If you’ve ever wanted to learn about the genius of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio known for outstanding, heartfelt works like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, the Ghibli Museum is the perfect place to visit.
Table of Contents
Intro
Opened in 2001 and located in the city of Mitaka in western Tokyo, the Ghibli Museum has become one of the most beloved attractions in Japan and is a treasure trove of information about the creative processes of the storytellers who work at Studio Ghibli.
I’ve written before about the power of storytelling, and some of the best storytelling I’ve seen comes from Studio Ghibli. There is a quiet yet profound depth to their writing. They use animation to its full effect in everything from worldbuilding to character design. I love how they created the quaint seaside town of Kiki’s Delivery Service, the wandering abode in Howl’s Moving Castle, and the rolling ocean waves of Ponyo. The Ghibli Museum provides an informative way to see the animation techniques and inspirations behind the stories.
Studio Ghibli’s co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki, is one of the most well-known storytellers in Japan and has created some of my favorite animated films and characters (Lady Eboshi from Princess Mononoke gets a special mention because I love how she was written with such fascinating complexity). His works are always imbued with so much imagination, thoughtfulness, and detail. Miyazaki designed the museum and wrote the philosophy behind it. I particularly love this quote from him about what he wanted the museum to be: “A museum where those seeking enjoyment can enjoy, those seeking to ponder can ponder, and those seeking to feel can feel.” Beautifully said!
If you want to read more about Miyazaki’s philosophies and his thoughts on film, I highly recommend the books Starting Point, 1979-1996 and Turning Point, 1997-2008, a collection of his essays and interviews that let you see right into his creative mind. Starting Point chronicles his creative journey from the years 1979-1996 while Turning Point focuses on 1997-2008. These are great to read before your visit since they provide so much rich insight into Miyazaki’s life and detail the inspirations behind his films and characters.
Know Before You Go
Here are a few things to know when adding the Ghibli Museum to your Japan itinerary:
- Tickets are NOT sold at the door. You must purchase them in advance. There are a few ways to do this depending on whether you are purchasing them in Japan or from another country. The Ghibli Museum website has a ticket buying guide with more information and links to all appropriate vendors. As of this writing, tickets are 1000 yen for adults over the age of 19. Admission is cheaper for younger guests.
- Each ticket has a time frame for your visit. This is to prevent overcrowding. Make sure you show up at the appropriate time. They may not lot you in earlier or later.
- Give yourself time to get there. The Ghibli Museum is in western Tokyo, so make sure you factor in transportation and travel time before your visit. There are two train stations near the Ghibli Museum, but once you arrive, you will need to walk a bit or take a bus from there to access the museum (more on that later).
- Possibly the most important thing to note it that photography is NOT allowed inside the museum, hence why this guide has very few photos in it. Outdoor areas and the café are okay to photograph.
Getting There
To get to the Ghibli Museum from Shinjuku Station, it’s about a 15-minute train ride on the JR Chuo Line to Kichijōji Station or a 17-minute ride to Mitaka Station. If you choose to get off at Mitaka Station, there is a Community Bus that goes from the station to the Ghibli Museum, or you can walk about 15 minutes from the station. If you are coming from the Shibuya area, you can take an 18-minute train ride from Shibuya Station to Kichijōji Station on the Keio-Inokashira Line.
I chose to get off at Kichijōji Station because I wanted to walk through Inokashira Park. The park, one of my favorites in Tokyo, is free to visit and beautifully landscaped with lots of green space, ponds, fountains, and a shrine dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten. It’s about a 20-minute walk from the station if you take the straight route, but I opted to spend some more time enjoying the park first. The well-marked trail leading from Inokashira Park to the Ghibli Museum is also lovely. It feels like walking through a little forest. It’s the perfect place to soak up some nature to get into the Ghibli mood.
Entrance
Most likely, the first thing you will see as you reach the Ghibli Museum is a ticket booth manned by none other than one of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved characters – Totoro! Okay, it’s a life-size Totoro doll and it’s not the actual ticket booth, but it is adorable nonetheless.
The real ticket booth has a real attendant who will take your ticket and grant you entrance into the museum where the staff will present you with a 35mm film strip that serves as your admission. The film strip can be held up to the light so you can see which movie it’s from. These are lovely souvenirs you can take with you to commemorate your visit. Once you’ve received them, it’s time to enjoy the museum!
Central Hall
The Central Hall is a grand room that serves as the entrance to all the other exhibitions. Instead of following one set path, guests are encouraged to choose where and in what order they want to explore the museum. The room is quite spectacular with its many staircases and overpasses and its giant domed window letting in light through the ceiling.
Animation Room
The area I ventured into first was a dimly lit room all about art and animation. It felt so magical. There were stills from the movies and scenes built in pretty dioramas and shadow boxes all illuminated to show their bright colors. One of the coolest features was a giant 3D zoetrope of My Neighbor Totoro. Creating a zoetrope is a labor of love and takes a lot of time and energy to make, so to see one up close is amazing.
Short Animated Films
After getting a renewed appreciation for the art and animation of Ghibli films, it’s time to watch a movie! Guests of all ages can line up at the Saturn Theater to watch museum-exclusive short animated films that cannot be seen anywhere else. A new film is screened every few years with multiple viewing times throughout the museum’s opening hours. When I visited, it was a story about sumo wrestling rats directed by Akihiko Yamashita and written by Hayao Miyazaki. It was quite funny, adorable, and heartwarming. Everyone in the theater seemed very entertained. The movies are in Japanese, but they are worth seeing even if you don’t speak the language. The animation work often speaks for itself.
Workspaces of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli
One of my absolute favorite things is learning about what inspires masterful storytellers, which is why this section of the museum is my favorite. A series of rooms contains workspaces modeled after those of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli staff. Some rooms are crammed from floor to ceiling with items meant to show the inspiration behind some of the films’ stories, or simply to showcase things the filmmakers like. There are shelves packed with books of all topics, statues and figurines placed around the room, models of dirigibles, toys, and so much more. One area is a recreation of an animation studio with colorful sketches plastered to the wall and bright jars of paint lined up on a desk. One wall contains an array of sketches, some that were used and some that were scrapped in the process of making a film. I felt very inspired looking at these storytellers’ inspirations!
Special Exhibits
The museum plays host to rotating exhibits that are on display for a limited time. When I visited, the special exhibit was all about the food in Studio Ghibli films. If you’ve ever seen these films, you know how delicious the animated food looks. According to the museum website, the exhibit was curated by filmmaker Goro Miyazaki, Hayao Miyazaki’s son.
I’ve always loved how food seems to play a significant part in the characters’ lives, even if just for a brief moment. There’s the iconic scene in Spirited Away where Chihiro cries while eating a rice ball Haku has given her. Or the scene in Ponyo where Risa prepares steaming bowls of ramen for her son Sōsuke and the title character he’s befriended. As the museum website states, “Scenes of casual meals are infused with tremendous storytelling importance.”
The exhibit was wonderful and quite large, spanning several rooms. One room had art panels of scenes with food, one room had an entire life-size recreation of the kitchen from My Neighbor Totoro, and one room had fake recreations of meals that looked so real and oh so delicious.
The Cat Bus
If you watched My Neighbor Totoro, you undoubtedly remember the adorable cat-shaped bus that shuttled the characters around. In a special play area, children 12 and under can climb on the giant Cat Bus and pet its soft fur.
Rooftop
One of the few areas that allows photography is the rooftop. A spiral staircase leads to the grassy roof where a giant Robot Soldier from Castle in the Sky will greet you. The massive sculpture is 5 meters/16 feet tall! The legs were as tall as the adults taking photos next to it. Since its installation, it has become an iconic part of the Ghibli Museum. Everyone was lining up to take photos with it.
Gift Shop
If you want some souvenirs or you have a Ghibli fan back home that would like one, the gift shop is nicely stocked with lots of cute items representing the films. Near the gift shop is a reading room with books selected by Hayao Miyazaki. I liked the reading room a lot since I felt like I was getting a glimpse into Miyazaki’s mind and seeing what books and stories he’s a fan of.
The Straw Hat Café
After admiring all the delicious looking dishes at the food exhibit, I had worked up quite an appetite. Fortunately, the museum has an onsite eatery called the Straw Hat Café (Japanese: 麦わらぼうし). The exterior stands out with its colorful orange walls and red-framed springline windows. The inside is modeled after Sophie’s hat shop from Howl’s Moving Castle. It was so quaint! There are pretty skylights, stained-glass hanging lamps, wooden tables and chairs, and – of course – hat racks. I felt like I had walked right into a Ghibli film.
The presentation of the food is just as lovely. The plates have pretty pastel decorations and the napkins have little straw hats printed on them. I had an Earl Grey tea served in a cup with a Totoro illustration and a Spirited Away-themed “Granny’s lemon cake.” It was so refreshing, and just what I needed after staring at all those mouthwatering recreations of food.
Final Thoughts
To be able to experience the Ghibli Museum was a dream come true. I have been a fan of Studio Ghibli films and Hayao Miyazaki for many years, so getting to see the movies’ inspirations and the staff’s creative processes was such a treat. The storytelling in these films has always been a big inspiration to me, so it was wonderful to see what inspired the filmmakers. If you are a Studio Ghibli fan, the museum is a great place to add to your Japan itinerary. If you haven’t seen any Studio Ghibli films yet, I recommend checking them out! Here are some of my favorites:
I will leave you with this beautiful quote from Hayao Miyazaki. “My foundation is this: I want to send a message of cheer to all those wandering aimlessly through life.”
(All photos taken by Clara Juliette)
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Clara hopes to share her love of exploring cultures and inspire others through the power of storytelling. In addition to writing and travel, she loves psychology, nature, green tea, and cats.