Escaping into a Fairytale
It may not have flashy gates or a mascot roaming around to greet every guest but the Studio Ghibli Museum is such a beautiful site nestled in nature you feel like you have stepped into a fairytale that only the signature creative minds behind Kiki’s Delivery Service, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Spirited Away could imagine out of thin air!
Definitely, a must go if you are an animation or anime fan, the inside not only displays the works of Studio Ghibli over the years but also acts as a teaching ground for animation principals with interactive giant zoetropes, projectors and hand painted dioramas. My favourite had to be the animator’s workspace layout with every nook and cranny filled with illustrations, model airplanes, book, etc. It felt just like the scene where you see Howl or Arrietty’s bedroom for the first time. Everything was so eye catching and had a child-like spirit to it, it was definitely inspiring! Unfortunately, the museum has a no photography policy inside, but luckily the outside patio areas were photo friendly should you feel the urge to savor the moment on camera.
Ok I lied, there is a big Totoro ready to greet you at the entrance haha
If you start to feel hungry, there’s the cafe on site but since it was the only place to get a proper meal, the line was so long and had people constantly lining up I couldn’t be bothered waiting and went to the side which sold hot dogs, ice cream and soup. The best finds were the Studio Ghibli ale beer and the hot apple cider drink! I took the beer bottle home as a souvenir since the label was so nice! But I definitely recommend bring some bento or onigiri if you plan to come.
The whole site had such attention to detail! I want a cat tap now!
At the rooftop garden stands the full-sized robot or “BFG” as I like to call him from the film Laputa: Castle in the Sky which makes for a cool photo before heading to the gift shop for some final gifts and finally an ice cream… or two haha
The loot of the day! The cute little dog is from their in-house short film “Goro’s Big Walk” which is a cute story of a puppy (Goro) who escapes his house to follow his owner (a little girl) but gets lost on the way. The souvenir goods were a little expensive at the gift shop so I ended up getting only a Kiki’s Delivery Service card and the postcards of the museum’s courtyard, the animator’s work station and the Museum building drawn in true Studio Ghibli style!
If you plan to visit the museum, you will have to purchase a ticket in advance as they don’t sell tickets on site.
You can check out where you can buy a ticket in your country via their official website.
The Details:
Where: 〒 181-0013, 1 Chome-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka, Tokyo
Until Next Time!
Xx
Siree