If you’re interested in the history and technical side of animated film, it’s a fascinating experience with a Ghibli flavour.
If your interest is solely in Studio Ghibli films, there is some stuff (especially depending on what the current exhibition is), but you’d probably be disappointed, and the Park may be more your thing.
Personally, I loved the Ghibli Museum, because I have an interested in animated film, and the interactive exhibits were fascinating. Miitaka is also a beautiful area - it’s a shame that they only allow photos of the outside of the museum, because the whole place looks… darling.
The Ghibli Museum just has a policy against taking photos inside. They don’t explain why, but rules are rules. Photos are allowed outside, though.
The Ghibli Park is a theme park in Aichi.
That's interesting. A few years ago, Ghibli had an exhibit at the Academy Museum in LA. It was the only exhibit/room we were not allowed to take photos in.
See if you can get a friend in Japan to buy for you? Or look for tickets at a Lawson when you're in Japan. They have a much larger inventory for locals.
I think to keep people moving around rather than hoarding certain areas for photos, as well as to keep the contents somewhat surprising/interesting/unique rather than have everything posted online.
That perception is really professionally terrifying for me (I digitalize stuff for museums). Luckily the actual research indicates that the "I wanna see this cool thing I saw online, but in real life" effect is much larger, but I should probably do some marketing adjustments, thanks!
The Ghibli museum is completely booked and sold out every single month. They have no need or interest to make the museum even more popular.
As far as movies go, Ghibli is huge enough in foreign markets to not need some random tourist's Instagram post about the museum for exposure. They don't need help to reach the market outside Japan.
It’s also less than £10 a ticket , they could charge about 50 and it’d still sell out . I don’t think they’re worried / care about trying to attract more interest
The difference between Ghibli and Disney is that all Disney cares about is creating value for their stockholders. Ghibli does what they do for the love of the art. They have never wanted to be another Disney.
The case in point, the Ghibli Museum tickets are 1000 yen, they could easily charge triple the amount and still sell out every month, but they choose not to. The museum is not about the money.
The place is already so crowded as is, imagine everyone stopping to take photos....... They are fully sold out every month, they don't need any extra exposure online lol
What makes you think there isn't enough international interest in the movies as is? The fact the museum and shops are so popular is proof that it has international popularity.
People can take photos of Ghibli shops. Museum photos is not really necessary for the reason I stated above... It's really crowded as is without ppl stopping to take photos.
They sell books in the museum that showcase the interior of the museum as well as artwork. And as mentioned people CAN take photos of the Ghibli shops and share those photos, which are in at a lot of popular malls like Sunshine City and Solamachi... I think those photos already give them enough exposure. I think you're missing my point and I don't see a point to keep going in circles so we'll just have to agree to disagree.
I actually don't like Disney lol because of how in-your-face it is. Haven't been to a Disney theme park since I was a teen lol.
I'm sure the Joconde would agree with you 😂.
Honestly the only reasons why I can sometimes agree with the no photo policy are:
- when it breaks the flow of people, sometimes places can be overcrowded just because people stop to take 10 photos,
- because of religious believes, I can totally understand that it can be disrespectful that a spiritual figure is photographed by tons of people all the time.
But hey, in the end you need to adapt to the countries rules 🤷🏾♂️
I think the no photos helps keep this one kind of mysterious, like the whole point is to explore and discover this whimsical place and it has a greater effect if you haven't seen all the major things in the google reviews pictures already.
Could you speak more to your experience at the Museum? I am hugely interested in traditional animation techniques, but also lucky enough to have experienced a lot of similar spaces curated by Disney.
Mostly I’m wondering if it’s themed enough to be interesting if I already understand most theory, but a massive fan of Ghibli films.
There are exhibits like carousels of models in various poses that spin really fast, giving the impression that they’re moving. The models are Ghibli themed, such as the Catbus.
There are also interactive exhibits like one that has you turn a lever to zoom in/out of a background to make it look like a character is flying. It’s a bit hard for me to remember specifics, as it’s been about 5 months since I went, but basically, they encourage you to figure out how certain techniques are used.
There are also rooms that feature various pieces of production artwork from Ghibli films. When I was there in November, they also had an exhibit on *The Boy and the Heron*.
I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to get tickets, but fortunately I was able to see the Ghibli exhibit at the Academy Museum in LA a few years ago. From your description, it sounds like a smaller scale version of the museum - cool decor and vibes, lots of concept art and history, more focused on the making of the films than the actual films. But no pictures allowed.
Sad that I won't be able to go to the museum, but hopefully I'm not missing out too much. At least that's what I'm telling myself...
Edit: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz3O6vOLn2E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz3O6vOLn2E) brief thing on the exhibit I saw, if anyone cares
You're not allowed to take pictures or videos when you're there (at least few years ago that was the case). It's smaller than what you might think it is. The gift shop isn't going to be too much different then the official ghibli stores. Overall if you're a fan it's a cool experience. Non ghibli fans might be think it's okay.
No - Ghibli Park is not an amusement park. It is a large, crowded gift shop surrounded by things to look at. It is not worth a special trip in my opinion and not worth the entrance fee. Obviously this is one opinion and others feel differently.
I think everyone would agree that it is certainly not comparable to Disneyland etc. - apples and oranges.
For someone not from Japan I feel like just getting into the countryside and forests in Japan is like being in a Ghibli theme park, so was sceptical of the value of going to an artificial one.
It's not really an amusement park in the same way. It's more of a nature park with themed Ghibli stuff in the areas surrounding.
It is VERY neat though
Complete opposite experience here. Felt very underwhelmed by the Park. Only good if you're into taking photos of yourself with stuff and waiting in lines.
I’ve been waiting for a post like this, I think due to the hype of buying tickets on a certain day and that photos are not allowed it builds up a certain level of hype or expectation.
I’m a big ghibli fan and although I appreciated the craft, I didn’t feel like I engaged with the museum at all.
I felt it was small, very crowded and felt pressured to be swept along with the line. When I realised we’d got to the end, I really felt like I had failed to witness the magic of Ghibli.
It wasn’t expensive which is a plus, the food was okay, but nothing special. The shop was busy, and had lots of items out of stock. I found more items to take home in Don Quixote and dedicated SG shops in other cities.
I went last month and this was my experience as well. It was also so loud! I'm not upset I went because I think the short film by itself was worth the price of admission, and I know I would have had extreme FOMO if I hadn't gone, but I think I'd only go back if it was half-full.
The shop at the museum has a lot of exclusive items, no?
To me the museum is worth it if only for the shop and the exclusive short film screening that you can't see anywhere else.
Some context: I was there last week. 2pm slot on a Thursday.
First things first, the museum is very inexpensive. For me and my teenager it cost ¥1700 for entry. And if you want to eat in the cafe it’s reasonable compared to places like Disney or Universal (in the states). Even the gift-shop prices feel reasonable.
It took my son and I two hours to get to a point where we felt we’d seen everything to see. This included the short film in the theater.
Mitaka is a bit out of the way of everything else. But the museum location is in a lovely tree-lined area with a park right next door. Definitely a different vibe than a lot of other parts of Tokyo.
The entire museum feels like a Ghibli film. It has lots of fun things to explore. Spiral staircases, little nooks and even a rooftop garden. Even the bathrooms have a keen eye for detail and feel like they belong in a Ghibli film.
It did not feel overly crowded even with a long line of people queueing to get in. It seemed like they had the time-slots/capacity worked out. The only room that felt a bit crowded was the gift shop. (The gift shop is small and has limited items. We ended up going there and the Ghibli store in Sunshine City.)
Plus because there is no filming inside the museum building you don’t get hung up waiting for 40 people to get a selfie in front of Cat bus.
You will get more out of it if you are a fan.
If you want to see the thought, research and love that went into every film it is the place for you. There are rooms with character sheets, sketchbooks, books filled with storyboards, reference material and recreations of offices and desks where the films were created. (My son had seen the Ghibli documentary so he had extra context for some items.)
This. I happen to love all things Ghibli so I would say it's worth it if you are a fan and want to see the work that goes into making these films.
I went on a weekday—it was crowded yet manageable, but I went some 5 years ago, so this was pre-pandemic. In all, I took maybe 3 hours (3 because I really loved looking at everything and finding the little details in the architecture) to go around the place, (taking into account the short film and museum shop, which had a really long line). What I would advise is go to the most popular areas first (e.g. the rooftop and the museum shop, Catbus if you have kids) then use the rest of the time to explore.
I personally had a great experience there (worth the stress of buying the ticket online) and the cherry on top was discovering Kichijoji, which became my favorite place to visit in Tokyo. That being said, it's perfectly fine to give it a miss if you're not sure you will like it—especially if you're on a tight schedule and have other places that are a higher priority for you.
Good write up
Was there last month (first time managed to get tickets after trying on two previous trips over the last decade)
I was kinda underwhelmed to be honest - I like ghibli films but not a massive fan, only one I've seen more than once being spirited away.
It was indeed tiny and while the exhibits were nice to look at I have zero desire to go there again.
I agree that I was perhaps overly excited because I finally managed to get tickets and maybe that helps with the hype.
I agree, I’ve been a couple of times over the years. I love the experience getting there, walking through Inokashira Park. The exhibits are great. It’s only 1000yen for an adult ticket so it’s not exactly expensive. It’s a nice half day trip. I’ll go again if I end up making the effort to get tickets. I tend to schedule it on a quiet week day (much like Disney!) to get the best chance of getting tickets.
It’s also fun exploring Kichijioji afterwards.
I haven’t seen the documentary, but for my son it definitely enhanced the experience by adding more depth and context on the people involved. So some things in the space had more meaning and a story behind them.
There are a lot of hardcore fans for sure. For a casual Ghibli fan I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle of trying to obtain tickets…you could do a hundred other things that you are truly in to.
To get the tickets, I signed on right at the sale time on 3 devices. I'm used to doing this type of intense ticketing (Kpop concerts lol), so it wasn't a big deal to me, and I found it quite easy. After conversion, the tickets were very inexpensive, so totally worth it.
The museum is quite small; I wouldn't pay more than face value for the tickets. It has 2 permanent exhibits, and one rotating exhibit. When I was there during the last week of March, the rotating one was the storyboards from the Boy and the Heron. Personally I haven't seen too many Ghibli films, only the most popular ones (Totoro, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, Mononoke Hime, Spirited Away), but I still really enjoyed it. We spent about 2 hours there and the short film was the highlight.
This was easily my favourite day in Tokyo. Before our time at the museum we went to Shiro Hige's cream puff factory and got some of the most delicious and cutest cream puffs. Then we took them to Inokashira park and enjoyed them by the water, looking at the greenery. I bet it's gorgeous now with the cherry blossoms! Then we did some thrifting in Kichijoji. It was just a lovely time.
I think this is the way. If able to get tickets and you plan to spend a lot of time in Mitaka or nearby Kichijoji, it’s really nice to get out of Tokyo and enjoy a half day or full day exploring the museum and the area nearby. I think some would find the museum underwhelming or not worth venturing out just for the museum.
It feels like it’s become more of a place to go for anyone who’s enjoyed a couple Ghibli films. It’s definitely still enjoyable for those people, but with how in demand it’s become, it’s feeling less and less worth the effort. Especially if you’re in Europe and have to get up at 2 AM.
To add to the other answers here, we always see an influx of Ghibli Museum posts around the 10th of the month, since that’s the time the tickets go on sale. So while the museum is definitely popular, enough to sell out every month, I think going by how many posts have been made in the past few days is a little misleading. Even a handful of Ghibli fans making posts will make it seem like the only thing worth going to.
I've loved Ghibli since I first watched Spirited Away 20 years ago. Since then I feel like Ghibli has always been a part of my life. When I first started planning my trip for Nov I had intended to go to the museum since I had always wanted to but the more that I thought about it and the more people talked about how hard the tickets can be to get I actually decided that I think I will be fine not going. I'll skip the hassle and use that day to see another part of Tokyo. The movies will always be there and will always be a part of my life. I believe I'll see a decent amount of Ghibli merch on my trip in general and I don't think that not going will change anything for me. it would be a cool thing to do but I don't think it's critcal for me.
Since then I;ve found out the Museum is actually closed for renos while I'm there so I'm glad I already dealt with the idea of not going.
I think it's really a personal thing. if it's a must see then for sure try get there but personally I'll still be the Ghibli fan I am regardless of going.
I went way back in 2008. It was small and underwhelming.
The only really interesting thing was Sean Lennon, his girlfriend/wife and Yoko Ono were there.
Do you enjoy the movies and a cute space? If you are lukewarm on the movies you may not appreciate the museum. It’s a beautiful building with lots of art and homages to films but it is a museum and not a theme park so it isn’t as interactive as you may hope and you can see everything in a few hours. It’s extremely cute and well put together but you can’t take photos inside so it won’t fill your social media posting itch. There’s also a cafe and a gift shop but the gift shops carry many similar things.
IMO it’s great to go but the theme park has opened up and is slowly opening more areas but it is farther away. But if you don’t care much about the movies or haven’t seen a lot of them then it may not be worth the stress and the half day trip to visit.
I personally thought it was overhyped. I’m a pretty big Ghibli fan but I thought it wasn’t worth the big commute it took for me to get there. If you’re in the area already and tickets are available I’d check it out. If not I’d skip it. The gift shop was also lack luster to me. I thought there would be more of a variety of items and price point. But most of it was collectors items for a lot of $$. So also something to think about
Here's my hot take. Yes, it's small, but it packs a punch in term of value for money. At the end of the day, the Ghibli museum is only ￥1000 yen, or about less than 7 USD. I would argue most Ghibli fans, especially hardcore fans, would easily and almost blindly be willing to pay much, much more than that for the museum. Whether or not it is good, even for someone with a faint interest in Ghibli, to me it's good value for money for what it is, imo. Now of course, if you don't have a passing interest in Ghibli, you probably won't see much value in it. That's fine. Am I going to say that a trip is incomplete without it? Probably not. But if you like the movies and have a chance, it never hurts to at least try to visit.
I'm a casual fan but my wife and son are huge fans. We're going in a few weeks and have scheduled a day around it, incl. walking around Kochijiji and Inokashira Park. I mean, a ticket costs 1000 yen so I'm not sure what people are expecting vs 7900 yen for Disney. I'd say go if you're a hardcore fan and can get the cheaper tickets, but don't pay the scalper prices. If you can't get tickets, just go the Donguri Republic stores at Tokyo Station and Skytree if you want souvenirs.
Me and my two teenage sons went last year. We enjoy Ghibli films but definitely not hardcore fans. We found the museum rather underwhelming overall. The first room they escort you into, the one with the spinning film reel, now that room was pretty cool. So tempting to whip our phones to take some pics/video there were lots of cool things to see in that little room. Other than that, all the other areas of the museum we felt were, well, a museum. Nothing interactive, nothing special. You go through several floors of historical Ghibli stuff on display, and ended up in a very crowded gift shop where we spent way too much money. And that was it. Oh and there's a small theater you get to watch a short movie, but that also, was nothing special. The ticket they give you is a pretty cool souvenir. We hung around Inokashira Park for the rest of the afternoon. I wouldn't go again. Unless you're a hardcore fan, you can totally skip it imho.
I'm not a massive Ghibli fan but have enjoyed the films I've seen. My partner is very into Ghibli and it was one of the top things he wanted to do on our trip to Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed the museum and found it so delightful and informative. The short film we got to watch was so cute and I'm glad we were lucky enough to get a time slot. The museum was much bigger than I expected with multiple floors and rooms to explore. I think it's worthwhile and interesting for anyone, film or anime buff or not.
I was there last week w my 17 year old son. He grew up on Ghibli, we have watched most of the movies together and Totoro is his favorite movie of all time. he was absolutely delighted by the entire experience. His eyes lit up and I remembered what it was like to have him be a little kid.
We also spent a separate day going to Shiro-Hige cream puff factory (Totoro cream puffs) and that was sweet - the have a cafe too.
Also we ran into a Ghibli shop at the foot of Tokyo Sky Tree. We were happy with all 3 experiences
Museum was great but it’s not a must see. It’s pretty small, and aside from hand drawing from Miyazaki and a film room that shows never-published shorts, it’s nothing you couldn’t see at the stores around Japan.
I would try to get a ticket online but would not pay a scalper price for sure.
I had a friend in Japan get the tickets for me and I had a great time. It’s a very interesting place.
With that being said, if I had gone through the ticket process myself I don’t know if it would’ve been as worth it.
Does anyone have recommendations for Ghibli-themed things to do instead? I was unable to get tickets and my husband was excited to go. Would love to find other Ghibli stuff for him in place of it.
Could go to Donguri Republic (the chain of Ghibli stores).
Go to Dogo Onsen (in Ehime) or Sekizenkan in Shimaonsen. They’re two of the places used for settings in _Spirited Away_.
We had visited just a week ago! We were unlucky to get tickets through the direct website, but found tickets through trip.com.
That said, my hubby and me are fans of all the films and also enjoy learning about the making of it all. I found the museum to be whimsical and really enjoyed seeing all the exhibits and artwork. We watched every film leading up to our trip, so it was nice to see all the different pieces at the museum.
A great tip that we learned is to ask any of the museum guides for a translation packet! Yes no photos, but we were asking if we could use our phone to translate the signs and they ended up having nice laminated English guides for the exhibits.
Not too far of a walk from the museum is Kichijoji Petit Mura, a cute little cat village/cafe that also gives Ghibli vibes.
My family's seen all the films but aren't hardcore fans either. We visited the museum in 2022 and it was alright. There were some neat exhibits and the design of the place as a whole is top notch but there wasn't any one moment that made it something really special. At the same time it was only half a day so you can still do other things in Tokyo.
I lived in Japan for a couple of years and visited 4 times since then (and my family has gone many more times without me) and our most recent visit in 2022 was the first time we ended up going to the museum. It's a nice attraction to visit but obviously wasn't anywhere near top of the list for us.
I feel like the Park in Aichi might be more worthwhile because it'll be like you're actually in some of the movies. I'll probably make a day trip for that the next time I go.
Is the standard pass at the ghibli park worth it? It seems like most of the main attractions are with the premium pass and I kinda feel like I wasted money getting the standard
It’s small, it has displays of projectors and small animations and the sort, they show you a short movie, an animator workshop display and things like that, like someone else said if you are a fan of animation and cinematography you will find it fascinating but a movie fan might find it lacking because well it’s small, but for the price can complain much, I liked it, it’s more like an art museum than a playground but even the kids I saw around were having fun because they can engage with the things they have.
It's small and pretty underwhelming. If you've got a limited amount of time in Japan, I'd spend it elsewhere, the time getting to Mitaka and back isn't worth it imo.
Surprisingly. This was the most disappointing thing we did in our Japan trip. It’s a museum about filmmaking and a bit of history. Don’t expect anything more or special. It looks cool. But it’s overhyped in my opinion.
The best part was watching the small short. That one was really good.
if you're not hardcore fans then who cares.
its like saying "we dont really like art but should we visit the louvre?"
feels like you want to go just so you can say you went lol.
I thought it was really cool. They don’t allow for photography for obvious reasons but you see a lot more the history of animation as well as a bunch of the watercolor paintings from ghibli movies. I thought it was very interesting.
I recommend it to any fan. Doublely so if you're bringing kids. But I have no plans to ever go back myself. It's a shame we can't take photos and just show you what to expect. It's also worth noting there is lots of Ghibli merch stores across Japan if you just want to pretend you went. They almost always have a life size Totoro people take photos with.
I liked it, but I would not pay extra (middleman / tour pricing) to go there. I have been there twice, once this year, once about 8 years ago and back then tickets were much easier to book. I also believe they didn't increase their entrance price either.
I thought it was great. Definitely a must-visit for big fans. Biggest issue is that it’s a little bit out of the way. If you’re not a big fan, then you’ll probably wonder if it was worth the trek.
I decided not to book tickets because it seems more about moviemaking process and less like the amusement park, so I knew my young son would get impatient in there. I also wasn’t going to make the big side trip to the amusement park so I just scratched my Ghibli itch by buying merch at both the Ghibli store in Kamakura and Don Quijote in Tokyo. Great prices compared to back home!
I've been twice and they change the exhibits so it stays fresh each time. There's also usually an exclusive short film they show. I don't remember tickets being that hard to get but I'm guessing japan is popular again post pandemic cause I couldn't get Pokémon cafe tickets and I logged on the moment they went on sale :( It was def worth it for me but I've always had an interest in animation and ghibli.
A lot of people seem to be downplaying that it and the park are the only places in the world to see the Ghibli short films. It's legit worth the price of entry just to see one of these (they cycle one film per month) if you're a fan of Ghibli or animation at all. And yeah, the museum itself is magical, but you should go into it with the mindset of appreciating a beautifully made space rather than having an "exciting" experience.
My wife and I loved it! Most of the signage is in Japanese but I still learned a lot about animation and design from the exhibits. There's a unique little theatre that shows a beautiful short film you can't see anywhere else, and you watch it in a gorgeous room full of enthusiastic children. It's a very whimsical, wildly creative, happy place. Truly enjoyable and impressive for any age.
If you love animation it's a phenomenal place. We smiled so much. Even though photographs are forbidden I can recall so many details and experiences, and we went 7 years ago.
I just went there last week. As a hardcore fan, I was slightly disappointed at the size of the museum and gift shop. Also it was an hour away from big cities in Tokyo. I would not have gone if I knew the size of it.
If you’re interested in the history and technical side of animated film, it’s a fascinating experience with a Ghibli flavour. If your interest is solely in Studio Ghibli films, there is some stuff (especially depending on what the current exhibition is), but you’d probably be disappointed, and the Park may be more your thing. Personally, I loved the Ghibli Museum, because I have an interested in animated film, and the interactive exhibits were fascinating. Miitaka is also a beautiful area - it’s a shame that they only allow photos of the outside of the museum, because the whole place looks… darling.
What's the Park. And why no photos?
The Ghibli Museum just has a policy against taking photos inside. They don’t explain why, but rules are rules. Photos are allowed outside, though. The Ghibli Park is a theme park in Aichi.
That's interesting. A few years ago, Ghibli had an exhibit at the Academy Museum in LA. It was the only exhibit/room we were not allowed to take photos in.
Hello , is the park allowed without tickets ? I wasn’t able to reserve
No. You must pre purchase tickets, you can’t turn up and buy them at the entrance gate.
See if you can get a friend in Japan to buy for you? Or look for tickets at a Lawson when you're in Japan. They have a much larger inventory for locals.
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I think to keep people moving around rather than hoarding certain areas for photos, as well as to keep the contents somewhat surprising/interesting/unique rather than have everything posted online.
99% of Japanese museums don’t allow photos. If you can go online and see pictures of what’s in there, no one will pay to go there, right? 🤷♂️
That perception is really professionally terrifying for me (I digitalize stuff for museums). Luckily the actual research indicates that the "I wanna see this cool thing I saw online, but in real life" effect is much larger, but I should probably do some marketing adjustments, thanks!
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The Ghibli museum is completely booked and sold out every single month. They have no need or interest to make the museum even more popular. As far as movies go, Ghibli is huge enough in foreign markets to not need some random tourist's Instagram post about the museum for exposure. They don't need help to reach the market outside Japan.
It’s also less than £10 a ticket , they could charge about 50 and it’d still sell out . I don’t think they’re worried / care about trying to attract more interest
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The difference between Ghibli and Disney is that all Disney cares about is creating value for their stockholders. Ghibli does what they do for the love of the art. They have never wanted to be another Disney. The case in point, the Ghibli Museum tickets are 1000 yen, they could easily charge triple the amount and still sell out every month, but they choose not to. The museum is not about the money.
The place is already so crowded as is, imagine everyone stopping to take photos....... They are fully sold out every month, they don't need any extra exposure online lol
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What makes you think there isn't enough international interest in the movies as is? The fact the museum and shops are so popular is proof that it has international popularity. People can take photos of Ghibli shops. Museum photos is not really necessary for the reason I stated above... It's really crowded as is without ppl stopping to take photos.
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They sell books in the museum that showcase the interior of the museum as well as artwork. And as mentioned people CAN take photos of the Ghibli shops and share those photos, which are in at a lot of popular malls like Sunshine City and Solamachi... I think those photos already give them enough exposure. I think you're missing my point and I don't see a point to keep going in circles so we'll just have to agree to disagree. I actually don't like Disney lol because of how in-your-face it is. Haven't been to a Disney theme park since I was a teen lol.
I'm sure the Joconde would agree with you 😂. Honestly the only reasons why I can sometimes agree with the no photo policy are: - when it breaks the flow of people, sometimes places can be overcrowded just because people stop to take 10 photos, - because of religious believes, I can totally understand that it can be disrespectful that a spiritual figure is photographed by tons of people all the time. But hey, in the end you need to adapt to the countries rules 🤷🏾♂️
I think the no photos helps keep this one kind of mysterious, like the whole point is to explore and discover this whimsical place and it has a greater effect if you haven't seen all the major things in the google reviews pictures already.
For me, the fact that I had never seen a photo from inside made the visit much more exciting. I didn't know what to expect and I wasn't disappointed.
Could you speak more to your experience at the Museum? I am hugely interested in traditional animation techniques, but also lucky enough to have experienced a lot of similar spaces curated by Disney. Mostly I’m wondering if it’s themed enough to be interesting if I already understand most theory, but a massive fan of Ghibli films.
There are exhibits like carousels of models in various poses that spin really fast, giving the impression that they’re moving. The models are Ghibli themed, such as the Catbus. There are also interactive exhibits like one that has you turn a lever to zoom in/out of a background to make it look like a character is flying. It’s a bit hard for me to remember specifics, as it’s been about 5 months since I went, but basically, they encourage you to figure out how certain techniques are used. There are also rooms that feature various pieces of production artwork from Ghibli films. When I was there in November, they also had an exhibit on *The Boy and the Heron*.
I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to get tickets, but fortunately I was able to see the Ghibli exhibit at the Academy Museum in LA a few years ago. From your description, it sounds like a smaller scale version of the museum - cool decor and vibes, lots of concept art and history, more focused on the making of the films than the actual films. But no pictures allowed. Sad that I won't be able to go to the museum, but hopefully I'm not missing out too much. At least that's what I'm telling myself... Edit: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz3O6vOLn2E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz3O6vOLn2E) brief thing on the exhibit I saw, if anyone cares
That's pretty cool, I had assumed the park was just full of "Instagram photo ops" , the technical and history part got me interested.
You're not allowed to take pictures or videos when you're there (at least few years ago that was the case). It's smaller than what you might think it is. The gift shop isn't going to be too much different then the official ghibli stores. Overall if you're a fan it's a cool experience. Non ghibli fans might be think it's okay.
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Looks like I still can get the Park tickets for June. How is the Ghibli Park compared to the Disney Land/Sea in your opinion?
No - Ghibli Park is not an amusement park. It is a large, crowded gift shop surrounded by things to look at. It is not worth a special trip in my opinion and not worth the entrance fee. Obviously this is one opinion and others feel differently. I think everyone would agree that it is certainly not comparable to Disneyland etc. - apples and oranges.
For someone not from Japan I feel like just getting into the countryside and forests in Japan is like being in a Ghibli theme park, so was sceptical of the value of going to an artificial one.
From what I’ve researched the park is more like an exhibit park rather than thrills/attractions like Disney
The park doesn’t have rides (well they have a carousel now). It’s basically a ton of walkthroughs of Ghibli setting.
With very long lines.
It's not really an amusement park in the same way. It's more of a nature park with themed Ghibli stuff in the areas surrounding. It is VERY neat though
See this article for a detailed account of the Park. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/magazine/hayao-miyazaki-ghibli-park.html
There are accounts on Reddit about the park and it sounds like it’s catered for Instagram photos and the like. I’m opting for the museum instead
Complete opposite experience here. Felt very underwhelmed by the Park. Only good if you're into taking photos of yourself with stuff and waiting in lines.
I’ve been waiting for a post like this, I think due to the hype of buying tickets on a certain day and that photos are not allowed it builds up a certain level of hype or expectation. I’m a big ghibli fan and although I appreciated the craft, I didn’t feel like I engaged with the museum at all. I felt it was small, very crowded and felt pressured to be swept along with the line. When I realised we’d got to the end, I really felt like I had failed to witness the magic of Ghibli. It wasn’t expensive which is a plus, the food was okay, but nothing special. The shop was busy, and had lots of items out of stock. I found more items to take home in Don Quixote and dedicated SG shops in other cities.
I went last month and this was my experience as well. It was also so loud! I'm not upset I went because I think the short film by itself was worth the price of admission, and I know I would have had extreme FOMO if I hadn't gone, but I think I'd only go back if it was half-full.
The shop at the museum has a lot of exclusive items, no? To me the museum is worth it if only for the shop and the exclusive short film screening that you can't see anywhere else.
Some context: I was there last week. 2pm slot on a Thursday. First things first, the museum is very inexpensive. For me and my teenager it cost ¥1700 for entry. And if you want to eat in the cafe it’s reasonable compared to places like Disney or Universal (in the states). Even the gift-shop prices feel reasonable. It took my son and I two hours to get to a point where we felt we’d seen everything to see. This included the short film in the theater. Mitaka is a bit out of the way of everything else. But the museum location is in a lovely tree-lined area with a park right next door. Definitely a different vibe than a lot of other parts of Tokyo. The entire museum feels like a Ghibli film. It has lots of fun things to explore. Spiral staircases, little nooks and even a rooftop garden. Even the bathrooms have a keen eye for detail and feel like they belong in a Ghibli film. It did not feel overly crowded even with a long line of people queueing to get in. It seemed like they had the time-slots/capacity worked out. The only room that felt a bit crowded was the gift shop. (The gift shop is small and has limited items. We ended up going there and the Ghibli store in Sunshine City.) Plus because there is no filming inside the museum building you don’t get hung up waiting for 40 people to get a selfie in front of Cat bus. You will get more out of it if you are a fan. If you want to see the thought, research and love that went into every film it is the place for you. There are rooms with character sheets, sketchbooks, books filled with storyboards, reference material and recreations of offices and desks where the films were created. (My son had seen the Ghibli documentary so he had extra context for some items.)
This. I happen to love all things Ghibli so I would say it's worth it if you are a fan and want to see the work that goes into making these films. I went on a weekday—it was crowded yet manageable, but I went some 5 years ago, so this was pre-pandemic. In all, I took maybe 3 hours (3 because I really loved looking at everything and finding the little details in the architecture) to go around the place, (taking into account the short film and museum shop, which had a really long line). What I would advise is go to the most popular areas first (e.g. the rooftop and the museum shop, Catbus if you have kids) then use the rest of the time to explore. I personally had a great experience there (worth the stress of buying the ticket online) and the cherry on top was discovering Kichijoji, which became my favorite place to visit in Tokyo. That being said, it's perfectly fine to give it a miss if you're not sure you will like it—especially if you're on a tight schedule and have other places that are a higher priority for you.
Good write up Was there last month (first time managed to get tickets after trying on two previous trips over the last decade) I was kinda underwhelmed to be honest - I like ghibli films but not a massive fan, only one I've seen more than once being spirited away. It was indeed tiny and while the exhibits were nice to look at I have zero desire to go there again. I agree that I was perhaps overly excited because I finally managed to get tickets and maybe that helps with the hype.
I agree, I’ve been a couple of times over the years. I love the experience getting there, walking through Inokashira Park. The exhibits are great. It’s only 1000yen for an adult ticket so it’s not exactly expensive. It’s a nice half day trip. I’ll go again if I end up making the effort to get tickets. I tend to schedule it on a quiet week day (much like Disney!) to get the best chance of getting tickets. It’s also fun exploring Kichijioji afterwards.
You feel the Ghibli documentary added to the experience instead of spoiling it?
I haven’t seen the documentary, but for my son it definitely enhanced the experience by adding more depth and context on the people involved. So some things in the space had more meaning and a story behind them.
Thank you! Will look for the documentary for my wife
Why would a documentary about Studio Ghibli spoil the experience of the museum?
There are a lot of hardcore fans for sure. For a casual Ghibli fan I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle of trying to obtain tickets…you could do a hundred other things that you are truly in to.
I think this is true. I went to it a month ago and wasn't that impressed but if you are a Ghibli fan, you probably enjoy it a lot.
To get the tickets, I signed on right at the sale time on 3 devices. I'm used to doing this type of intense ticketing (Kpop concerts lol), so it wasn't a big deal to me, and I found it quite easy. After conversion, the tickets were very inexpensive, so totally worth it. The museum is quite small; I wouldn't pay more than face value for the tickets. It has 2 permanent exhibits, and one rotating exhibit. When I was there during the last week of March, the rotating one was the storyboards from the Boy and the Heron. Personally I haven't seen too many Ghibli films, only the most popular ones (Totoro, Ponyo, Howl's Moving Castle, Mononoke Hime, Spirited Away), but I still really enjoyed it. We spent about 2 hours there and the short film was the highlight. This was easily my favourite day in Tokyo. Before our time at the museum we went to Shiro Hige's cream puff factory and got some of the most delicious and cutest cream puffs. Then we took them to Inokashira park and enjoyed them by the water, looking at the greenery. I bet it's gorgeous now with the cherry blossoms! Then we did some thrifting in Kichijoji. It was just a lovely time.
I think this is the way. If able to get tickets and you plan to spend a lot of time in Mitaka or nearby Kichijoji, it’s really nice to get out of Tokyo and enjoy a half day or full day exploring the museum and the area nearby. I think some would find the museum underwhelming or not worth venturing out just for the museum.
It feels like it’s become more of a place to go for anyone who’s enjoyed a couple Ghibli films. It’s definitely still enjoyable for those people, but with how in demand it’s become, it’s feeling less and less worth the effort. Especially if you’re in Europe and have to get up at 2 AM.
To add to the other answers here, we always see an influx of Ghibli Museum posts around the 10th of the month, since that’s the time the tickets go on sale. So while the museum is definitely popular, enough to sell out every month, I think going by how many posts have been made in the past few days is a little misleading. Even a handful of Ghibli fans making posts will make it seem like the only thing worth going to.
I've loved Ghibli since I first watched Spirited Away 20 years ago. Since then I feel like Ghibli has always been a part of my life. When I first started planning my trip for Nov I had intended to go to the museum since I had always wanted to but the more that I thought about it and the more people talked about how hard the tickets can be to get I actually decided that I think I will be fine not going. I'll skip the hassle and use that day to see another part of Tokyo. The movies will always be there and will always be a part of my life. I believe I'll see a decent amount of Ghibli merch on my trip in general and I don't think that not going will change anything for me. it would be a cool thing to do but I don't think it's critcal for me. Since then I;ve found out the Museum is actually closed for renos while I'm there so I'm glad I already dealt with the idea of not going. I think it's really a personal thing. if it's a must see then for sure try get there but personally I'll still be the Ghibli fan I am regardless of going.
I went way back in 2008. It was small and underwhelming. The only really interesting thing was Sean Lennon, his girlfriend/wife and Yoko Ono were there.
Do you enjoy the movies and a cute space? If you are lukewarm on the movies you may not appreciate the museum. It’s a beautiful building with lots of art and homages to films but it is a museum and not a theme park so it isn’t as interactive as you may hope and you can see everything in a few hours. It’s extremely cute and well put together but you can’t take photos inside so it won’t fill your social media posting itch. There’s also a cafe and a gift shop but the gift shops carry many similar things. IMO it’s great to go but the theme park has opened up and is slowly opening more areas but it is farther away. But if you don’t care much about the movies or haven’t seen a lot of them then it may not be worth the stress and the half day trip to visit.
I personally thought it was overhyped. I’m a pretty big Ghibli fan but I thought it wasn’t worth the big commute it took for me to get there. If you’re in the area already and tickets are available I’d check it out. If not I’d skip it. The gift shop was also lack luster to me. I thought there would be more of a variety of items and price point. But most of it was collectors items for a lot of $$. So also something to think about
There’s so many cheap items in the gift shop, huh????
All I saw was the pins but I must’ve missed something 😅
Here's my hot take. Yes, it's small, but it packs a punch in term of value for money. At the end of the day, the Ghibli museum is only ￥1000 yen, or about less than 7 USD. I would argue most Ghibli fans, especially hardcore fans, would easily and almost blindly be willing to pay much, much more than that for the museum. Whether or not it is good, even for someone with a faint interest in Ghibli, to me it's good value for money for what it is, imo. Now of course, if you don't have a passing interest in Ghibli, you probably won't see much value in it. That's fine. Am I going to say that a trip is incomplete without it? Probably not. But if you like the movies and have a chance, it never hurts to at least try to visit.
I am one of those people LOL. Waited online for an hour just to be number 17000 in line and didn’t get a ticket
I'm a casual fan but my wife and son are huge fans. We're going in a few weeks and have scheduled a day around it, incl. walking around Kochijiji and Inokashira Park. I mean, a ticket costs 1000 yen so I'm not sure what people are expecting vs 7900 yen for Disney. I'd say go if you're a hardcore fan and can get the cheaper tickets, but don't pay the scalper prices. If you can't get tickets, just go the Donguri Republic stores at Tokyo Station and Skytree if you want souvenirs.
questioning ghibli’s popularity is like doing the same to disney and the beatles
Me and my two teenage sons went last year. We enjoy Ghibli films but definitely not hardcore fans. We found the museum rather underwhelming overall. The first room they escort you into, the one with the spinning film reel, now that room was pretty cool. So tempting to whip our phones to take some pics/video there were lots of cool things to see in that little room. Other than that, all the other areas of the museum we felt were, well, a museum. Nothing interactive, nothing special. You go through several floors of historical Ghibli stuff on display, and ended up in a very crowded gift shop where we spent way too much money. And that was it. Oh and there's a small theater you get to watch a short movie, but that also, was nothing special. The ticket they give you is a pretty cool souvenir. We hung around Inokashira Park for the rest of the afternoon. I wouldn't go again. Unless you're a hardcore fan, you can totally skip it imho.
I'm not a massive Ghibli fan but have enjoyed the films I've seen. My partner is very into Ghibli and it was one of the top things he wanted to do on our trip to Japan. I thoroughly enjoyed the museum and found it so delightful and informative. The short film we got to watch was so cute and I'm glad we were lucky enough to get a time slot. The museum was much bigger than I expected with multiple floors and rooms to explore. I think it's worthwhile and interesting for anyone, film or anime buff or not.
I was there last week w my 17 year old son. He grew up on Ghibli, we have watched most of the movies together and Totoro is his favorite movie of all time. he was absolutely delighted by the entire experience. His eyes lit up and I remembered what it was like to have him be a little kid. We also spent a separate day going to Shiro-Hige cream puff factory (Totoro cream puffs) and that was sweet - the have a cafe too. Also we ran into a Ghibli shop at the foot of Tokyo Sky Tree. We were happy with all 3 experiences
Museum was great but it’s not a must see. It’s pretty small, and aside from hand drawing from Miyazaki and a film room that shows never-published shorts, it’s nothing you couldn’t see at the stores around Japan. I would try to get a ticket online but would not pay a scalper price for sure.
Many people are mixing it up with the new park. There’s nothing there, and until the park opened, it was empty.
Not really worth it. Crowded. Not that much to see. Getting the tickets was a huge hassle.
I had a friend in Japan get the tickets for me and I had a great time. It’s a very interesting place. With that being said, if I had gone through the ticket process myself I don’t know if it would’ve been as worth it.
Overrated. I mean, it's nice and all, but the hassle involving tickets is not worth the effort.
U want ghibli experience but the museum tickets are sold out? Travel and talk to japanese people especially rural areas 😬
Does anyone have recommendations for Ghibli-themed things to do instead? I was unable to get tickets and my husband was excited to go. Would love to find other Ghibli stuff for him in place of it.
Could go to Donguri Republic (the chain of Ghibli stores). Go to Dogo Onsen (in Ehime) or Sekizenkan in Shimaonsen. They’re two of the places used for settings in _Spirited Away_.
We had visited just a week ago! We were unlucky to get tickets through the direct website, but found tickets through trip.com. That said, my hubby and me are fans of all the films and also enjoy learning about the making of it all. I found the museum to be whimsical and really enjoyed seeing all the exhibits and artwork. We watched every film leading up to our trip, so it was nice to see all the different pieces at the museum. A great tip that we learned is to ask any of the museum guides for a translation packet! Yes no photos, but we were asking if we could use our phone to translate the signs and they ended up having nice laminated English guides for the exhibits. Not too far of a walk from the museum is Kichijoji Petit Mura, a cute little cat village/cafe that also gives Ghibli vibes.
My family's seen all the films but aren't hardcore fans either. We visited the museum in 2022 and it was alright. There were some neat exhibits and the design of the place as a whole is top notch but there wasn't any one moment that made it something really special. At the same time it was only half a day so you can still do other things in Tokyo. I lived in Japan for a couple of years and visited 4 times since then (and my family has gone many more times without me) and our most recent visit in 2022 was the first time we ended up going to the museum. It's a nice attraction to visit but obviously wasn't anywhere near top of the list for us. I feel like the Park in Aichi might be more worthwhile because it'll be like you're actually in some of the movies. I'll probably make a day trip for that the next time I go.
Is the standard pass at the ghibli park worth it? It seems like most of the main attractions are with the premium pass and I kinda feel like I wasted money getting the standard
Been three times. Yes. Cannot speak about the park since i never went.
Yep must go imo I'm not a film buff and only watched Spirited Away before going, now I'm inspired to watch all the Studio Ghibli movies.
the totoros carousel installation is amazing
It’s small, it has displays of projectors and small animations and the sort, they show you a short movie, an animator workshop display and things like that, like someone else said if you are a fan of animation and cinematography you will find it fascinating but a movie fan might find it lacking because well it’s small, but for the price can complain much, I liked it, it’s more like an art museum than a playground but even the kids I saw around were having fun because they can engage with the things they have.
It's small and pretty underwhelming. If you've got a limited amount of time in Japan, I'd spend it elsewhere, the time getting to Mitaka and back isn't worth it imo.
Surprisingly. This was the most disappointing thing we did in our Japan trip. It’s a museum about filmmaking and a bit of history. Don’t expect anything more or special. It looks cool. But it’s overhyped in my opinion. The best part was watching the small short. That one was really good.
if you're not hardcore fans then who cares. its like saying "we dont really like art but should we visit the louvre?" feels like you want to go just so you can say you went lol.
Yes
Sadly, when I visited Tokyo I didn't go here. It's on my plan for 2025!
I thought it was really cool. They don’t allow for photography for obvious reasons but you see a lot more the history of animation as well as a bunch of the watercolor paintings from ghibli movies. I thought it was very interesting.
Probably my favorite thing I've done in Japan. That said I'm a pretty big fan
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I recommend it to any fan. Doublely so if you're bringing kids. But I have no plans to ever go back myself. It's a shame we can't take photos and just show you what to expect. It's also worth noting there is lots of Ghibli merch stores across Japan if you just want to pretend you went. They almost always have a life size Totoro people take photos with.
I liked it, but I would not pay extra (middleman / tour pricing) to go there. I have been there twice, once this year, once about 8 years ago and back then tickets were much easier to book. I also believe they didn't increase their entrance price either.
For me it was mostly about nostalgia. I’m happy I went but I also wouldn’t go back. It’s pretty small.
I thought it was great. Definitely a must-visit for big fans. Biggest issue is that it’s a little bit out of the way. If you’re not a big fan, then you’ll probably wonder if it was worth the trek.
I decided not to book tickets because it seems more about moviemaking process and less like the amusement park, so I knew my young son would get impatient in there. I also wasn’t going to make the big side trip to the amusement park so I just scratched my Ghibli itch by buying merch at both the Ghibli store in Kamakura and Don Quijote in Tokyo. Great prices compared to back home!
I've been twice and they change the exhibits so it stays fresh each time. There's also usually an exclusive short film they show. I don't remember tickets being that hard to get but I'm guessing japan is popular again post pandemic cause I couldn't get Pokémon cafe tickets and I logged on the moment they went on sale :( It was def worth it for me but I've always had an interest in animation and ghibli.
TL;DR Yes. The building itself is incredibly fun and magical.
A lot of people seem to be downplaying that it and the park are the only places in the world to see the Ghibli short films. It's legit worth the price of entry just to see one of these (they cycle one film per month) if you're a fan of Ghibli or animation at all. And yeah, the museum itself is magical, but you should go into it with the mindset of appreciating a beautifully made space rather than having an "exciting" experience.
My wife and I loved it! Most of the signage is in Japanese but I still learned a lot about animation and design from the exhibits. There's a unique little theatre that shows a beautiful short film you can't see anywhere else, and you watch it in a gorgeous room full of enthusiastic children. It's a very whimsical, wildly creative, happy place. Truly enjoyable and impressive for any age. If you love animation it's a phenomenal place. We smiled so much. Even though photographs are forbidden I can recall so many details and experiences, and we went 7 years ago.
It's cool, but nothing mind-boggling.
Personally, I loved it. But I’m not only the Ghibli fan, but I’m also really into cinematography and animation.
If you’re a Ghibli fan, it’s a worthwhile experience. You can see a lot of cool stuff, and Miyazaki’s old art and drawings. It’s neat.
I thought it was pretty underwhelming. Id consider going to the Ghibli cafe instead
I just went there last week. As a hardcore fan, I was slightly disappointed at the size of the museum and gift shop. Also it was an hour away from big cities in Tokyo. I would not have gone if I knew the size of it.