Ghibli Steampunk Clock - Tokyo Intro: Experience #13 of 55

This is big, house-sized, mechanical clock (a glockenspiel as it has mechanical animations) at the NTV headquarters in the Shiodome, Tokyo.  The steampunk themed clock is designed by the famous Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli.  It is the largest animated clock in the world.  The clock was completed in December 2006 after a design period of over four years.

The enormous copper clock is 12 meters high and 18 meters wide.  It has extensive animations timed to music that include firing steam cannon, moving figures, and moving legs like Howl's Moving Castle.  In fact, the whole contraption reminds me of Howl's Moving Castle.  The clock was built by sculptor Shachimaru Kunio who also built the giant Laputa robot on the rooftop of the Ghibli museum.

Miyazaki said that he wanted to make something that would be loved by future generations that would last beyond his animated characters. The animations do not run every hour – check on the web for the times or if you are in the area.



Visiting the Shiodome area is quite interesting too as it is a megaplex of office towers connected by walkways two or three stories above ground, and two to three stories by a below ground mall complex.  So you get a very high-tech urban area with a monorail that runs through it.

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