Ghibli Park opened a new area, Mononoke no Sato. Prior to the opening, a “Mononoke no Sato Opening Ceremony” was held in front of the entrance gate of the area, where the governor of Aichi Prefecture, Hideaki Omura, and Goro Miyazaki, director of Studio Ghibli, and other related people celebrated the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Mononoke no Sato is an area inspired by a Japanese-style satoyama landscape based on the village of Yemishi and the taraba (a place for cooking taraba) depicted in “Princess Mononoke”. The area is adjacent to the Aichi Satellabo project, which is working to create a satoyama in Expo 2005 Aichi Prefecture, and the scenery is integrated with the park. The area includes the Taraba (hands-on learning facility), the Okkotonushi (slide), the Tarigami (art object), and the Mononoke no Sato Rest Area, which is a store.
The tatara-jo is a hands-on learning facility with a grass roof, based on the motif of the “tatara-jo” building that appears in the film. When the park is open, visitors can experience charcoal-grilled Gohei-mochi, a local delicacy originating in the mountains of Aichi and other prefectures. This local dish is made by mashing cooked rice, wrapping it around a skewer, dipping it in sauce, and grilling it over charcoal on a shichirin (charcoal grill). The sauce can be made in three flavors: walnut miso, soy sauce, or Neapolitan.
The back of the playground equipment is a slide in the motif of the character “Otogijoshu,” who appears in the work. The white fur is represented by colorful tiles and boulders.
The object, which is modeled after the character “Tatari God” in the work, is decorated with colorful tiles. Nearby is located the “Monomiyagura” in the village of Emishi.
The Mononoke no Sato Rest Area offers original products related to Mononoke no Sato, including mascots of Otogijinushi and the god Tatari, and dried meat, as well as beverages for a relaxing break. The building was built next to the “House of Satsuki and Mei” at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, and was relocated to the new location.
Behind the tatara field is a charcoal-making hut where visitors can actually burn charcoal. Reflecting the initiatives in the original expansion plan for the “Aichi Sat-Lab” adjacent to Mononoke no Sato, a tatara field and charcoal-making hut were built as a hands-on learning facility.
© Source travel watch