Japan is the world’s epicenter of otaku, a ferocious and obsessive culture of (mostly young) fandom that fuels the worlds of manga, anime and video games. True to fanatical form, the country is overflowing with amusement parks, attractions, and other sites to spark the imagination. Whether your genre of choice is shounen demon slayers or Sailor Moon-esque shoujo, the bucolic, tender worlds of Studio Ghibli, or Madhouse melodramas, there is surely an animated fantasyland for you. Here, a guide to Japan’s many manga kingdoms.
Studio Ghibli Museum
Studio Ghibli likely needs no introduction. One of Japan’s most renowned and successful animation studios, the cartoon factory has been responsible for whimsical, imaginative, and widely-beloved films like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. The Ghibli Museum, a hands-on Japanime playpen for children and adults alike, is conveniently located in Mitaka, about 20 minutes from central Tokyo. Unlike other famous theme parks dedicated to animation houses, the focus here is on not just on iconic comic-book characters, but also the technology and production magic that goes into creating them. The museum was designed to resemble the buildings characteristic to Ghibli films: bright, idiosyncratic, and cleverly quaint, and it has a series of permanent exhibitions, most famously a replica of the CatBus from Totoro. Be warned, however: tickets sell out quickly (book in advance), and photography is strictly prohibited in the museum.
Ghibli Park
Beginning November 1, Studio Ghibli is expanding its footprint with Ghibli Park, which is less a theme park than a world in itself. As one might expect from the studio of Hayao Miyazaki, there’s nothing too bombastic or noisy here; rather, it’s a series of picturesque, deeply evocative scenes and structures scattered through a forest, giving one the sense of being dropped directly into a Ghibli film. At the time of its opening, Ghibli Park will feature three main areas: The Hill of Youth, where you can find shops and buildings from Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns; Dondoko Forest, complete with a replica of the house from My Neighbor Totoro; and Ghibli Grand Warehouse, in which a Park Güell-esque stairwell takes visitors through various sets, including a tunnel like the one that served as the rabbit hole to the magical worlds of Spirited Away. Two other areas are set to open in the spring: Mononoke Village, based on the 14th century epic Princess Mononoke, and Valley of the Witches, which will contain architectural elements from Howl’s Moving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Sanrio HarmonyLand and Sanrio PuroLand
Hello Kitty is the queen of kawaii, and Sanrio HarmonyLand in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu is her palace. Think Disney levels of overstimulating escapism, but with Sanrio characters like Keroppi and My Melody instead of Mickey and Minnie. But here it's really about the little white cat; there's a castle where Hello Kitty resides, a towering pink Hello Kitty ferris wheel, and even a Hello Kitty-themed ninja course. Sanrio PuroLand, an animated extravaganza closer to Tokyo, is smaller-scale, but equally fan-satisfying with its bustling Sanriotown, a cartoon neighborhood filled with eraser shops and cafes, and Lady Kitty House, a regal estate that Hello Kitty calls her second home.
Super Nintendo Land, Universal Studios
Universal Studios Japan is well-known for its themed attractions devoted to franchises like Jurassic Park, Minion Park, and Harry Potter. But the park’s Super Nintendo World, currently the world's only dedicated Nintendo theme park, is its most unique. After passing through the warp-pipe entrance, video-game visitors are greeted with a vertiginously-accurate, visually-stunning recreation of the virtual worlds from classic Super Mario titles. To bring Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser’s Castle to three-dimensional life, Universal Studios employed the mastermind behind Mario himself, Shigeru Miyamoto, to oversee every detail. There are even actual question-mark blocks that you can punch to trigger the signature Super Mario power-up sound.
Nijigen no Mori Theme Park, or Awajishima Prefectural Park
“Nijigen no mori” translates to “two-dimensional forest,” which is a fitting name for a cosplay park dedicated to some of Japan’s most iconic anime and manga franchises (Naruto, Shin-chan, and Godzilla). Located on Awaji Island, just southwest of Osaka in Hyogo Prefecture, the park’s immersive, Naruto–themed landscape is modeled to look like the village of Konoha, complete with life-sized beasts, a replica Hokage Rock, and a real-life Ichiraku Ramen shop. (Thankfully, Naruto’s favorite haunt is a faithful reproduction, both in terms of aesthetics and noodle quality.) Rather than typical amusements, the park hosts ninja-themed quests and activities, augmented-reality carnival games, and riddles that must be solved before progressing further in the park. Plus, in another section of the park, a zipline takes visitors directly into the mouth of a 75-foot-tall Godzilla statue.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Museum
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Museum, a pop-up exhibition on view through December at Tokyo’s Roppongi Museum, is the largest-ever display of Sailor Moon-related art, costumes, and memorabilia— a holographic spectacle of the superhero schoolgirl's 30-year history. Galleries feature original drawings and artworks by the show’s creator, Naoko Takeuchi; costumes used in the Sailor Moon stage musical; life-size models of each Sailor Scout’s weapon; moon-shaped omurice, and plenty of pink crystals. There are also recreations of various gowns worn throughout the series, including a glamorous wedding dress and tuxedo set.
