Behold the Ghibli Museum. It stands as a testament to imagination. It is a place where animation transcends mere entertainment. This museum is a portal to childhood dreams. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.
The Ghibli Museum is more than just a museum. It is a fusion of a children’s museum, a technology museum, and a fine arts museum. The Ghibli Museum is dedicated to the art and technique of animation.
Planning for the Ghibli Museum began in 1998. Construction started in March 2000. Finally, it opened its doors on October 1, 2001. Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki designed the museum himself. He used storyboards like those he creates for his films. His design was influenced by European architecture. Think of the hilltop village of Calcata in Italy.
The Ghibli Museum features internal and external spiral staircases. These are built from iron. Interior bridges and balconies stretch throughout the building’s height. Stairways lead to exhibits, dead ends, and across bridges. These characteristics reflect Miyazaki’s building designs in his film work. Miyazaki aimed to make the building itself part of the exhibit. He wanted the museum to be an uplifting and relaxing experience. He wanted visitors to feel more enriched when they leave than when they entered.
“Let’s get lost together” is the Ghibli Museum’s slogan. It is derived from Miyazaki’s vision. He wants visitors to immerse themselves in his imagination and film work. Photography and video recording are prohibited inside. The Ghibli Museum is described as a “portal to a storybook world”.
What awaits you inside the Ghibli Museum? On the bottom floor, find an exhibit room. It shows the history and science of animation. A three-dimensional zoetrope named “Bouncing Totoro” features models of characters from My Neighbor Totoro.
On the first floor, explore a mock-up of an animation studio. Called “Where a Film is Born”, the five-room exhibit showcases the creative process of an animation filmmaker. Illustration techniques are on display. The room is packed with books and toys. Drawings and illustrations cover the walls. Another exhibit demonstrates the process of creating an animated film. See sketches, storyboarding, keyframing, cleanup, coloring, and background painting.
The Ghibli Museum also features special exhibitions. In addition to Ghibli-oriented exhibitions, the museum hosts work from other studios.
Don’t miss the short films at the Ghibli Museum. The Saturn Theater is in the basement. It has windows where automated shades lower and open. This happens before and after each showing. Miyazaki designed the theater with small children in mind. He knew they might be scared of the closed-in space.
Other features include Tri Hawks. It is a reading room and bookstore in the Ghibli Museum. It opened on February 6, 2002. The bookstore is filled with books recommended by Hayao Miyazaki. The name Tri Hawks comes from a translation of “Mitaka”. Mitaka means “three hawks”.
Mamma Aiuto is the gift shop on top of the Ghibli Museum. It is named after the band of sky pirates in Porco Rosso. Mamma Aiuto translates to “mama, help me” in Italian.
The Straw Hat Cafè is the Ghibli Museum’s only sit-down restaurant. It was created with the help of a housewife and mother of four. Miyazaki wanted the cafè’s food to be “a kind of home cooking”. The cafè serves hot and cold food, snacks, and desserts. Sold at the takeout section is an original alcoholic beverage. It is “Valley of the Wind” beer. Gorō Miyazaki, Miyazaki’s son, hand-drew the beverage’s label.
There is a playroom for children aged 12 and below. It includes a Catbus toy to play in. On the museum’s roof is a garden. A life-size, five-meter-tall statue of a robot from Castle in the Sky stands there. Kunio Shachimaru made the Robot Soldier. It is formed from hammered copper plate.
At the entrance, the museum’s ceiling is covered in a fresco painting. It features characters from Studio Ghibli films. Kiki is on her broomstick from Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Tickets to the Ghibli Museum are only accepted if bought in advance.