The Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館, Mitaka no Mori Jiburi Bijutsukan) is the official museum of Studio Ghibli, a studio which has produced many well-loved anime films, such as My Neighbor Totoro [1988], Kiki's Delivery Service [1989], Princess Mononoke [1997], Spirited Away [2001], and Ponyo [2008]. The museum was designed and curated by none other than Hayao Miyazaki, the studio's star director, who was responsible for the films I listed above and more. The museum lies in the southern end of Inokashira Park, where there are also some pretty sakura spots in early April.
The museum was designed to be well-integrated with the surrounding park. This is not surprising, because Miyazaki-san has included environmental themes in some of his movies (most notably Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind [1984] and Princess Mononoke [1997]). For example, some of the walls are covered in vines or moss. There is even a rooftop garden, presided over by a statue of a guardian robot from Laupta: Castle in the Sky [1986].
I hadn't managed to find my way up there myself, not to mention it got dark soon, but from what I've seen, it's like being transported far away from the museum into a secluded forest grove.
Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of inside the museum. Photography is not allowed inside the building, as visitors are encouraged to "experience the museum with your own eyes and senses, instead of through a camera's viewfinder", and to make and take home their own memories. The museum's website, listed at the end of this article, does have a few pictures to give you an idea of what lies inside.
I can describe for you what I found in there, however. As you might expect, there are exhibits describing Ghibli's animation process, and displays of concept sketches and artwork from their movies. But what you might not expect is that these rooms are designed as an old home studio, decorated with books and toys that Miyazaki-sama and his peers may have drawn inspiration from. There is also a theatre that plays short films created by Studio Ghibli. They are voiced in Japanese and do not have subtitles in other languages, but they are not that dependent on dialogue anyway, so anyone can enjoy them regardless of language background.
The museum is also something of a challenge to get into, since tickets are not sold directly at the museum itself. Instead, you must purchase them ahead of time, either online or at a Lawson convenience store. More information is listed below, under "Cost". You should definitely pay attention to when the tickets will go on sale for your desired time of visit, and buy them as soon as they do so, since the Ghibli Museum is apparently a very popular destination. For my first visit, I made the mistake of waiting to the end of August to buy my tickets for November, at which point they were sold out. (This was before they opened up online overseas sales.)
Fortunately, there are other options if you miss this opportunity. In addition to being the official international seller of tickets, JTB, Inc. runs tours to the Ghibli Museum. Tours meet at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku (accessed by Shinjuku and Tocho-mae stations), and then travel to the museum by bus, where a tour guide will describe the museum before letting you off to explore on your own. Bookings for this tour cost ¥6,000 (about US$55 as of this posting), which is considerably more than the normal ticket price, but isn't that much in the context of what you're already spending on your holiday. Plus, you'll get to meet new people on the bus ride there, such as I did below. But in the end, whether you manage to buy your tickets at the regular rate or have to pay extra for a tour, the Ghibli Museum is totally worth it!
Hours: Open 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. The museum is closed on Tuesdays (except holidays) and for periodic maintenance. If purchasing tickets from Lawson (see below), you will have to specify a date and time of arrival. The times you can choose from are 10:00 AM, 12:00, 2:00, and 4:00 PM.
Cost: ¥1,000. Tickets are also sold at Lawson convenience stores, via their Loppi automated ticket machines, or online for overseas, English-reading visitors. Tickets for each month go on sale on the 10th of the previous month, starting at 10:00 AM JST. For example, tickets for the month of April go on sale on the preceding 10th of March. More information: (English)
Additional tickets are sold online by JTB, Inc. (United States), and tickets for each month go on sale 3 months in advance. For example, tickets for April go on sale on the preceding 1st of January. More information: (English)
Access: The Ghibli Museum is best accessed from Mitaka and Kichijoji stations. From Shinjuku, take the the JR Chuo (Rapid) (JC) line to Mitaka (JC12, 18 minutes, ¥220); Chuo-Sobu (Local) (JB) trains take an extra 5 minutes. From Tokyo Station, take the Chuo (Rapid) line to Mitaka (30 minutes, ¥390).
From Mitaka Station, the museum can be reached in 15-20 minutes on foot, or by bus. The loop bus stopping at Ghibli Museum departs from bus stop #9. It takes about 5 minutes (the return trip is about 15 minutes) and costs ¥210 one-way, or ¥320 round-trip.
The museum can also be reached by foot or by bus from Kichijoji Station (JC11), the stop before Mitaka on the Chuo lines. It is also the terminus of the Keio Inokashira (IN) line; from Shibuya, this takes 18 minutes and ¥200 by express train, or 30 minutes by local trains. From the south exit of the station, take any of the buses and get off at the fourth stop, Myojo Gakuen Iriguchi (明星学園入口). It takes about 5 minutes and costs ¥220 one-way. These buses are operated by Odakyu Bus (Japanese).
Website: (English) (Japanese)
