GHIBLI MUSEUM

Ghibli Museum is a museum featuring the Japanese anime work of Studio Ghibli. Ghibli Museum tours and ticketing information.

Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館, Mitaka no Mori Jiburi Bijutsukan) is located in Mitaka, a western suburb of Tokyo, Japan, it opened in 2001.

The museum is a fine arts museum, but does not take the concept of a usual fine arts museum. With many features that are child-oriented and a sprawling and occasionally mazelike interior, the museum is a playfully created place. Centered around the motto appearing on the museum's website "Let's become lost children together" (迷子になろうよ、いっしょに, Maigo ni narō yo, isshoni), or 'let's lose our way together' as it is translated in the English leaflet. It has no set path or order of viewing. It seems to be primarily a Japanese tourist location, as though the museum brochure contains a variety of languages, the signs within the museum are in Japanese only.

Ghibli Museum - Picture by Michael Reeve

Ghibli Museum - Permanent Exhibitions

On the bottom floor is an exhibit room showing the history and science of animation. One of the displays uses models of Ghibli characters, each in a slightly different pose, arranged in a circle on a spinning table. The models and poses are created like animation frames, which becomes apparent when the table spins in synchronization with a flickering stroboscope. The light flashes illuminate each model as it passes the same spot, creating the illusion of movement and showing how animation works.

On the first floor is a mock-up of an animation studio, with sketches, story boards, reference material and more to look at. Also shown is the process of creating an animated film, from sketches, storyboarding, keyframing, cleanup, coloring, background painting, etc.

Ghibli Museum - Short films

The museum shows the following Ghibli short-films in the Saturn Theatre:

Koro's Big Walk
Water Spider Monmon
Mei and the Kittenbus
The Day I Harvested a Star
The Whale Hunt
Looking for a home

Each guest to the museum is only permitted to watch the short film once during a single visit. The films are rotated on a monthly basis. The theatre will show only one short film during the month so if there's one that you would really like to see check the schedule before you go.

Ghibli Museum - Other features

The museum also includes an animation bookstore, souvenir gift shop and a theme restaurant called The Straw Hat Cafe. There is also a playroom for pre-school children with a giant catbus toy to play in. On the museum's roof there is a garden with a life-size statue of a robot from Castle in the Sky.

Ghibli Museum Ticketing Restrictions & Tours

The museum requires tickets be purchased in advance, so it is not possible to buy tickets at the museum. Tickets can be purchased at Lawson convenience stores via their automated kiosks called "Loppi." However, instructions are available only in Japanese, and the tickets will often sell out months in advance for weekends and more crowded seasons. Fortunately, the museum has recognized its growing popularity with overseas visitors, and sets aside a small number of tickets for them. The best option is to go on an organised tour which picks up in central Tokyo and returns you to Tokyo Station. You must book the tour at least five days in advance. Further information and online booking are here.

Ghibli Museum Transport

A bus service connects the museum with Mitaka's train station. The service is ¥200/¥300 for adults (one way/roundtrip) and ¥100/¥150 for children. It is also possible to walk (about 15 minutes) from the train station to the museum, and the path is marked with signage to the museum. The museum does not have parking space for cars, so access via train is encouraged. Access by train is via Mitaka Station on the JR Chūō Main Line, approximately 20 minutes from Shinjuku Station.

(Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License)