I really discovered mangas as an adolescent. Sure, I was watching Sailor Moon as a child, but to me, it simply was a cartoon like any other. In High School, one of my friends was reading mangas, and she lended me some of them. My first one was Gunnm, and I still love it very much. That makes me think that I haven’t seen the movie they recently made. I’m a bit scared I will be disappointed… Anyway, sorry for the digression. Well, around the same time, I discovered the Ghibli movies and fell in love with their poetry. Spirited Away was my first and is very dear to me. Then, there was My Neighbor Totoro. Despite being designed for children, I love it. Plus, it was made in 1988, just like me. 🙂
Flying To Fulfill Dreams
After travelling to Canada by myself, I felt like I could go anywhere from London and do anything I dreamed of. So I flew to Japan. I became friend with my neighbour on the plane and exchanged my contact info with her. I met some cool people in the hostel, interested in Japanese culture, litterature and food. (Little anecdote: I was quite surprised to see a shirtless guy on the first morning as I didn’t remember booking a mixed room and I was glad that I didn’t sleep in my underwear that night). My hostel was near Asakusa, and I loved this district!
In 2015, I stayed in Japan for a month, starting and ending with Tokyo. I had booked in advance my ticket to the Ghibli Museum and was very excited about it. Some people I met told me they wanted to go, but had waited too much to book their ticket. I was so happy I made it!
Setting Foot In A Fantasy World
The first things I saw were the “carousels” of characters from the movies. When they turn fast, it seems like the characters become alive. For example, the bus-shaped cat starts to run. Even though it’s the basics of animation, it feels like magic! Also, it all happens in a very special context. The Museum is actually a house that could be part of a fantasy movie. With little pathways here and there, round shapes and tiny windows, it’s a pleasure to explore it. The only thing is that it’s really small. Maybe it’s bigger now, I don’t know. I visited the museum in 2015.
Discovering An Original Short Movie
The entrance ticket includes a ticket to see a short movie in the Saturn Theater. They change every year, I think. The one I saw was called A Sumo Wrestler’s Tail. It was lovely, it’s about an elderly couple in the countryside. They feed mice in their house, then help them train one sumo mouse to fight a sumo mouse from the other group of mice who lives nearby. It was a really cute movie that pleased both adults and children.
What Else In The Ghibli Museum
The museum also includes fabulous exhibitions. You feel like you step into the imaginative brain of Hayao Miyazaki. It’s forbidden to take pictures inside, so it took me a long time to visit each room as they are full of details and I wanted to remember everything (five years later, I can tell you it didn’t work). However, as I said, the museum is not that big so the visit ended at some point.
I was not sad, because I arrived at the shop and I was like a kid in a candy store, wanting to buy everything! I bought a few souvenirs and stuffed animals. And by a few, I mean a lot. But I don’t regret anything!
I was a bit more disappointed by the restaurant, so I went directly to the garden, where a massive statue of the robot Castle In The Sky stands. It looks incredible and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of myself with it. I know, cliché… Again, I don’t regret anything. Sometimes, I love being a cliché tourist!
Book Early!
Before my second stay, I tried booking a ticket to go back to the museum. Unfortunately, things had changed and it was no longer possible to book only the museum, you had to book a day package. It included the Ghibli Museum, but also another museum and it costed a lot! I am glad I went before it only became about money. In any case, book your tickets months before your trip if you want to go there.
To see more photos of Japan, you can visit the gallery Japan.
