This week I'm writing about a trip I took over the past weekend, to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.
A plush Totoro with a map from Mitaka Station to the museum.
For those of you that may not know, Studio Ghibli is an animation studio in Japan. The creator Hayao Miyazaki is highly acclaimed and known worldwide for his films and animation/illustration styles. Some of his most famous films include "Spirited Away", "Princess Mononoke" and "My Neighbor Totoro". If you haven't seen any of these (or the other Studio Ghibli films) I highly recommend giving them a watch, I can't praise them enough honestly! But this post isn't about me advising you to see the films, it's about a trip I was able to take to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka Japan.
When we arrived at the museum, needless to say I was very excited!
I've been a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli since I was a little kid, so this trip was something that was on my 'Must Do' list for my time here in Japan. The museum itself is incredibly whimsical and beautifully designed in a way that brings Hayao Miyazaki's unique art style and creations to life in every way. There were restrictions to taking photos, however, so unfortunately I can't share all the amazing art that was there, or all the little whimsical interactive pieces this wonderful museum had to offer. Anyways, we arrived outside the museum a little before noon on Saturday (November 7th) and we were greeted by this enormous Totoro plushie sitting inside the ticket booth before the museum staff guided us around the building to the entrance.
The side of the museum, like something straight out of a Ghibli film!
Upon entering the museum, we were told the rules about photography, then given a "ticket" with copies of actual animations cels in them. My cels for from a scene from the movie "Ponyo", I can't describe how happy such a small piece of memorabilia made the students in my group (myself included), it's something so small considering these 3 cel images make up less than one second of the overall film, but it is definitely a very meaningful souvenir that I'll always hold on to to remember this trip.
My ticket from the museum, with a scene from the movie "Ponyo".
We were guided into the museum and free to explore after that point, up the stairs led to the main exhibition, which had hand drawn/watercolored scenes from Hayao Miyazaki lining the walls. Some other highlights of this exhibition (where photography was prohibited) were small pieces of films to be viewed, drawings of scenes and iconic Ghibli characters, etc. I really wish I could've got pictures to share because words can't do it justice (especially if any of you readers out there are big Ghibli fans like me, I'm sure you'll understand). There were also several interactive pieces to the museum, my favorite being a small set of stairs, two to be specific, leading up to a door. When the door was opened, it revealed a mirror and you're left looking at your reflection. My friend Michelle and I didn't expect this in the slightest, when we turned the corner to where the door was, a woman was coming down the stairs. So we decided to see what was there and when I opened the door we were quite surprised to be face-to-face with our reflections and couldn't help laughing at the looks on our faces.
This was quite an unsuspected surprise! Haha.
There were several interesting things on the second floor besides the exhibition, some included a large plush catbus (a character from the film "My Neighbor Totoro") for smaller children to play in, a gift shop and book store, etc. There was also a walkway that overlooked a small cafe and the outdoor patio below.
Looking down to the cafe and patio from the second floor walkway.
Perhaps the biggest attraction was a special surprise waiting on the roof. Up a spiral staircase to the roof, which was crowded with people taking photos, but standing there was one of the robot guardians from the film "Laputa: Castle in the Sky". I took several pictures of this one (though most are on my digital camera so I can't transfer them to my computer until I get home).
A Laputian robot guardian standing among the rooftop garden brought the scene from "Laputa" to life in every way and may have been the most incredible piece at the museum as far as bringing the films to life is concerned.
Before I said goodbye to the Studio Ghibli museum, I obviously stopped in the gift shop, but I also enjoyed some ice cream from the cafe and sat in the tiny theater to watch one of the exclusive seasonal animation shorts that can only be viewed at the museum. After which, I hopped onto a train and enjoyed a few hours hanging out with a fellow W&J student in Akihabara before returning to quiet Yamanashi after a very long, but wonderful day.
Lower level patio with a small garden and a "window" looking into the world of a Hayao Miyazaki illustration.
For anyone who has any interest in Studio Ghibli or even just art in general, I can't recommend going to see this museum enough. It's not something that will take up your whole day, just a couple hours or so depending on how long you want to look around. Admission cost is 1,000 yen (a little less than $10), but they have to be reserved online prior, you can find that information online with a simple search, but if you get the chance, take a little time to step into the world of Hayao Miyazaki, in the meantime, watch some Studio Ghibli films and get excited about visiting Japan (or wherever else you may be planning to study).
Until next time,
Julia.
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