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Fans of My Neighbor Totoro will finally get the chance to ride the iconic Catbus for real starting next month when a fleet of special vehicles make their debut at Japan’s Ghibli Park
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 22 Feb 2024
Along with its Valley of the Witches expansion, another exciting addition is coming to Japan’s Ghibli Park in March, with the debut of a fleet of real-life Catbuses.
An icon of the 1988 film My Neighbor Totoro, the Catbus is a unique combination of feline and bus, with the creature featuring twelve legs, a large grin and a hollow body complete with furry seats and a bushy tail.
In the movie, the Catbus possesses the ability to appear and disappear at will, and can travel to any destination desired by its passengers. At Ghibli Park, the APM (Accessible People Mover) Catbuses will be used to transport guests between the attraction’s themed zones.
The custom vehicles have been built by Japanese car manufacturer Toyota, with the APM model originally developed to transport athletes during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Among their features, the vehicles will include a Catbus face, tail, roof-mouse lighting markers and seats with feline-esque fur. The eco-friendly electric vehicles are capable of holding up to six passengers, with a top speed of 19kmph (12mph).
Ghibli Park has announced that the Catbuses will go into service on March 16, the same day that it opens the fifth and final part of its development master plan - Valley of the Witches.
Based on films including Kiki’s Delivery Service and Howl’s Moving Castle, and themed to look like the wastelands depicted in both movies, Valley of Witches will feature life-sized recreations of several iconic locations from the films, including Howl’s Moving Castle, the Hatter Shop and the Guchoki Bakery, as well as Karikiya, the home Kiki shares with her parents in Kiki’s Delivery Service.
The bakery will be filled with baked goods for customers to purchase, while visitors can also make their way to the attic to see Kiki and Jiji’s room.
A restaurant - Soratobu Oven (Flying Oven) - has also been showcased, with the F&B experience offering oven-baked dishes such as pies and quiches, which customers can enjoy in-store.
The area will also feature 13 Witches - a retail store selling original Valley of Witches goods.
Theme park
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