12 Things To Do At Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

Studio Ghibli is an acclaimed Japanese animation studio whose adorable and funny characters have the won the hearts of countless adults and children worldwide. Their most memorable films include My Neighbour Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle and Oscar-winning Spirited Away. Here’s a review of 12 things that you must do at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.

1. Ride The Cat Bus

There’s a special bus service running from Mitaka Station to Ghibli Museum for tourists visiting the museum, and it is served by The Cat Bus from My Neighbour Totoro. Buy a ticket from a vending machine at the subway station before handing it to the driver when boarding. It’s an approximately 5-minute ride past Inokashira Park to this magical place. It sure beats walking on a chilly winter afternoon.

2. Arrive At Totoro’s Reception

At the entrance to the museum, you can spot Totoro in a little booth greeting every visitor that comes by. It’s a great chance to take a selfie with the lovable creature!

3. Watch Original Short Animations at Saturn Theater

A short way from the information counter on Basement 1, Saturn Theater is a cosy cinema that screens short animations one after another. When you enter the museum, the staff will exchange your entry ticket to a unique one-time ticket to enter the theatre. It is a thin strip that resembles a film roll, and if you hold it to the light, you can see a still from one of Studio Ghibli’s many movies. (Have fun guessing which one!) When you decide to see the animations, queue up outside the theatre. Warning: a screening only happens every 45 minutes, and queues are notoriously long!

If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to enjoy the animations from a comfortable seat. (Sometimes, an unlucky few are forced to sit in the aisles!) The films (in Japanese, with no English subtitles) are rotated throughout the year. While we were there, we watched two animations, including “Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess”. Due to our (very) limited knowledge of Japanese, we could not understand the first animation (which had a vast amount of dialogue), but we enjoyed both animations immensely.

4. View The Installations At “The Beginning Of Movement”

Learn about how images can be animated to walk, run and hop, all with the touch of a button at this permanent exhibition on Basement 1. It examines the science behind movement in old animations. One of the most popular installations is the Bouncing Totoro 3D zoetrope, hands down. It involves 347 figurines of Totoro and creates optical illusions with flashing strobe lights. (Not for those extremely sensitive to lights.)

5. Enter The World Of Studio Ghibli Animators At “Where A Film Is Born”

Have you ever wondered what happens in the beautiful imagination of an animator? Perhaps the rooms “Where A Film Is Born” will give you a clue. The rooms are filled with books, illustration and sketches, showing that simple items of inspiration around an artist that land on a blank piece of paper would eventually be displayed on a giant cinema screen.

6. Check Out The Special Exhibit

Every once in a while, a special exhibition arrives at the Ghibli Museum! These special exhibitions often give a behind-the-scenes look at Ghibli Studios. When we were visiting, we had the fortune to visit “Sketch, Flash, Spark!” ～ From the Ghibli Forest Sketchbook. It displayed pictures and text of how the building of the museum was planned, including some work from the director Hayao Miyazaki himself. Past special exhibitions also include “Painting the Colors of Our Films” and “Delicious! Animating Memorable Meals”.

7. Let Your Little Kids Romp In The Cat Bus Room

Remember the furry Cat Bus from My Neighbour Totoro? Well, that creature comes to life in a second-floor room at the Ghibli Museum! If your child’s dream is to ride and play in the Cat Bus, they would fall in love with this plushie playground. Originally, the museum wanted to make the Cat Bus as enormous as its size in the film, but because there wasn’t enough space, they had to downsize it a little! Next to the Cat Bus, a bunch of Dust Bunnies from Spirited Away are also there to have fun with the kids. However, if you are a grown-up, you unfortunately won’t get the chance to join in the fun: the Cat Bus is only for elementary/primary school children aged 12 and below.

8. Leaf Through Children’s Books in TRI HAWKS

The Ghibli Museum isn’t all about movies, though — they also have a reading room full of recommended children’s books called TRI HAWKS. Why the strange name? TRI HAWKS is a pun on the name of Mitaka city, where the museum is located. Mi-taka is literally 3 hawks — hence TRI HAWKS. Both children and adults can browse the books here freely. However, do note that all the books are in Japanese.

9. Climb The Spiral Staircase

In the central hall, a wide and open space extending up to a circular dome at the top of the museum, there are numerous staircases, passageways and terraces. You can choose your own path through the museum. Do carve some time to take the iron-made spiral staircase up to the roof garden to enjoy the view!

10. Take A Wefie With The Robot Soldier

A grassy rooftop garden is flourishing on the roof of the museum, and its guardian is the plant-loving Robot Soldier from Castle in The Sky! This is one of the few places in the secretive Ghibli Museum where you can whip out your camera and snap a shot. Take a wefie with friends and family as you admire Inokashira Park below.

11. Buy Souvenirs at MAMMA AIUTO!

The souvenir shop at Ghibli Museum is named after the sky pirates in Porco Rosso. It means “Mama, help me!” in Italian. Here, you can find Totoro products beside original Museum souvenirs. The window displays are unexpected and surprising, so look around! The “Art Collection of the Ghibli Museum” is also available for sale, including hand-painted cels of scenes from Studio Ghibli films.

12. Have A Snack At Straw Hat Café

Surrounded by Mitaka city’s rare red pines, the Straw Hat Café provides an open outdoor atmosphere for you to rest your tired feet and enjoy one last treat before leaving. Additionally, there is washstand decorated with colourful tiles for you to wash your hand before your meal. The Café serves meals, snacks and drinks, with almost everything coming from organic farms. The museum recommends the jumbo fried pork cutlet sandwich and the strawberry shortcake. There are also ultimate hot dogs, ice-cream (milk and seasonal fruit flavours) and roasted barley tea. This is the best way to end your visit to this breathtaking wonderland.