Ghibli Park, a theme park in central Japan devoted to the world portrayed in the animation movies of Studio Ghibli, opened an area based on its classic 1997 movie "Princess Mononoke" on Wednesday as it marked its first anniversary.

The Mononoke Village area is inspired by Japanese mountain village landscapes, with exhibits including a giant Demon Spirit figure and a slide themed on the Lord Okkoto boar god character.

An opening ceremony for Ghibli Park's Mononoke Village area, inspired by Studio Ghibli's 1997 animation movie "Princess Mononoke," is held in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, on Nov. 1, 2023. (Kyodo)

Visitors to the park in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture can also experience making local traditional rice cakes called "Gohei-mochi" at Tatara-ba, a steel mill in the movie.

Mononoke Village is the fourth of the five areas that Ghibli Park will have once the park is completed in spring 2024. The other three already opened feature such films as "Spirited Away" and "My Neighbor Totoro."

Visitors snap photos in front of a giant Demon Spirit figure on Nov. 1, 2023, as the new Mononoke Village area opened within Ghibli Park in Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. (Pool photo)(Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Advance tickets to Ghibli Park must be purchased before entry, with prices differing by areas to be visited.

The Valley of Witches area, featuring movies "Kiki's Delivery Service" and "Howl's Moving Castle," is due to open March 16 next year, after the park's closure between Feb. 13 and March 15 for maintenance work.

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