Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

三鷹の森ジブリ美術館

A museum in the woods with Totoro at the ticket window; booking only

⚠ Book on the 10th; no indoor photos

Hours

10:00–18:00; closing days follow the official calendar (mostly Tuesdays and changeover periods)

Tickets

Ages 19+ ¥1,000, 13–18 ¥700, 7–12 ¥400, 4–6 ¥100, 3 and under free (official site). From abroad, buy through Lawson Ticket online (English) or a Sunrise Tours (JTB) bus tour; tickets are for a set date and entry time, and resale is banned.

Address

1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka, on the west side of Inokashira Park

In front of an ivy-covered yellow and pink building, a giant Totoro sits in a fake ticket booth to greet you. Inside, spiral stairs, little bridges and crooked corridors tangle together and you're meant to wander with no set route. A recreated studio room has sketches covering every wall, and the small basement cinema, the Saturn Theatre, shows short films you can only see here. Climb the narrow spiral stair to the roof and the robot soldier from 'Castle in the Sky' stands in the grass. No photos are allowed inside, so it's one to take in with your eyes.