The entire world, not only fans of Japanese animation, consider him a living legend. Hayao Miyazaki, a masterful storyteller, countlessly awarded animator and Oscar-winning filmmaker, who brought us timeless animated classics such as The Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Tortoro, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo (among numerous others), is taking a (permanent?) break from filming and now focuses on creating a fantastic children's resort!
The Japan Times reported that Hayao Miyazaki is currently "working to build a children's facility in a virgin forest on a small island in Okinawa Prefecture to encourage kids to enjoy nature through their five senses." If you are familiar with his work, you already know his works are often intended for children and families, exploring human attitude towards nature, diving into environmental themes - hence, we dare assume that Miyazaki's playground will surely be a magical, remarkable feast for children's eyes, reflecting his own life-long love for nature.
On Kumejima Island, approximately 90 km west of Okinawa Island, Miyazaki's playheaven for children will be built to replace an already existing facility. Reportedly, the main, concrete-reinforced building will have 2 stories and will be able to accommodate up to 30 people. The town of Kumejima offered 10,000 square meters of forest to be included in the project, while Miyazaki's creative idea will be brought to life by local designers and builders using local materials whenever possible – to follow the "made in Kumejima" concept.
Miyazaki is said to bear the cost of construction, currently planned at around $2.5 million.
The construction will begin in April 2016 and should be completed sometime in 2018. Plenty of time to start saving your pennies and book a flight to Okinawa!