Aichi Prefecture plans Nausicaä area as part of Ghibli Park's third phase

Hypebeast reported the area will sit on a stretch of the West Gate Plaza near the Koi no Ike pond and across the water from Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, within Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park in Nagakute, on a flat plot that needs little reshaping.

Budget for the third phase

Mainichi reported the prefecture will spend about 380 million yen (roughly $2.4 million) on the basic concept, preliminary design and geological surveys. Asahi reported a supplementary budget proposal of about 387 million yen, also about $2.4 million, covering the basic concept, preliminary design and other expenses, to be submitted to the prefectural assembly in August. The 387 million yen figure is the budget total; the 380 million yen covers the listed planning work. The total project cost has not been finalised, Mainichi reported.

The film the park had left out

Hypebeast reported Nausicaä opened in Japanese cinemas in 1984, adapted from a manga Hayao Miyazaki had begun two years earlier. The film is widely regarded as the de-facto first Studio Ghibli film: its production predated the studio's formal founding, but the creative team behind it went on to form Ghibli's founding core. Mainichi reported the park opened in November 2022 with Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, Hill of Youth and Dondoko Forest, then added Mononoke Village in November 2023 and Valley of Witches from March 2024.

Governor Hideaki Omura said at the news conference that the prefecture had floated a stronger Nausicaä presence before and been turned away. "Studio Ghibli would not let us touch Nausicaä," he said.

Hypebeast reported that during conceptual talks for the new section, Studio Ghibli itself put the Nausicaä theme on the table. Asahi reported the prefecture has released an image of the facility's exterior, but exhibit details are not finalised.

An indoor zone built around the heat

Hypebeast reported the Nausicaä area will be Ghibli Park's second fully indoor area, after Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, a decision tied to Japan's increasingly dangerous summer heat. The format sidesteps the difficulty of recreating the film's desert settings outdoors and opens the door to detailed interior sets and visual effects that could simulate the sensation of flight central to the film.

Hypebeast reported no opening date has been set, and that the state of the site suggests construction could begin once the design is finalised.