Ghibli Museum - Tokyo Intro: Experience #12 of 55

This museum is dedicated to the Studio Ghibli films and the art of hand drawn animation.  You’ll get the most out of it if you have seen the films My Neighbor Totoro, and Castle in the Sky at a minimum, as the museum has lots of architectural details and attractions relating to these films.  These two films are pretty iconic in Japanese animated film and have influenced generations of animators and kids who are now adults with fond memories of these films.  However, these films are very enjoyable even to adults and I still rank My Neighbor Totoro as one of my all time favourite films ever made.

There is a large catbus for kids (the one for adults was a temporary exhibit), a life-size Totoro, the big robots from Laputa in the rooftop garden, soot sprites, etc.  It is a neat place to explore and the gift shop has unique items you cannot find anywhere else.  The exhibits on the process and art of animation are very well done and are fascinating to browse through.

You must buy your museum tickets well in advance of your visit as they are busy.  If you are overseas, visit their website for a list of vendors. Your entry ticket includes a short animated film, drawn from a roster of original shorts by Studio Ghibli that can only be seen here too.
http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en/



It is a half-hour trip to get to the museum from Shinjuku.  You will need to take the train from Shinjuku station to Mitaka station, then walk or take the themed bus to the museum.  On the way there or back you could stop to see Nakano Broadway or also visit the Suginami Animation Museum.

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