NAGAKUTE: A new area themed around “Princess Mononoke,” a film by Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli Inc., was unveiled to the press at Ghibli Park, which brings the world of Ghibli films to life, in this central Japan city on Wednesday.

The Mononoke Village area within the facility in the city of Nagakute in Aichi Prefecture will open on Nov. 1, showcasing the sceneries of “satoyama” village forests in Japan.

The new area features a 3.4-meter slide themed on Lord Okkoto, a boar god that appears in the Princess Mononoke film, as well as a statue of Demon Spirit, also a character in the film that lives in a forest.

Parkgoers will be able to enjoy making “gohei-mochi” rice cake, a local specialty, at the Tatara-ba facility within the area.

Visitors to Mononoke Village will have to buy a combo ticket allowing access to both the new area and Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, the park’s main area, under an advance booking system. The ticket costs 2,500 yen per adult on weekdays and 3,000 yen on weekends.

The Ghibli Park was built within the 2005 World Exposition commemorative park, and is divided up into five areas. Of the five, three opened to welcome visitors last year. The remaining unopened area, which will be based on several films including “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” will be opened next March.

JIJI Press