The Ghibli Museum is a wonderful place to relive your childhood if you are Japanese and born in the last 40 years or so. Otherwise, you are probably a gaijin tourist there to defile this pristine shrine dedicated to the magical world of Miyazaki and oversized creepy-looking cat-raccoon creature things, as I was.

The museum is located about 15 minutes away from the JR Mitaka Station (三鷹駅) on the Chuo Line (中央線) by foot, a somewhat shorter period of time by bus (costing around 200 yen), and just a few nanoseconds for beings of pure energy.

The bus stop to wonderland

Incidentally, the Chuo Line is the same line you take from Shinjuku to get to Nakano Broadway, the de facto haven for otaku over the age of 30.

In order to ensure that some semblance of Ghibli magic is preserved, the museum employs a rather troublesome ticketing method that limits the number of people inside the premises at any time. Tickets must be purchased at least one month in advance and each ticket is assigned a time bracket on a certain date during which the person can enter the museum.

Foreigners looking to visit the museum should check the official website for ways to book the tickets through travel agents in their home countries, or get a friend in Japan to drop by a Lawson konbini and book the ticket using the Loppi ticketing machines.

One of the numerous Lawson outlets found on Toudai campus ground

The entrance ticket for Ghibli Museum costs 700 yen for age 13-18 and 1,000 yen for anything above.

The museum itself is rather small and uneventful. It’s definitely not for everyone. If you love Ghibli or if you can take the time to slow down your anticipations and savour a fantasy world that has been masterfully crafted down to the fantastic details, then the museum is for you. If you need excitement and constant titillation to have a good time, then Tokyo Disneyland (in Chiba) is what you want. Incidentally, I had fun at both places.

Upon entering the museum, you will be presented with an additional ticket which allows you to watch a short film in the museum cinema. The one I watched was a sequel-ish side story to Tonari no Totoro called Mei to Konekobasu (Mei and the Kitten Bus). The short film changes every month or two, and I’m not sure but I believe that they can be viewed only at the museum. Also, the movie ticket is pretty cool because it’s actually a framed film strip containing three consecutive frames from a random Ghibli production. Great souvenir.

My ticket from Lawson and my movie ticket

Unfortunately, photography is prohibited inside the museum, so I can’t really give you a tour through the interesting displays. I guess that’s a good thing, since I personally hate spoilers, and the museum provides an experience akin to a mini fairytale.

That’s not to say I didn’t get any pictures at all. As usual, many valiant spies died in horrible ways to bring you some of these photos.

All hail our new stone golem overlords (life-size person bottom right)

For those of you wondering why the museum is located in such an out-of-the-way part of suburban Tokyo, far away from the usual tourist hangouts, I suggest you take the walking option over the bus ride. Mitaka is a rather pleasant town that won’t look out of place in a Ghibli production, except maybe for the lack of that pseudo-European touch.

And of course, don’t forget about the early booking system if you do plan to drop by and have a look for yourself.

On another note, Merry X’mas!