Japan 2013: Visiting My Neighbor Totoro

Animation has always been a part of my life as I grew up watching cartoons as a kid, anime as a teenager and animated films from childhood up to now. So imagine my excitement upon visiting a museum entirely dedicated to one of my favorite animation studios - Studio Ghibli.

My Neighbor Totoro

Tonari no Totoro (となりのトトロ) or My Neighbor Totoro was the first Ghibli film I've ever seen and I just fell in love with Studio Ghibli right then and there, especially Hayao Miyazaki's work. So being surrounded by everything Ghibli is a dream come true for me. It's the closest thing to seeing the animated films I've grown to love come to life.

Admission to the Ghibli Museum is limited per day and tickets should be purchased prior to your visit. Chances of walk-in visits are absolutely slim as tickets run out fast. You see, tickets come with an appointed entry time to avoid crowds. But even with the scheduling, the place was still pretty packed even on a weekday! I guess everyone's crazy about Ghibli.

How to get to Ghibli Museum

To get to the museum, you can either walk or take the community bus from Mitaka Station. We availed the round trip tickets for only 300円 each. You can easily spot the community bus even from afar as it's painted yellow and has Ghibli written all over it. I got all excited upon getting on the bus as it might be the closest thing I'll ever get to riding the nekobasu (cat bus).

Museum tickets are already as good as souvenirs.

Upon arriving at the museum, we exchanged our Lawson-bought paper tickets to the real museum tickets which were something much more magical - a film strip with frames from your favorite Ghibli films. Lucky I got a Ponyo one!

The entire place screams Ghibli from the lush greenery to the outdoor fixtures to the museum's layout to the furniture inside. It's like being transported to another world especially created for you by the creative and magical minds behind Studio Ghibli.

Welcome to Ghibli Museum!

Before going into any of the exhibits, we decided to catch the featured film at the Saturn Theater. I had no idea what to expect so I squealed a little upon seeing Mei! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE SHOWING AN EPILOGUE OF TOTORO!!!! :(( If you've seen Tonari no Totoro or any Ghibli film, you know how they don't really end films. Sure, there's a conclusion but you always end up guessing what might've happened afterwards which is what I actually love since it makes you invested in the story. Of course, I won't spoil the short for you but it was a relief to see the characters again. And I love how you don't need to be fluent in Japanese  to understand the story as it had little dialogue. That's the beauty of Ghibli films. Who needs words when they can make you fall in love with characters who don't even speak? Instead of speaking through words, the characters speak through their emotions.

Look, it's the susuwatari (house sprites that look like dust bunnies)!

Being in the museum itself is a wonderful experience. It's like walking inside a storybook so taking photos, videos or even the use of mobile phones are prohibited inside the museum. Instead of looking through lenses and viewfinders, the museum encourages the visitors to completely immerse themselves in the exhibits by experiencing it first-hand. The only souvenirs you'll need are the memories you create in the museum and those available at the shop.

From what I remember, there were four indoor exhibits. The first exhibit showcased different Ghibli films where I fell in love with all the installations. However, two especially stood out. The first one being the circular display of what seemed like ordinary (c'mon who are we kidding, this is Ghibli we're talking about!) figurines of Totoro characters in different poses. When the wheel that the figurines stand on spins fast, it makes the characters come alive right before your eyes. It's like watching an old school animation, only this one's in 3D. Too cool! And my other favorite is the mini animation studio where you can watch how animated films are made - from hand-drawn drawings to the screen. I literally spent minutes watching the whole process over and over again. Not to mention crying a little from the short. I love how every Ghibli film tugs at your heartstrings which goes to show how passionate these animators are in their craft.

Love their attention to detail!

The second exhibit showcased Hayao Miyazaki's early works. From mere sketches to full-blown storyboards to movie stills. Photographs of locations that inspired the films were also on display. You can actually flip through some of his work and I noticed how every Ghibli fan handled the books with care and respect as if they're leafing through a historical artifact or a holy book.

The third exhibit featured Japan's animation history and showcased different styles of drawings which was awesome. But compared to the other exhibits, this one seems just alright. And the last exhibit is both my favorite and least favorite among the indoor exhibits. I love it because it features a huge furry nekobasu (cat bus) and at the same time, I hate it because only school children and younger are allowed to play in it. So unfair!!!! :((

With the robot and command cube from Laputa.

After hoarding tons of Ghibli merch (both for omiyage and personal use) from the souvenir shop, we went on to explore the vicinity of the museum where photos are highly encouraged. I was ecstatic upon seeing this life-size robot from Laputa (pronounced La-pew-tuh and not la puta haha) or Castle in the Sky. And they even have the command cube hidden somewhere in the garden!

♫ Tonari no Totoro, Totoro! ♫

Of course, a trip to the Ghibli Museum wouldn't be complete without meeting the famous Totoro! It was quite difficult to locate him but after a thorough search, we were able to find him sitting in this ticket booth. Too cute! And he really is huge. I wish I could've hugged him though.

Goodbye, Ghibli Museum!

After getting our dose of Ghibli magic, we went back to the bus stop and waited for the community bus to take us back to Mitaka Station. We were already starving but the Straw Hat Cafe was packed so we just had a quick lunch at the nearest McDonald's and ordered happy meals. Haha After lunch, we were ready to head back to Odaiba for more adventures.


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Traveling party: Daddy, Karly, Nee-chan (organizer), Sera, and Ariel
Travel date: April 17, 2013 [Day 8]
Photo credits: Karl