What is a APM Cat Bus?
The “APM Cat Bus” is based on the “APM (Accessible People Mover),” a short-range, low-speed mobility vehicle developed by Toyota Motor Corporation, and under the supervision of Goro Miyazaki, director of Studio Ghibli, the vehicle was created in the image of the ” Cat Bus” character in the Studio Ghibli film “My Neighbor Totoro. The exterior of the vehicle is rounded and shaped like a cat. The exterior is rounded in shape and painted with a low gloss paint job to give the impression of a “living creature that seems ready to move”. The interior seats are made of a long-furred material and have a paw-like appearance to express the image of a Cat Bus.
User Guide
Shuttle Course
The APM Cat Bus shuttle connects Mononoke Village to Dondoko Forest in the Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park. The tour runs through a forest that is usually not accessible to customers. A one way trip takes approximately 10 minutes.
Opening Hours
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…Weekdays（9:30 a.m.～）
…Weekends and Holidays（8:30 a.m.～）
…No service day
User Guide
You can then proceed to the Mononoke Village bus stop dedicated to APM Cat Bus or the Dondoko Forest bus stop during the time slot specified on the ticket.
Basic Information
Ride Fee
Adults
￥1,000
Children(age 4-12)
￥500
- Children under 3 years old ride free; children under 3 years old must be held in an adult’s lap for safety reasons.
- For safety reasons, children under 3 years old should sit on the lap of a parent or an accompanying adult.
- Half-price ticket are available for persons with a disability and their caregiver on presentation of their disability certificate(※)
- Round-trip tickets are not available. Only one-way tickets are sold.
- Amounts include tax
- Disability certificates include the Physical Disability Certificate, the Mental Disability Certificate, the Ryoiku Techo, certificate delivered to patient with intractable diseases covered by the Specified Medical Expense Beneficiary Certificate, the Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Health Certificate or the War Injury and Sickness Certificate.
How to Buy a Ticket
Tickets can be purchased from the ticket vending machines in the park.
※ Please purchase your tickets in advance and line up at the ” Bus stop dedicated to APM Cat Bus”.
※ Ticket sales will end when the daily maximum number of tickets sold has been exceeded.
※ Tickets are only sold at the designated ticket vending machines
Payment Method available
Cash, QR code payment(WeChatPay, AliPay+, UnionPay, PayPay, Merpay, D payment, AU Pay)
Ticketing Time
Tickets go on sale at 9:15 on weekdays and 8:15 on Weekends and Holidays.
※ Tickets are for 30-minute time slots.
※ Tickets can be selected from time slots up to 3 hours in advance.
Example: Image of the ticket machine screen at 10:00 a.m.
※ Tickets for the 30 minutes time slots available between 10:00 and 13:00 can be selected.
※ If there are no seats available, “Sold Out” will be displayed and you will not be able to select any seats.
Bonus for Boarding The Cat Bus
As a special thanks, passengers who rode the Cat Bus will have the opportunity to get an illustrated card,The card features an illustration of the Cat Bus drawn by Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki and the title ” APM ネコバス” designed by producer Toshio Suzuki. The back of the card features the Ghibli Park MAP designed by Goro Miyazaki, the director of Ghibli, and is a special ride privilege that can only be obtained here at Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan Commemorative Park.
Caution
- For safety reasons, children under elementary school age must be accompanied by an adult (junior high school age or older).
Please refrain from taking pictures or videos during the ride - Please note that you may be asked to share a ride with other guests
- Please note that the boarding time may slightly differ during busy time slots
- Please note that the actual time of your ride may be later than the time you purchased.
- No refunds will be made in case of cancellation due to customer’s reason (cancellation on customer’s terms)
- Pets are not allowed on board.
- Our company strictly adheres to the Act on Assistance Dogs for Physically Disabled Persons, allowing guide dogs, hearing dogs, and mobility service dogs to ride.
- Clients who purchased a disability discount ticket must present their disability certificate to the staff when boarding the bus
- Please ask our staff for help when boarding with a wheelchair
- Shuttles may be cancelled in the event of severe weather conditions
- If you have any questions, please contact our staff.
Departure and Arrival Locations, Ticket Vending Machines
Mononoke Village (Depart) to Dondoko Forest (Arrival)
The ticket vending machine is located in the black building, in front of the Cat’s Castle playground equipment.
※The APM Cat Bus ticket vending machine is the left one out of three lined up machines.
Dondoko Forest (Depart) to Mononoke Village (Arrival)
There is a ticket machine in the hut on the left of the Dondoko-dokoro restaurant.
or more information on the access to Morikoro Park (including a map of the park), please visit Morikoro Park’s website.
