastic bottles, and should be done outdoors or in plazas and walkways away from the exhibition rooms [Source]. A packed-lunch plan does not work here.

Related, and just as practical: there are no coin lockers or cloakrooms inside the Ghibli Park areas. Coin lockers exist in the surrounding Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park — at the North Gate information office, the Global Citizen Exchange Center, and the West Gate information office and rest area — but numbers are limited [Source]. Do not head straight here wheeling a suitcase.

Rule 6: no date changes and no refunds

“Regardless of whether the ticket has been used, dates cannot be changed and refunds cannot be issued after purchase.” And: “Tickets will not be reissued under any circumstances after collection, including loss, damage or theft.” [Source]

Rain in the forecast, a slow start to the morning — you are going on that day. That fact underpins the rain section further down.

One note on groups: everyone on the booking enters together, so please arrive as a full party. Premium is the exception, where each person can enter by showing their own wristband [Source]. If your group wants to split up during the day, Premium is the only ticket that allows it.

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Itinerary A: Five Areas in a Day on the O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium

This is the only ticket that enters all five areas [Source]. Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is the only timed entry, so where you place the Grand Warehouse slot determines the shape of the whole day.

Pattern A-1: a weekend or holiday, with the 9:00 Grand Warehouse slot

Weekends and holidays open at 9:00, and the 9:00 Grand Warehouse slot is available only on those days [Source].

The design point is putting Valley of Witches last. It is the one area you can re-enter [Source], so stepping out for a restroom or a drink is recoverable. Leave a no-re-entry area until late and you have nothing left to absorb a delay.

Pattern A-2: a weekday, with an afternoon Grand Warehouse slot

Weekdays open at 10:00, giving seven hours until close [Source]. That is an hour less than a weekend, so treat five areas on a weekday as the tighter proposition.

Putting the Grand Warehouse in a 12:00–14:00 slot gives you outdoor areas in the morning and the hottest or coldest part of the day indoors, which is the comfortable arrangement in summer and winter. But remember last entry is 16:30: take the 14:00 slot and there is essentially no outdoor area left to reach afterward. If you want all five on a weekday, the realistic Grand Warehouse slots are 10:00 or 11:00.

The Premium perk nobody mentions

Premium allows re-entry to every area, with the Grand Warehouse open to returners from 15:00 [Source]. “See the Grand Warehouse first thing, walk the outdoor areas, then drop back into the Grand Warehouse shops after 15:00” is a shape only Premium can produce. For anyone who wants to buy all their souvenirs in one pass at the end of the day, that alone can justify the price gap.

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Itinerary B: Building a Day Around the O-Sanpo Day Pass Standard (Three Areas)

This pass covers Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Mononoke Village and Valley of Witches. The Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest are not included [Source]. With fewer areas to reach, the day gets considerably more relaxed.

Decide this first: do you want to go inside Howl’s Castle?

On the Standard pass, getting inside the Okino Residence, Howl’s Castle or The House of Witches in Valley of Witches requires either a Premium wristband or a “same-day entry ticket” [Source].

The official description of how the same-day tickets work: “Numbered tickets (with a designated sales start time) are distributed near the small hut from 10:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on holidays). Please purchase your same-day entry ticket between the sales start time shown on your numbered ticket and 4:30 p.m.” [Source]

Prices are the Okino Residence ¥400 adult / ¥200 child, Howl’s Castle ¥1,000 adult / ¥500 child, and The House of Witches ¥400 adult / ¥200 child [Source].

Which means distribution starts the moment the park opens. If the interiors matter to you, your day has to begin with “go to Valley of Witches and get a numbered ticket.” Leaving that until later is a risky way to build the day.

Pattern B-1: the day you want to see inside the buildings

Pattern B-2: simply take the Grand Warehouse first thing

If the building interiors are not your priority, take a 9:00–11:00 Grand Warehouse slot and give the afternoon to the two outdoor areas. It is the easiest version of the day to walk. Put Valley of Witches last and re-entry gives you flexibility at the end.

If your budget is the same, compare this one too

To say it once more: the Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village ticket costs exactly what the Standard pass costs (¥3,300 weekdays / ¥3,800 weekends and holidays), and it lets you view all three Valley of Witches buildings [Source].

• You want to soak in Ghibli exhibits → O-Sanpo Day Pass Standard (it adds the Grand Warehouse)
• You want to go inside Howl’s Castle, The House of Witches and the Okino Residence → Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village

The right way to look at these two is as different products at the same price.

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Itinerary C: Half a Day in Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse Alone

¥2,000 adult / ¥1,000 child, the same price on weekdays and on weekends and holidays [Source]. This is the best value entry point in the whole park and the realistic answer for anyone on a short Nagoya stay.

The slot is a straight choice between morning (from opening time to 13:00) and afternoon (13:00–16:30) [Source].

The Grand Warehouse packs the Cinema Orion screening room, three special exhibitions, plus shops and cafes into a single indoor building [Source]. The current line-up includes the Central Staircase, the Open Storage, the Become-a-Character Exhibition, the Panorama Box Exhibition, the Ghibli ga Ippai Exhibition, the mock director’s office, the Nekobus Room, Children’s Town, the sky garden and the house beneath the floor with its garden for little people [Source]. The special exhibitions rotate, so check the official site for what is showing before you go.

Cinema Orion seats about 170 and screens all ten of Studio Ghibli’s short animated films. From July 8, 2026 a new short, Night in the Valley of Witches (about 14 minutes), joined the rotation [Source].

What to do with the rest of a half-day ticket

• With a morning ticket: you have room to head back into Nagoya from about 13:00. See our guide to getting around Nagoya
• With an afternoon ticket: spend the morning sightseeing in the city and ride out on the Linimo around lunchtime
• Either way: even without a Ghibli Park ticket, entry to Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park itself is free [Source]. Waiting time can be spent in the park (more in the gaps section below)

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Itinerary D: A Day With Children

The child rate covers ages 4 through elementary school — roughly 4 to 12 — and children aged 3 and under enter free [Source].

Watch the age limits on the play equipment

Ghibli Park genuinely has play structures adults cannot use, and others small children cannot use. Choose a ticket without knowing this and the day ends in disappointment.

The gohei-mochi workshop is ages 10 and up. The Okkotonushi slide is ages 12 and under. With siblings spread across those ages, you will be doing two different things in the same area.

If you want to go inside the Totoro house, get the ticket right

Viewing the inside of Satsuki and Mei’s House is covered by the single-area Dondoko Forest ticket (¥1,000 / ¥500) and by the O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium [Source]. The Satoyama Stroll Pass covers only the hilltop of Dondoko Forest, so it does not get you inside Satsuki and Mei’s House [Source]. Get this one wrong and there will be tears.

Dondoko Forest also has the Dondoko-go slope car linking the hilltop and the foot of the hill (modeled on a streetcar that once ran in Nagoya) and Dondoko-dokoro, a rest stop on the path toward Satsuki and Mei’s House selling drinks and souvenirs, with restrooms [Source].

The practical side with small children

If you are using a stroller, you park it at the designated space before entering a facility inside an area [Source]. And since there are no coin lockers inside the areas, travel light [Source].

For a family with preschool-age children, the shape least likely to fall apart is this:

1. A morning on the single-area Dondoko Forest ticket (Satsuki and Mei’s House plus Dondoko-do)
2. After lunch, an afternoon on the single-area Hill of Youth ticket (¥1,000 each)
3. Do not cram in five areas — deliberately build in time to play in the free areas of Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park

When the adults get ambitious about covering all five areas, the no-re-entry rule from the rules section lands hardest on families.

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Where to Fit Meals and Souvenirs

To repeat: there is nowhere inside the areas to eat food you brought in [Source]. And no area except Valley of Witches allows re-entry [Source]. Put those two together and the conclusion is fixed: eat inside the area you are in, before you leave it.

The food and drink outlets listed on the official site

The official Hill of Youth page lists no food or drink outlet [Source]. Plan on not eating in the Hill of Youth.

Two facts that bite at particular times of day

1. On weekday mornings, nothing is open to eat. The Transcontinental Flight Cafe in the Grand Warehouse opens at 11:00 on weekdays, and the Flying OVEN in Valley of Witches is also 11:00 on weekdays [Source] [Source]. Arrive on a 10:00 weekday opening without breakfast and there is nothing to eat for the first hour. Sort it out before you arrive.

2. In the evening, some outlets close first. The Hot Tin Roof hot dog stand runs only until 16:30 [Source]. Pace your day to the 17:00 close and you will miss it.

Buy souvenirs before you leave the area

Shops sit under the same constraint. The Grand Warehouse has Neppu Shoten, Ozora Mokei, the Nekokaburi-hime sweet shop and Boken Hikodan [Source], and Valley of Witches has Hatter’s Millinery, the witch’s bookshop and the Thirteen Witches shop (weekdays 10:30–17:00; weekends and holidays 9:30–17:00) [Source].

Because there is no re-entry, “I will get it all later” is not available. You either buy it there, or you hold Premium and come back to the Grand Warehouse after 15:00 [Source].

Not sure what to buy? Our Ghibli Park souvenir guide breaks down the shops area by area, with the reliable picks.

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Ghibli Park in the Rain

Start with the heaviest fact. Regardless of whether the ticket has been used, dates cannot be changed and refunds cannot be issued after purchase [Source]. Rain in the forecast or not, that is the day you are going.

The only refund language the park publishes is a single line: if Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park closes because of weather or similar circumstances, a refund will be considered [Source]. Ordinary rain is not grounds for a refund.

Choosing a ticket for a wet forecast

Of the five areas, only Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is fully indoors. It holds a screening room, three special exhibitions, shops and cafes inside one huge building [Source]. The other four are walked outdoors. The Hill of Youth, Dondoko Forest (which involves climbing a hill path), Mononoke Village and Valley of Witches all need rain gear.

So for a wet forecast it makes sense to favor a ticket that includes the Grand Warehouse — Premium, Standard, or the single-area Grand Warehouse ticket. Conversely, the Satoyama Stroll Pass and the Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village ticket are entirely outdoor line-ups, and they deliver less on a wet day.

Also, because there are no coin lockers or cloakrooms inside the areas [Source], do not count on anywhere to leave a wet umbrella or raincoat. A separate rain jacket and pants beat a folding umbrella here, because they keep both hands free.

Wider wet-weather backup plans are collected in our guide to Nagoya in the rain.

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Using the Gaps and the Waiting Time

Between timed entry and the no-re-entry rule, Ghibli Park always produces empty time between areas. How you use it changes how the day feels.

Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park is free to enter

Ghibli Park sits inside Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park (Moricoro Park), and entry to the park itself is free [Source]. Anyone in your group without a Ghibli Park ticket can still come along as far as the park.

Park hours are 8:00–19:00 from April through October and 8:00–18:30 from November through March [Source]. It stays open later than Ghibli Park does (17:00), so you can keep the evening going in the park after closing.

Watch the difference in closed days. The park also closes on Tuesdays, but it opens on Tuesdays during the spring, summer and winter school holidays and Golden Week [Source]. Ghibli Park closes every Tuesday [Source]. “The park is open” does not mean “Ghibli Park is open.”

Facilities in the park you can use in the gaps

• The large Ferris wheel — ¥600 per person (age 3 and over) [Source]
• Aichi Children’s Center — free for junior high school age and under, ¥300 for everyone else [Source]
• Coin lockers — North Gate information office, Global Citizen Exchange Center, West Gate information office and rest area (numbers are limited) [Source]

There is also a free shuttle bus running inside the park. Note that times may change or service may be suspended during events and similar [Source]. Check the route and timetable on the park’s official site on the day.

Check your way home in advance

The nearest station is Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station on the Aichi Rapid Transit Tobu Kyuryo Line (the Linimo), and the park is right by the station [Source]. Note too that the park states plainly that Ghibli Park has no dedicated parking; please come by public transportation [Source].

One fare point changes date, so check which side of it your trip falls on.

Aichi Rapid Transit has announced that it will implement a passenger fare revision from Tuesday, September 1, 2026 [Source]. The full detail on getting here — from Nagoya Station, from Tokyo, from the airport, by bus and by car — is in our complete Ghibli Park access guide. If you have taken an early slot, our guide to staying near Ghibli Park is worth a look as well.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see all of Ghibli Park in one day?

Only the O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium enters all five areas, so that ticket is the starting requirement [Source]. Opening hours are 10:00–17:00 on weekdays and 9:00–17:00 on weekends and public holidays, and last entry to every area is 16:30 [Source] [Source]. Weekends and holidays give you an extra hour of room. That said, the park does not publish suggested visit lengths for its areas. Whether you get around depends on your walking speed and how often you stop.

Does the O-Sanpo Day Pass Standard cover five areas?

No, it does not. It covers three areas — Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, Mononoke Village and Valley of Witches — and the Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest cannot be entered on it [Source]. The name invites the wrong assumption, so check before you buy.

Which ticket do I need to go inside Howl’s Castle?

The O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium or the Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village ticket. Either of those two lets you view it at no extra charge [Source]. On the O-Sanpo Day Pass Standard you need a Premium ticket (wristband) or a same-day entry ticket [Source]. For same-day entry, numbered tickets are distributed from 10:00 a.m. (9:00 a.m. on holidays), and Howl’s Castle is ¥1,000 adult / ¥500 child [Source].

Can I go back into an area I have already left?

As a rule, no. Only Valley of Witches allows re-entry. The O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium alone allows re-entry to every area, though re-entry to Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is from 15:00 onward [Source]. Handle meals, restrooms and shopping before you leave an area.

Can I bring a packed lunch?

Nothing published prohibits bringing food in, but the park states clearly that “there is no place inside the Ghibli Park areas to eat food you have brought with you” [Source]. Drinking is limited to containers with a lid, such as plastic bottles, outdoors or in plazas and walkways away from the exhibition rooms [Source]. Plan to eat at the outlets inside the park.

What should I do if it rains?

Dates cannot be changed and refunds cannot be issued after purchase, so the plan cannot move [Source]. Only Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse is fully indoors [Source]; the other four areas are walked outdoors. For a wet forecast, choose a ticket that includes the Grand Warehouse and bring a separate rain jacket and pants. Because there is no cloakroom inside the areas, do not expect anywhere to leave wet gear [Source].

Can I enter the park without a Ghibli Park ticket?

Yes. Entry to Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park is free [Source]. It opens 8:00–19:00 from April through October and 8:00–18:30 from November through March [Source], staying open later than Ghibli Park’s 17:00 close. There are paid facilities too, such as the large Ferris wheel (¥600 per person, age 3 and over) [Source]. Note, though, that Ghibli Park closes every Tuesday while the surrounding park opens on Tuesdays during the spring, summer and winter school holidays and Golden Week [Source] [Source].

Is it fine to bring a suitcase?

I would not. There are no coin lockers or cloakrooms inside the Ghibli Park areas [Source]. The surrounding park has coin lockers at the North Gate information office, the Global Citizen Exchange Center, and the West Gate information office and rest area, but numbers are limited [Source]. Leave your bags at your accommodation first.

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The Day in Five Lines

A day at Ghibli Park stands on three constraints: which areas, at what time, and how many times you may enter. Laid out in order, it comes to this.

1. The ticket decides the areas. Only Premium opens all five. Standard opens three [Source]
2. Timed entry decides the rhythm. The latest Grand Warehouse slot is 14:00, the 15:00 slot having been discontinued from the July 2026 entry dates [Source]
3. Re-entry decides the tension. Valley of Witches is the only way back in — which is why you leave it until last [Source]
4. Last entry at 16:30 is the point you count backward from [Source]
5. Eat inside the area, before you leave it. There is nowhere to eat food you brought in [Source]

And the thing I most want to pass on. Ghibli Park is not built to be “done.” No re-entry, each area boxed into its own window — that structure rewards the visitor who sees fewer areas slowly. If Nagoya gets only one day of your trip, a half-day Grand Warehouse ticket earns its money back easily.

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About the Author

Yuu was born in Nagoya and has lived here for 35 years. The question overseas friends put to him about Ghibli Park every single year is “so how many hours does it actually take?” The honest answer is “it depends on your ticket” — and almost nobody knows that the ticket changes which areas you can enter at all. That is what this guide exists to fix.

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Related Guides

• Ghibli Park Complete Guide — what the five areas actually contain, and the park as a whole
• Ghibli Park Tickets for International Visitors — where to buy, release dates, and what to do when your date sells out
• How to Get to Ghibli Park — from Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka and Centrair
• Where to Stay Near Ghibli Park — staying the night before for an early slot
• Getting Around Nagoya — city transit and passes
• Nagoya in the Rain — wet-weather backup plans
• Ghibli Park Souvenir Guide — coming soon

— Yuu