Yes, if there’s a Catbus, of course there’s a kitten bus too!

If you want to visit Ghibli Park, it’s important to plan ahead, and there are three reasons why. The most obvious is that the theme park, dedicated to the anime films of Studio Ghibli, requires reservations, which need to be made more than a month in advance. Second, while Ghibli Park isn’t located too far from Nagoya, it’s still a fair bit outside the city center, so you’ll need to sort out the train or bus route you’ll be taking there and back.

And then there’s the third reason: the Ghibli short anime films that screen in Ghibli Park’s Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse area’s theater. These shorts, around 15 minutes in length, are filled with the charming artistry that’s made Studio Ghibli beloved around the globe, but can only be seen at two places in the world, Ghibli Park and the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo. Out of about a dozen total films, only one is screened at a time, with a new one rotating in every month or so. They’re all worth watching, but if there’s one in particular you’re keen to see, it pays to check the schedule and try to plan your visit while it’s playing, and if you want to see the sequel to My Neighbor Totoro, you’ll want to head to Ghibli Park after the new year starts, but before winter is over.

Mei and the Baby Catbus is written and directed by Totoro creator Hayao Miyazaki himself, and features a soundtrack by longtime collaborator Joe Hisaishi. As you can tell from the preview image, it features a baby-sized version of My Neighbor Totoro’s unforgettable Catbus, and without giving too much away, Ghibi Park describes the short’s story with:

“On a very windy day, while Mei was eating caramels, she spotted a whirlwind and started chasing after it. When she finally grabbed hold of it, it turned out to be a Baby Catbus. Mei and the Catbus became friends, and that night, they ventured into the forest.”

Mei and the Baby Catbus will screen at Ghibli Park from February 1 to 28. There’s no additional fee to watch it, but under Ghibli Park’s unique admission system not all tickets get you into all sections of the park, so you’ll want to make sure to purchase one that provides access to Ghibli’s Grand Warehouse, which also debuted seven new step-into-a-Ghibli-anime-scene-style displays this week.

Tickets to Ghibli Park for February visits are on sale now through the park’s website. Oh, and if you’re headed to Nagoya from Tokyo or Osaka to watch Mei and the Baby Catbus, you can get there by the Final Fantasy Shinkansen.

Related: Ghibli Park official website
Source: Ghibli Park
Top image: Studio Ghibli
Insert image: Ghibli Park
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