NAGOYA -- Ghibli Park in central Japan's Aichi Prefecture will allow visitors to buy separate tickets for each of the park's areas from April, the Aichi Prefectural Government has announced.

Under the new ticketing system, admission to the area including the Valley of Witches and Mononoke Village and the Ghibli's Grand Warehouse area will cost 2,000 yen (approx. $12.80) each, while entry to the Hill of Youth and the Dondoko Forest will be priced at 1,000 yen (some $6.40) each. Certain attractions, such as Howl's Castle in the Valley of Witches, will require an additional same-day ticket costing 400 to 1,000 yen.

Currently, the park offers an O-Sanpo Day Pass Premium, which provides access to all five areas for 7,300 yen (about $46.70) on weekdays or 7,800 yen on weekends and holidays. A new option, the O-Sanpo Day Pass Standard, will allow entry to three areas -- the Ghibli's Grand Warehouse, Mononoke Village, and the Valley of Witches -- for 3,300 yen (some $21.10) on weekdays and 3,800 yen on weekends and holidays.

Children aged 4 through elementary school are half-price. All tickets are sold through a reservation system, with April tickets becoming available on Feb. 10 at 2 p.m.

Speaking at a Jan. 22 press conference, Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura said, "We will be able to respond to different types of demand in detail, and this is how it should be. We hope you'll visit us more often than ever before, as we will be able to offer you much greater freedom in how you enjoy your visit."

(Japanese original by Sanami Kato, Nagoya News Department)