I've taken far too long to write about my experiences in this wonderful place, so I'd like to take the opportunity to rectify that situation now. Studio Ghibli, for those not in the know, is one of my absolute favorite production companies. They make beautiful animated movies like 'Spirited Away', 'Princess Mononoke', 'My Neighbor Totoro', and many other inspiring films. They are incredibly popular, both here and around the world, and Totoro might as well be the national mascot for Japan with how well known he is. This amazing company, deservedly, has a museum dedicated both to its own films and the general art of animation. It's a little hard to get into, as you have to buy the tickets a month in advance, and they limit the amount of people who can get into it per day. That being said, it was absolutely worth it, and I would have jumped through any hoop they could have thought of to go there. I was fortunate enough to go with Aaron and my sister while she was out here for a couple months, and now I'd like to take the time to share as much of my experience as I can with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and with any luck, you will have the opportunity to go there in person someday.
The museum is located about an hour by train outside of the heart of Tokyo, in an area called Mitaka. In fact, it is actually in the middle of a park in Mitaka. So, it's a little ways away from the train station you get off at, but they helpfully provide a bus to rectify that situation. That's the sign for the bus stop right above. Notice the Totoro like creature on top.... But that's not all!
The bus is decorated too! I soon came to realize, however, that this attention to detail and presentation is normal in the Ghibli Museum. Upon exiting the bus, which dropped us off at the entrance to the park, we followed the line of people to the entrance of the museum, which is the picture at the very top of this post. What you probably can not see in that picture, though, is the front windows. Let's fix that:
Unfortunately, they are probably a little hard to see due to the reflection... In fact Aaron and I might be more visible than the actual door, but regardless, that is real stained glass with famous scenes from their movies. That would be impressive in and of itself, even if that was all there was, but there is more. In fact, almost every single window in the whole building is hand-made stained glass, each with a different scene from a different movie. In addition to that, most of the ceilings are painted with murals, the bronze water faucets in the bathrooms are sculpted into their characters, and the doorknobs as well. Even the gutter covers have Totoro on them, as the third picture above shows. Everywhere you turn, there is some lovingly hand-crafted piece of art memorializing something from a Ghibli film. I can not even begin to describe how amazing this building is. I wish I could have taken pictures of the inside, but it's actually not allowed, so I'm afraid my pictures of the outside and my horribly inadequate description will have to suffice. Hopefully I can avoid coming off sounding overly romantic when I tell you that this place is literally like something out of a fairy-tale.
In addition to the absolutely beautiful interior of the building, which I unfortunately can not show, the outside is almost as beautiful. The virtues of being inside a park are not lost on this museum, as the foliage has literally grown around, onto, and through most of the structures, embracing it in its green arms as if it had been there for hundreds of years. Despite only having been built around 10 years earlier, there is a strong sense that the museum has always been there, and always will be. Timelessness permeates it.
I believe Ghibli is well aware of the natural beauty surrounding their museum, as the main tower (and mode of transportation between the three floors) is surrounded almost entirely by glass windows. Next to this amazing glass parapet is a quaint little courtyard down below it.
...Which I have just posted in the picture above for you. This courtyard has an honest-to-goodness water hand-pump in it. Visitors are allowed to try their hands at pumping it, but its main purpose is to be there for the nearby kitchen, whose staff comes out occasionally for water... and to chop wood for their stove.
They do this for the restaurant at the museum. Well, it's more like a cafe, but in any case, there it is in the picture above. I haven't really eaten anything there yet, just a hot dog. However, that hot dog, instead of using normal mustard, used actual mustard leaves, and was delicious. Needless to say, next time we go to the museum, and believe me we will go again, we will be heading to the cafe first. I hear they make latte art in the cappuccinos of famous Ghibli characters.... I hate coffee, and all coffee related drinks, but I will order coffee here, just to see that.
The coolest thing about the museum though, is the random characters appearing throughout the grounds and main building. Seen above are soot sprites in a port hole. These next two guys are up on the roof:
These are both from Laputa: Castle in the Sky. I especially like the second picture, the guardian statue is huge! He was a little over twice my height, to give you an idea of his size. He looks over the whole complex from his vantage point on the roof, and you can see him as you approach the main entrance of the museum. Even better than him, and a bit off to the side (if you are not careful, you can miss him) is Ghibli's most famous and beloved character:
Totoro! He is also huge, and I was pretty close to creating some elaborate plan to steal him away in the night and take him home with me. I don't think the museum would have appreciated that though...Beyond the various things you can see at the museum, there is also a gift shop, a book store, and a movie theater that shows Ghibli animated short films that you can ONLY see at the museum. If you are ever in Japan, or even anywhere near it, you have to go to this place. I know it's my favorite place here now, and anytime we go to Tokyo we will definitely be stopping by here. Come visit with us sometime, okay? ^-^
