Earlier this monthwe reported that a small number of people had been taking and appearing in ālewdā photos with statues at Studio Ghibliās new theme park, and that the act of posting those images on social media had reportedly ādisturbed many peopleā.
āFrankly speaking, posting photos like that on social media is very inappropriateā, the Governor of Aichi Prefecture (where the park is located), Hideaki Åmura, said at the time. āFrom adults to children, people go to Ghibli Park to enter the Ghibli world and enjoy themselves. Clearly this action disturbed many people,ā he added, saying that local authorities have since told park staff that āthey need to firmly stop such actions once spotted and confirmed.ā
āFor those who come to the park to do this kind of thing, I would much prefer them not to come at all. Of course we need to take harsher measures against this kind of behavior. This is basically destruction of property.ā
As the Mainichi Shimbun (via ANN) report, last week the three men responsible turned themselves into the mayorās office, having been āworried about the influence of their actionsā, and āasked for a meeting with the Ghibli Park promotion departmentā.
āTaking those photos went beyond the level of a practical jokeā, they say in a statement (translated by ANN). āWeāve caused a lot of distress to everyone. We endeavor not to cause any mischief in the future.ā
For his part, Åmura said in a press conference held on March 24 that despite originally pursuing legal action against the three, he is willing to accept their apologies and āwould like this to mark the end of this matterā.
Ghibli Park opened last year after numerous delays, but isnāt really finished; while itās selling tickets, and there are three areas to explore (including the house from Totoro), two other spaces (including a Mononoke-themed forest) are still under construction, and arenāt due to be completed for another year or two.
