Animated Life : Why You Should Go To Studio Ghibli Museum Tour #NicGoesToTokyo Day 3

Now that we're currently in ECQ/ECL or Enhanced Community Quarantine/Lockdown, I have a lot of time to catch up on series and movies, one of which are Studio Ghibli movies. For some reason the term Ghibli movie somehow turned into an adjective to describe something as pleasant, well-crafted, and amazing. Looking back to the time we paid a visit to the Studio Ghibli Museum, it made me appreciate their movies even more!

And with that, let me tell you about that time we went to Inokashira park in Mitaka to visit this magical place.

Excited to see our friends, Totoro and Ponyo!

As I have said, Ghibli Museum is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka which is technically still part of Tokyo but it's almost near to another prefecture. Coming from our hostel in Minami-Senju, it took us an hour and 3 train lines to reach Kichijoji station, but don't worry it's not mind-boggling rocket science to figure out how to go there; When in doubt, Google Maps is your friend. From the Kichijoji station you have to take the 5-minute bus ride that will take you to the Ghibli museum which will cost you around ¥ 400 for a round-trip ticket. Don't worry it won't be hard for you to spot the bus, because the buses have huge stickers of Ghibli characters like Totoro, also buses arrive every 10-15 minutes.

Kyoti Doggo

A couple of steps away from the bus stop you'll see the picturesque pastel facade of the museum. By the way a VERY IMPORTANT ADVICE: Book your tickets in advance if you want to go to the Ghibli museum! How advance, you ask? At least a month before your preferred date! I'm not joking, you have to buy your tickets a month in advance, and you may do so via Klook HERE for around Php 1,400++. From what I've heard you can also grab your tickets from Lawson branches for around ¥ 1,000 ONLY, however as I have mentioned it is a must to book a month prior to your preferred dates, so this one could be tricky-unless you have a friend living in Tokyo who could buy it for you in advance.

Another thing you have to keep in mind is that there are dates when the museum is closed (for some reason I noticed that they are closed every Tuesdays), and that tickets run out very fast so you have to be alert when Klook will be opening slots for booking- usually every 10th of the month. Once you have purchased your ticket from Klook you have the option to pick up your tickets upon arrival at Narita airport (located at the 2nd floor of Terminal 2), or in Haneda airport.

You see, they don't have any options of buying your tickets on the day of your visit, because they don't have any ticketing booth in the premises! I have also read somewhere that even residents of Mitaka do have a hard time booking for tickets! So imagine the stress of the couple we saw who lost their tickets! Luckily I was able to find it while I was asking Ken to take a photo of me next to Totoro!

Indeed, not all heroes wear capes, some wear faux fur scarves hahaha!

Take me baaaaaack!

Oh, hello there!

Before you could enter the 'reception' area, there's a staff who'll check your tickets before letting you go to the queue. Then once you reach the door, another set of staff will get your tickets, then give you a map of the premises, as well as a film strip which is a ticket/pass for a film viewing in the Saturn theater.

Got this photo of the map from https://savvytokyo.com, because Ken lost both our maps 🙃

As you can see in the map there are different floors full of different exhibitions. Sadly filming or taking of photos are prohibited inside the museum, which I think is also a good thing because you'll be focused on the experience, and learning more about your beloved Ghibli movies rather than making sure you take a photo of every crevices of the museum.

A courtyard

Upon checking of the theater schedule the first film showing is at 10:45 A.M., and since we still have around 15 minutes to spend we decided to check out the first exhibit nearest to the entrance. As far as I can remember the first exhibit is a permanent one, it is dimly lit, and shows basics of animation, like a brief history shown via wound-up devices particularly the Bouncing Totoro 3D display (upon research it's called a Zoetrope), and a couple of artworks with lots of depth thanks to multiple layers of acetate and gouache paint.

I remember being deeply fascinated by how much effort is put into the Bouncing Totoro 3D Zoetrope. Basically it is a sequence of multiple still figures of characters from My Neighbor Totoro where once you rotate it, along with some LED light, it start to create a seamless motion. After a couple of spins, I was left mesmerized by it, trying to figure out how they did it hahaha!

Just by seeing the first exhibit you'll have a glimpse of how tedious creating animation is, particularly those done solely by hand.

After spending time at the 1st exhibit we quickly head over to the theater, which is a couple of steps from where we went to. The Saturn theater is quaint, could comfortably seat around 40 people, and has these windows at the top where it meets the ceiling. Before the short films are shown the said windows are covered with automatic blinds, while a Japanese staff in front explains a couple of stuff like no filming which we understood thanks to her hand gestures. They showed us 2 films which are, Treasure Hunting and Imaginary Flying Machines or Kūsō no Sora Tobu Kikaitachi, both exclusively shown only at the Saturn Theater.

I remember at first I thought the narrator in Imaginary Flying Machines was Porco Rosso, but nawp, it's actually Hayao Miyazaki in a pig-humanoid form. The films, although are short and in Japanese the only thing I know in Japan is oishi as sumimasen🙃, are amazing! Another plus reason why a Studio Ghibli Tour is a must when you go to Japan!

The next exhibit we went to was at the 2nd floor which houses the 2 exhibit rooms. The first one we entered was a room that looks as if it belongs to an old mansion rather than a museum. The exhibit named "Where A Film Is Borns" shows the process of gathering inspiration for films, where walls are covered by hand drawn and painted illustrations of various Studio Ghibli characters like Chihiro of Spirited Away and Sophie of Howl's Moving Castle, and next to it are photos that gave them inspiration for the character and movie's whole look. Also there are books/photo albums which are labeled per film, which people are free to check. Upon browsing of these books you'll see cut-out photos of landscapes, food, fashions, etc., which once you realize it was shown in their movies. I remember seeing the book for Spirited Away which has cut-off photos of Taiwan's Jiufen Old Street, which come to think of it looked like the ghost town where Chihiro's parents became pigs.

Aside from that, this exhibit looks like those old British-like homes all wooden and sprawling with books.Then there's a part of this room that has a 'study' part where you can see a desk with oodles and oodles of gouache paint pots, and lots of knick knacks that you can touch so you can be inspired to one day be a part of the Studio Ghibli team hahaha!. Then there's a corner with a set of books that are actually the storyboards for The Tale of Princess Kaguya My 2nd favorite Studio Ghibli film. I remember squealing and hogging the storyboards for a solid 5 minutes while Ken was waiting for me outside hahaha! This room made me want to create an animation short, CHAROT!

The second exhibit room on the same floor which I think is called "Sketch, Flash, Spark!" appears more like a real museum, with walls covered with various sketches, plans, and even blueprints of imaginary air crafts (imagine those big aircrafts from Porco Rosso like the pirate's plane that took those little girls as hostages). We did not spend much time here because there are so many people inside it that I opted to have some fresh air instead🤷

c/o of my unstable hands

c/o Ken

c/o Ken

If you're starting to feel a bit stuffy inside, you can opt to go outside at the garden on the rooftop. On the 3rd floor before you head here you can see a room with a big Catbus, which unfortunately kids are only allowed to go play inside it. For those who are not familiar, Catbus is a character from My Neighbor Totoro.

On the 3rd floor outside the Catbus room you'll see a spiral staircase filled with vines, this will lead you to the garden to see...

May i-bublur pa ba, Ken?

The robot from Laputa: Castle In the Sky! To be honest I haven't watched that film yet, I just researched from what Ghibli movie this robot was from hahaha! At first I thought this was the iron giant, until I realized that's not a Ghibli film haha! 🙃

wow bricks, how fascinating! HAHAHA!

The view from the top is quite lovely, but there's not much to see there to be honest.

Before grabbing something to bite at the Straw Hat Café we head over to the souvenir shop. For Studio Ghibli movie lovers, I must say that place is a paradise! There are lots and lots of merchandise from soot sprite plushies to biscuits, all of which you won't be able to buy anywhere else, however this also meant that they tend to be very expensive. I got myself another postcard for ¥ 250, while Ken bought a Porco Rosso sticker for ¥ 500 which he immediately slapped stick on his hydroflask, ...

... and a No-Face pin for around ¥ 900. I suggest getting the No-Face pin if you go to the souvenir shop, because I saw how Ken placed it in the lapel of his black coat, and it looks sick!

blurry photo is blurry

 Indeed, stuff in the souvenir shop is hella expensive but oh so worth it!

Ah my favorite part, food! Much like how it is inside amusement parks, food in their Straw Hat Café is expensive. Aside from the queue is soooo long, and seating is very limited, we opt to buy snacks instead, in the form of fries and hotdogs, so we can munch on it at a nearby bench. 

Taste verdict? Meh. The hotdog is pretty dry, while the fries is literally just potato wedges with salt, and they aren't even crispy. The price of the hotdog is ¥500 while the fries are ¥250. To be honest, I suggest that you skip this one out and buy snacks from the nearest Famima or Family Mart instead- there is one just across the museum FYI.

Don't be fooled, Totoro won't sell you any tickets.

To go to the Ghibli museum has been a dream of mine, and being able to go here felt like an achievement! I always hear how difficult it is to score tickets to this place because they always sold out, and I understand now why.

Ghibli museum definitely is a must for anyone planning to visit Tokyo in the future You may not be a die-hard Studio Ghibli fan, but seeing the painstaking process of how their movies are created will make you appreciate the art of animation. Seriously, I do think even people who don't necessarily enjoy animated films will enjoy a tour of this museum, there are so many things one can appreciate like the architecture of the whole museum, and it's quirky interiors. Aside from that the place itself is oddly relaxing, it feels as if when you are there you can embrace child-like wonder over anything without feeling goofy or foolish! Lastly, you should check out the About The Museum page HERE, after that I bet you'll scramble to buy yourself a ticket to this amazing place!

I can't wait to go back!

Love Always,
Nicole ♡