Tips for Visiting Ghibli Park and Osu no Mori Cafe Kodama in Nagoya

If you landed on this page, you are likely a Studio Ghibli fan planning to visit Ghibli Park in Nagoya, Japan, in the near future.

I don’t want to waste your time and re-hash what you already know about Ghibli Park, since you have likely already scoured the official website for information.

Instead, I want to share some tips I acquired after spending a day in both Ghibli Park and the unofficial Ghibli-themed cafe (Osu no Mori Cafe Kodama) in Nagoya.

In this post, I’ll answer your logistical questions (that I had too) and share my experience to help you plan the best trip to Ghibli Park.

About Ghibli Park

Ghibli Park is not your typical amuseument park. In fact, there are no rides (aside from a carousel).

So why visit?

The reason people visit Ghibli Park is to see their beloved anime films come to life in the form of recreated sets.

You can tour Howl’s castle, Kiki’s family home, and Totoro’s forest. The recreated sets are so detailed and true-to-form that you almost feel as if you stepped into a Ghibli film (at least I did when touring Howl’s bedroom).

Ghibli fans will appreciate the magic and wonder that is Ghibli Park.

What Type of Ghibli Park Tickets to Buy

There are two passes you can purchase — premium or standard.

Premium: The premium passes give you access to ALL five areas and inside all buildings.

Standard: Beginning April 1, 2025, the standard day passes no longer allow access to Dondoko Forest or Hill of Youth, so they only allow access to three areas and almost NO access inside buildings (except the Grand Warehouse, the Clock Tower, Guchokipanya Bakery, and the Hatter’s Millinery).

Try to get premium passes at all costs. But if you don’t get them, there is some hope.

Same-Day Tickets Sold at Valley of Witches: Ghibli Park is now selling tickets to enter the Okino Residence, Howl’s Castle, and The House of Witches, individually. These limited tickets are available for purchase in Valley of Witches on the day of your visit (not in advance, not online). Once they sell out, however, they’re gone, so if you have a standard pass, get to Valley of Witches QUICK on your visit.

• Howl’s Castle: 1000 yen (adults), 500 yen (children)
• Okino Residence: 400 yen (adults), 200 yen (children)
• The House of Witches: 400 yen (adults), 200 yen (children)

Premium Access	Standard Access
Grand Warehouse	Grand Warehouse
Mononoke Village	Mononoke Village
Valley of Witches	Valley of Witches
Clock Tower	Clock Tower
Guchokipanya Bakery	Guchokipanya Bakery
Hatter's Millinery	Hatter's Millinery
Howl's Castle
Okino Residence
The House of Witches
Dondoko Forest
Satsuki and Mei's House
Hill of Youth
World Emporium

Tips for Securing Premium Passes

• Plan ahead. Tickets are released a month at a time, two months beforehand on the 10th at 2 p.m. Japan time. (For example, June tickets would be released on April 10 at 2 p.m. Japan time.)
• Be on time. Set an alarm to be at your computer when the time tickets are released. Remember it’s in Japan time, so convert it to your time zone beforehand.
• Read all rules. There’s a lot to know and consider before purchasing Ghibli Park tickets, so be sure to read everything listed on the official Ghibli Park website.
• Have all your information handy. To purchase tickets, you will need your group leader’s hotel address, passport number, and country of origin. Also have a credit card ready (and make sure it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees).
• Stay hopeful. When purchasing my Ghibli Park tickets, I got stuck in the virtual queue behind 21,643 people, which took an hour to reach my turn. Despite this, I still managed to get premium tickets, so don’t lose hope. However, expect premium tickets to sell out within the first few hours.

What Time Should You Choose for Entry to the Grand Warehouse?

Your selected entry time is not your entry into Ghibli Park.

When you purchase tickets, you’ll be required to select an entry time.

The entry time is not your entry into the park, it’s your entry into the Grand Warehouse.

You are allowed to enter Ghibli Park when it opens, regardless of your Grand Warehouse entry time.

Recommendation: Select a later entry time (after noon).

Most people snag the early entry times first, but I’d actually recommend getting a later time for Grand Warehouse entry. Anytime after noon would be great.

That way, you can first explore the other areas of Ghibli Park, especially Valley of Witches, before they’re too crowded.

I’d especially recommend an afternoon entry time if you have standard tickets and wish to purchase same-day tickets in the Valley of Witches.

Some Tips for Visiting Ghibli Park

Have Phone Data Available

Be sure to have phone data available because you will be required to pull up tickets on your phone for every area you visit. A staff member will scan it each time you enter a new area or building.

Don’t Wait in Every Queue

Pick and choose the queues that are most important, 1-2 max, or else you will waste too much time and not be able to see everything. For us, we chose to wait in the queue for the photo of Turniphead in front of Howl’s Castle (took about 15 minutes) and the slope tram car in Dondoko Forest (took about 10 minutes).

Longest Queues:

• Going inside Kiki’s bakery in Valley of Witches (30-60+ minutes)
• Taking a photo with Turniphead in front of Howl’s Castle in Valley of Witches (15-20 minutes)
• Riding the slope tram car in Dondoko Forest (10-20 minutes)
• Taking a photo with No Face in the Grand Warehouse (30-60 minutes)
• Taking a photo with the robot soldier from Castle in the Sky in the Grand Warehouse (10-20 minutes)
• Getting on the shuttle bus to/from Dondoko Forest (20-40 minutes)

Tip: Instead of waiting in the long line to buy a bakery item from Kiki’s bakery, you can instead buy a set of breads on the side of the bakery.

Prioritize Your Must-Sees in Case You Run Out of Time

Everyone visiting Ghibli Park has their favorite Ghibli movies, so prioritize the places in the park that you want to see.

You may not have time to see everything, so be sure to first see the things you have to, regardless of where they are.

For us, we saved Mononoke Village for last because we heard it was underwhelming, and I’m also not a big fan of “Princess Mononoke.” We ended up not even having time at the end of the day to see it, so I’m glad that was left out instead of something else.

Take Mental Images

Inside most of the Ghibli Park buildings, you’ll be told one rule again and again: No photos.

On the one hand, I understand why they have this rule.

Benefits of the “No photos” rule:

• It keeps traffic flowing since people aren’t stopping to take photos of everything.
• It helps people live in the moment, appreciating details with their own eyes instead of through a camera lens.
• It also keeps the mystery alive, entincing people to come visit for themselves.

However, not being able to take photos means that you have to work all the harder to remember everything you’re seeing, since you won’t have a photo to refer to later.

As you tour each building in Ghlibi Park, be present and take mental images, noting all the details you can.

Be Prepared to Walk

Ghibli Park is located inside the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park and is about 17.5 acres.

There are only five areas, but they are spread apart, so a lot of walking is required.

The park is beautiful, and I appreciated it being in the midst of nature, which felt true to one of the core messages of Studio Ghibli (environmentalism).

I visited in late November, and the fall foliage in the park was stunning.

How Long to Plan to Visit Ghibli Park

Plan on visiting Ghibli Park during its entire opening hours (9 or 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) because you will need every minute to see everything.

Is visiting Ghibli Park an all day trip?

Yes, it is.

I had wondered if I’d have time afterward to explore more of Nagoya, but after the park and dinner, the day was most definitely done. It’s a tiring excursion, so don’t plan on anything else.

Can you do a day trip from Tokyo?

It takes about 1.5 hours to ride the bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya, and then it takes another 1 hour on the metro to Ghibli Park, totaling almost 3 hours.

I think it’s technically possible, if you wake up very early, to visit Ghibli Park from Tokyo on the same day, but it won’t be very pleasant.

Should you stay overnight in Nagoya?

Yes, I highly recommend arriving the night before, settling in, and then heading to Ghibli Park first thing the next morning.

I list my hotel recommendation further down in this post.

What Not to Miss in Ghibli Park

My absolute favorite area of Ghibli Park was Valley of Witches, and no doubt that this is considered the most popular area (aside from the Grand Warehouse).

My No. 1 tip is to get to the Valley of Witches first to try to beat some of the crowds and enjoy it before the queues get too long.

Here’s what you can’t miss while visiting Ghibli Park:

• Howl’s Castle (Valley of Witches) — Nothing in Ghibli Park can beat Howl’s Castle. It’s the top highlight of the park and something you must see. Be sure to get premium tickets or a same-day ticket in order to tour the inside of the castle. The details of every room are incredible, like the movie has come to life. You can’t take photos inside, and once you leave, you can’t re-enter, so take your time soaking in the beauty and details of every room.
• Okino Residence (Valley of Witches) — Ghibli Park has both Kiki’s bedroom atop the bakery and her family home. I enjoyed touring her family home (the Okino Residence) more than her bakery bedroom because there was much more to see.
• Kiki’s Guchokipanya Bakery (Valley of Witches) — Try to get to the bakery right when Ghibli Park opens to avoid the long queue that forms as the day goes on. If it’s too long to wait in, like it was for us, you can still take a photo in front of the bakery and purchase a set of breads on the side of it.
• Kiki’s Attic Room at the Guchokipanya Bakery (Valley of Witches) — Head upstairs to view Kiki’s room atop the bakery, which looks just like it did in the movie. All passholders, standard and premium, are able to see Kiki’s attic room.
• Sophie’s Hat Workshop in the Hatter’s Millinery (Valley of Witches) — This is actually a little tricky to find, and we had to ask an employee to help us. The workshop is not in the gift shop, and it’s not upstairs, it’s actually behind the gift shop and down a hallway where there’s a sign that says “Nursing Room” or “Baby Changing Room” in English (I don’t remember exactly, but there was no sign in English that said “Sophie’s Hat Workshop,” so we had a hard time finding it). All passholders, standard and premium, are able to see Sophie’s Hat Workshop.
• Satsuki and Mei’s House (Dondoko Forest) — Dondoko Forest is out of the way, but touring Satsuki and Mei’s House makes it worth the trek. (Be sure you have premium passes.)
• World Emporium (Hill of Youth) — If “Whisper of the Heart” is a movie near and dear to your heart, then don’t miss touring the World Emporium. It so closely resembles the one in the movie, and it’s truly a must see. This area is closest to the entrance so it gets crowded at the end of the day. Consider coming here first if this is a priority for you.
• The Secret World of Arrietty (Grand Warehouse) — The Grand Warehouse is mostly just photo props, but I was truly impressed by its Arrietty area. Here, you’ll find life-size replicas of Arrietty’s home, bedroom, and garden, making you feel 4 inches tall.
• Cinema Orion (Grand Warehouse) — Make time to watch the Studio Ghibli original short film that plays in the Cinema Orion. One of 10 films play on rotation and are usually about 9-16 minutes long.
  
  Unfortunately, the short films are only in Japanese with Japanese subtitles, so foreigners are left in the dark about what the characters are saying. You are also not allowed to use your phones (in case you’d like to try to translate the audio) because the light is too disturbing to other viewers. However, it’s still worth seeing the animations.
  
  To find out what short will be playing during your visit, check the Cinema Orion section on the Ghibli Park website, where you can also read a synopsis.
  
  Past Ghibli Short Films
  • “The Day I Bought a Star” (16 minutes 3 seconds)
  • “Mei and the Baby Cat Bus” (13 minutes 43 seconds)
  • “Koro’s Big Day Out” (15 minutes 2 seconds)
  • “House Hunting” (12 minutes 11 seconds)
  • “Boro the Caterpillar” (14 minutes 20 seconds)
  • “Treasure Hunting” (9 minutes)
  • “The Whale Hunt” (16 minutes 7 seconds)
  • “Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess” (11 minutes 37 seconds)
  • “A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail” (12 minutes 55 seconds)

About Osu no Mori Cafe Kodama (Unofficial Ghibli Cafe)

I want to next talk about the unofficial Ghibli cafe in Nagoya, which you simply must dine at on your visit to Nagoya.

Osu no Mori Cafe Kodama is an unofficial Ghibli themed cafe in Nagoya that I 100% recommend for all Ghibli fans. Not only is the cafe so beautiful and creatively decorated with Ghibli-inspired decor, but the food and drinks are incredibly creative, Ghibli inspired, and delicious as well.

The cafe is on the fourth floor of a nondescript building, but the moment you step off the staircase, you’re transported to a Ghibli wonderland.

While the cafe is unofficially Ghibli, it has been visited by the son of the Ghibli director/founder Hayao Miyazaki, so it has a low-key stamp of Ghibli approval.

Why Visit Both Ghibli Park and the Unofficial Ghibli Cafe in Nagoya?

If you’re heading out to Nagoya to visit Ghibli Park, definitely add on this cafe for dinner while you’re here. The cafe is closer to Nagoya Station than Ghibli Park, so it makes for a good stop on your way back.

It will be late when you finish, so I do recommend staying the night in Nagoya. It will be one jam-packed day of Ghibli.

How to Make Reservations at the Unofficial Ghibli Cafe

For foreigners and English speakers, you can make your reservations on Instagram. The cafe’s Instagram page is @moricafe_kodama. Simply send them a direct message up to 2 months in advance with the following information:

1. Your name
2. Date of reservation
3. Time of reservation
4. Number of people

I reserved our dinner almost exactly 2 months ahead as I wanted to be absolutely sure we would get the booking (we did). As soon as you get your Ghibli Park tickets, book your dinner too!

When to Schedule Your Dinner at the Unofficial Ghibli Cafe

If Visiting on a Weekend: If you’re visiting Ghibli Park on a weekend, I recommend a dinner reservation time of 6 p.m., which was when we made ours (note: 6:30 p.m. is the latest reservation time that can be made on weekends).

That day, we left Ghibli Park at 4:30 p.m. (it closes at 5 p.m.) and arrived at the cafe a little after 5:30 p.m. You could potentially stay at Ghibli Park longer, but I wanted to give ourselves extra time since we’d never been to the cafe before and didn’t know if we’d get lost (we didn’t).

If Visiting on a Weekday: The cafe closes earlier on weekdays, so the latest reservations can be made is 4:30 p.m. I wouldn’t recommend leaving Ghibli Park earlier (at 3 p.m.) because you really need those hours to see everything. In that case, consider dining at the cafe for lunch the day after your Ghibli Park visit (they open at 11 a.m.), if you’re planning to stay the night in Nagoya (which I recommend).

What to Order at the Unofficial Ghibli Cafe

Really, anything! Everything we tried was so good. And so creative too! You can see how the dishes and drinks were inspired by certain Ghibli movies. Each meal is served with a little figurine (you can’t keep it), which adds to the charm.

Some popular highlights from the menu:

• Inspired by Howl’s Moving Castle: Straw hat omelet rice, bacon and eggs
• Inspired by Ponyo: Ramen on the cliff
• Inspired by Kiki’s Delivery Service: Witch’s gift (dessert of croffle and vanilla ice cream)
• Inspired by Princess Mononoke: Beginning of the forest (dessert of roll cake, choco crunch and nuts)
• Inspired by My Neighbor Totoro: Little forest spirit’s lost things (dessert of lemon cake, vanilla ice cream, and almond chocolate)
• Inspired by Spirited Away: Reunion Kohaku River (drink of calpis, green apple, litchi)

What I ordered:

• “Gift from a Borrower” drink with raspberry, apple, strawberry and sparkling water (inspired by “Arrietty”) — 10/10 so good! I’ve never had a drink like this. It was delicious.
• “Flycatcher Nest Salad” side with noodles, quail eggs, green onion, and citron (inspired by “Castle in the Sky”) — 8/10 pretty good, mostly I ordered this because it was the only vegetarian option, but, in the end, I really did like it.
• “Treasures Under the Floor” dessert with cheesecake, cornflakes, and mixed berries (inspired by “Arrietty”) — 10/10 very good! I had an Arrietty theme to my meal, which I loved because “Arrietty” is one of my favorite Ghibli movies. This cheesecake dessert was delicious, and I was a bit sad when it was gone.

I would most definitely dine at this cafe again in order to try their other dishes. What a magical place.

See the full English menu on the @moricafe_kodama Instagram page (they have a story highlight called “menu”).

Where to Stay in Nagoya

I recommend staying at least two nights in Nagoya if you are visiting Ghibli Park and to take advantage while you’re here to visit other nearby places, such as Takayama and Magome.

That means arriving the night before, settling in, and then heading to Ghibli Park first thing the next morning. After visiting Ghibli Park, stay a second night in Nagoya, and then move on to your next destination.

I stayed in Nagoya for two nights while visiting Ghibli Park, Osu no Mori Cafe Kodama, and Magome before heading on to Takayama.

Where I stayed: I stayed at the Lamp Light Books Hotel in Nagoya and really loved how clever and modern this hotel is.

Pros: It has a book theme, includes a library and cafe (plus a free welcome drink), and the staff were all very friendly. It’s close to the Fushimi Station, which is just one stop away from Nagoya Station. Another plus about the Lamp Light Books Hotel is that it is right across the street from a 7-Eleven, so my smoothie machine obsession lived on another few days.

Con: The only con is that the room sizes are tiny, but we only stayed here two days so it wasn’t much of a concern.

Getting to Ghibli Park in Aichi, Nagoya

Step 1: Take the Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Nagoya (1.5 hours).

I’m assuming most people will be coming from Tokyo, so if that’s the case, your first step will be taking the bullet train to Nagoya Station. (I recommend coming from Tokyo to Nagoya the day before your visit to Ghibli Park.)

Some tips for booking a Shinkansen ticket:

• Get an oversized luggage seat: If you’re bringing a lot of luggage, definitely book an oversized luggage seat (otherwise you’ll have to lift your suitcase to the overhead rack). The oversized-luggage seats are assigned a luggage area for your use only. Unfortunately, other passengers sometimes place their luggage in this area despite the signs that say the luggage area is reserved. If this happens to you, you can move the luggage or ask an attendant to move it for you.
• Reserve your tickets online in advance: Get your bullet train tickets up to 30 days in advance by booking on SmartEx. Why? It’s so much easier than having to wait in the super long lines at the train stations.
• Register and designate an IC card: After booking your Shinkansen tickets on SmartEx, you can designate each ticket to a specific IC card (SUICA/ICOCA) number. Doing this will allow you to board the Shinkansen by simply tapping your IC card (or virtual IC card in Apple Wallet). No need to print or pick up tickets. So easy!
  • If you have an iPhone, I recommend adding your IC card in Apple Wallet.
  • To get your IC number, you’ll have to also download the SUICA app (only a partial number is displayed in Apple Wallet). You will only need this app to get the full number.
  • You can add more than one IC card in SmartEx if you’re booking several tickets for several people (but multiple people can’t be on the same one IC card).
• Book a reserved seat: It costs a little more to book a reserved seat, but I recommend it, especially if you’re bringing luggage. Having an assigned seat takes away all the anxiety over where you’ll sit and if you’ll find seats together with your travel buddies.

Step 2: Take the subway from Nagoya Station to Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station (1 hour).

There isn’t a direct subway train from Nagoya Station to Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station, so you’ll need to make one transfer at the Fujigaoka Station.

So you’ll go from Nagoya Station to Fujigaoka Station and then on to Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station.

Surprisingly, the Fujigaoka Station seems to embrace its connection to Ghibli Park as it is decked out in Ghibli Park posters.

It might seem like a long journey, but it is easy.

I’d suggest using Google Maps / Apple Maps for accurate routes and departure times.

Step 3: Walk from Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station to Ghibli Park (5 minutes).

It’s about a 5-minute walk from the Ai-Chikyuhaku-Kinen-Koen Station to the Elevator Tower entrance at Ghibli Park.

On the way, you’ll pass a Lawson’s with Ghibli merch for sale as well as restrooms and a coffee shop.

What to Pack for Your Trip to Japan

Comfortable and convenient footwear

You’ll likely walk a lot while visiting Japan, so a good pair of walking shoes is a must. However, one additional recommendation is make sure your sneakers are slip-in.

Why wear slip-in sneakers?

Many traditional places in Japan require guests to remove shoes before entering. (In Ghibli Park, you have to remove your shoes before touring inside Satsuki and Mei’s House.) Shoes with a lot of laces are hard to get off. But slip-ins? A breeze.

• Slip-in sneakers — I wore this pair of slip-in sneakers from Skechers my entire trip to Japan, and it was so convenient! I didn’t even have to sit down to take off my shoes, like everyone else did. My shoes just slipped right off. I also felt comfortable in these shoes despite walking 20,000 steps every single day.
• Ankle socks — Be sure to wear ankle-covering socks with your shoes so you don’t get blisters with all that walking. I wore these Hanes ankle socks every day of my trip to Japan and didn’t get a single blister.

Favorite travel essentials

• I really recommend these compression packing cubes. They’re very thick and durable and allow you to pack more than you expect.
• I also love this travel backpack that opens like a suitcase, fits almost as much as a carry-on, and has tons of pockets as well as a strap to attach to your luggage handle. It makes traveling so much easier and more organized.
• I bring this AirFly receiver for AirPods with me on long-haul flights, so I can connect to the plane’s video screen with my own AirPods.
• I no longer hop on a flight without wearing my Sockwell compression socks because they really do help relieve/prevent leg cramps from sitting so long in one place. I have the lotus pattern, but there are other patterns to choose from, such as this cat pattern or this flower pattern. See all sock patterns in the Sockwell storefront.

Other Posts to Help You Plan Your Trip to Japan

Nagoya / Magome

• What to Do for a Day in Magome Japan

Takayama

• Hida Folk Village vs Shirakawago: Which to Visit?
• Guide to Visiting Hida Folk Village in Takayama Japan
• Day Trip to Shirakawago Japan (from Takayama)
• Best Ryokan in Takayama Japan: Hanaougi Bettei Iiyama (Review + Comparison)

Tokyo

• How to Plan a Day Trip to Mt Fuji from Tokyo
• Complete Guide to Visiting Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo Japan

Kyoto

• Day Trip to Himeji Castle from Kyoto or Osaka