Top 4 Anime & Manga Theme Parks in Japan (Updated)

Ever wonder what an anime theme park would look like?

Whether it’s been your longtime dream to see one or just something that crossed your mind once, there are actually several anime theme parks in Japan that you can visit today.

In this list are full-scale amusement parks as well as more literally, anime-themed parks, so there’s something for everyone!

NARUTO x BORUTO Shinobi-zato

Located near Kobe in Nijigen no Mori, also called Awaji Island Anime Park, the park is host to Hokage Rock and a real-life Ramen Ichiraku,

When you enter the park, you’ll be given a scroll with a stamp rally to look out for while you walk around the park. Along the way, you’ll see some familiar faces inhabiting the park grounds in statue form.

There are also two mission courses, an Uzumaki course which is an athletic maze, and an Uchiha course, which focuses more on brains over brawn.

Here is the official website.

Ghibli Museum

Sure, it’s an indoor museum, but I consider the surrounding park as part of the complete Ghibli Museum experience. Inokashira Park is a famous and really quite beautiful park, and I’d highly recommend taking a walk there, even if the museum itself is a little far from its main waterfront area.

In addition to the park, there are also several outdoor sections of the museum building that are great to hang around, like the roof modeled after Laputa.

Also, it’s kind of hard to explain, but the layout of the building itself is designed to be like Ghibli.

You’ll be crouching under archways and walking up narrow spiral staircases- that homey atmosphere in Ghibli environmental design.

It’s no ordinary building and walking between exhibits has all the wonder of walking through a theme park except with all the class of a museum suited for Ghibli’s history.

Sanrio Puroland (Hello Kitty Land)

If you’re looking for a place to bring your kids, this is a good option. Tokyo’s Sanrio Puroland is the number one hangout spot for all the Sanrio characters from Hello Kitty and My Melody to Aggretsuko and Pekkle.

Essentially, cute character shops, live shows, parades, and LOTS of pink.

Here is the official website.

Fuji Q Highland

Located 2 hours far from Tokyo, Fuji Q Highland is a fantastic amusement park that is no stranger to anime collaborations.

For example, in 2021 there was a whole section of the park dedicated to GeGeGe no Kitaro. At the beginning of the year, it was Fate/ stay night, and in 2022, it’s a Naruto x Boruto collaboration.

This is my favorite amusement park in Japan; if rollercoasters are your thing this place is a must-visit.

Here is the official website.

Super Nintendo World: Universal Studios

Okay, I know this isn’t anime, but it can’t go unmentioned that every child’s dream is coming true here. Remember Nintendo Land on Wii U? It’s like that!

Check out the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrHGKXrgaMo

Here is the official website.

Studio Ghibli Theme Park (upcoming)

Along with the Ghibli Museum, the world of Ghibli is getting its own theme park in Aichi, Japan.

The Giant Ghibli Warehouse, Hill of Youth, and Dondoko Forest areas of the Ghibli theme park will be open on November 1, 2022, followed by the Mononoke Village (inspired by Princess Mononoke) and Witch Valley (inspired by Kiki’s Delivery Service) in the last half of 2023.

Hayao Miyazaki is working closely on the project. Toshio Suzuki commented on his involvement saying “[Miyazaki] can’t leave anything up to other people. He’s a meddlesome old man”, which means the date below will definitely be pushed back.

Watch the trailer below:

Opening date: November 1, 2022

What happened with J-World, One Piece Tokyo Tower, and USJ Cool Japan? Are they all still open?

No, unfortunately, J-World was shut down in February 2019. The indoor park was modeled after imagery and locations from JUMP series like Naruto, Dragon Ball, One Piece, Katekyo Hitman Reborn, and many others.

As for One Piece Tokyo Tower, it closed down on July 31, 2020, due to the coronavirus.

As for Universal Studios Japan: Cool Japan, it used to have attractions like the statues of Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan) or attractions of Sailor Moon, Evangelion, etc. However, the area is not available at the moment.

What did you think of Japan’s anime theme parks? Any ideas for rides people should try out? Tell me in the comments below!

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