12 DAYS IN JAPAN - DAY 11 MT. FUJI & HAKONE

From Kyoto, we travelled on the Nozomi Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo station, approx. 2hrs 15mins.

Ghibli Museum

One of my all time favourite animations is My Neighbour Totoro, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It reminds me of my childhood because it was one of the first animated films my parents had bought for us and yes, me and my siblings would watch the film continuously on repeat , as you do when you are a kid. It tells the story of two sisters who have moved to the countryside with their father. Their mother is sick and recovering in the nearby hospital. The girls start to explore the forest and go on a magical adventure with the forest spirits. Its a really sweet and charming film, if you haven't seen it I would highly recommend it.

The Ghibli Museum is dedicated to the world of Hayao Miyazaki and the animation Studio Ghibli. Located in Mitaka, you can get a train from Tokyo to Mitaka Station and then the yellow bus will drop you off near the museum.

Tickets to the museum can only be purchased in advance through Lawson or JTB. We found that JTB tended to only sell the museum tickets as part of a package, with a tour or hotel. I would highly recommend checking the Studio Ghibli website for more details. Be warned, tickets usually go on sale a month or three months in advance so it is definitely worth planning ahead when you want to go and when you would need to buy tickets. Tickets sell out fast and you wouldn't want to miss out. If you have a friend in Japan, it may be easier to ask them to purchase a ticket for you.

At the museum entrance, you will receive your actual ticket which is made from a 35mm film print. Amazing!

Without giving too much away, there are several floors in the museum and you can see concept sketches and illustrations from the films and gain an insight into how they make the films. There is a strict policy of no photography inside the museum and the staff will not hesitate to tell you off.

The admission ticket also includes one screening of an original short animation from Studio Ghibli. We watched a film about Mei and the Baby Cat Bus.

A special exhibition is held at the museum with a different theme throughout the year. I really enjoyed the exhibition, it was about the importance of food in the films. We got to see some recreations of the food from the films and there was also Satsuki and Mei's kitchen in My Neighbor Totoro, and the mess hall of the Tiger Moth from Castle in the Sky.

For children under the age of 12, there is a giant cuddly cat bus where you can climb aboard and don't forget to visit the garden where there is a five meter tall Robot Soldier from Laputa: Castle In the Sky.

To complete the experience, we had decided to eat in the Straw Hat Cafe, which serves hot and cold food, dessert and drinks. It was busy but it was totally worth it. There are also separate food stands serving snacks like hot dogs and chips which were quicker, if you wanted to grab something to eat but didn't want to wait and sit inside the restaurant. Check out the Totoro themed plates! 

Breaded Pork Cutlet Sandwich (Comes with a free Totoro flag!)

   Granny's Lemon Cake 

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12 DAYS IN JAPAN - DAY 11 MT. FUJI & HAKONE

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