Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

What it is

The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka is Studio Ghibli's museum, conceived and designed by Hayao Miyazaki and opened in October 2001. The maze-like building has exhibits on the art of animation, a small theater (the 'Saturn Theater') that screens original short films you can only see here, a rooftop with a life-size Robot Soldier from 'Castle in the Sky', the 'Catbus' room, a café and the Mamma Aiuto! shop. Photography is not allowed inside the exhibits.

Tickets — advance only (read this first)

Entry is by advance reservation only, for a specific date AND time slot (10:00 / 12:00 / 14:00 / 16:00). There are NO tickets at the museum, and slots routinely sell out, especially weekends/holidays. Prices: adult (19+) ¥1,000; ¥700 (13–18); ¥400 (7–12); ¥100 (4–6); free under 4. How overseas visitors buy: the main channel is the official Lawson Ticket online site (linked from the museum's English Tickets page). Each month's tickets go on sale at 10:00 a.m. JST on the 10th of the previous month, and popular slots can sell out within minutes — buy the moment they release. The ticket is tied to the buyer's name, so bring matching photo ID (passport). Open 10:00–18:00, closed Tuesdays plus maintenance/exhibit-change and New Year periods — check the official calendar before booking travel.