Studio Ghibli is the animation studio that Hayao Miyazaki set up in 1985 after the success of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Since then all his movies have been done through that studio. The studio also distributes his movies in Japan with an agreement with Disney for distribution in the US. In 2001, the studio set up a museum for people to visit. In 2008, I paid a visit to a museum. Let’s find out more about the museum.

Getting there: If you are in Japan, you must buy a ticket for a specific day and time. If you are from outside Japan, you can just select a day. When in Tokyo, take the JR Chūō Main Line to the Mitaka station (about a 20 minute ride). From the Mitaka station, it’s a nice 15 minute stroll to the museum. It’s easy to find and as you get close there are signs.

Inside the Museum: The museum has two stories. On the first story is a bunch of animation related items. There is displays about the creation of animation along with all the steps. One of the highlights features several characters from various Ghibli movies in various poses which you can start spinning and then a strobe light starts making it look like an animated scene. It’s a wonderful display of how to do animation.

On the second floor, there is, among other things, a giant kids play area (which I was too big to play in) featuring a giant catbus.

There is also a gift store (of course) and a theater which plays various animated movies and/or shorts. When we went we saw the short Koro’s Big Day Out, which was done by Miyazaki himself. Up on the roof is a giant robot (which was in Castle in the Sky).

Pictures:

If you find yourself in Tokyo (and I highly recommend the city), make time to go out to Studio Ghibli. Just remember to order your tickets in advance.