Explore 6 Ghibli Museum Attractions in Japan

Ghibli Museum is located in Inokashira Park, Mitaka City, Tokyo. It is about a 15-minute walk from Mitaka Station and Kichijoji Station, with a unique and colorful architecture surrounded by trees, consisting of 2 floors above ground and 1 basement floor.

Those who love Japanese animation and entertainment art have visited the Ghibli Museum Attractions in Mitaka to experience and explore the fascinating attractions it offers.

1. Enter the Ghibli world through the unique entrance gate.

 With the concept of “Let’s immerse ourselves in the world of Ghibli!”, the museum does not follow a fixed tour route. Visitors can freely wander around the premises and encounter their favorite characters in various corners of the museum. You can take photos with ease alongside your favorite Ghibli characters or scenes from the films.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

2. Totoro ticket counter 

As you enter the museum area, the first thing you will see is the Totoro ticket counter replica. This is the place for taking typical Ghibli photos. Here, there’s a sign guiding visitors to the real ticket counter, and the Makkuro Kurosuke spies “peeping” at guests from the window frame below, creating a unique and delightful sight.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

Walking along a small path from the fake Totoro ticket counter, you’ll find a building with an eye-catching exterior of orange and yellow, leading to the museum’s entrance. There, you’ll see a sign reading “Real Ticket Counter (ほんものの受付)”. The path is surrounded by green trees and a pleasant breeze, creating a sensation as if you are walking through the dreamlike animated scenes of Ghibli.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

3. Stained glass staircase leading to the basement floor from the entrance

 Inside the museum, you’ll find a corridor decorated with beautiful stained glass artworks and murals on the ceiling. From there, you can take a spiral staircase down to the lower floor.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

Not only the staircase but also the windows and lights throughout the museum are designed with stained glass, creating a magical atmosphere with seven colors when sunlight shines through. The stained glass features images of various characters and famous scenes from Ghibli’s works.

4. Learn about Director Miyazaki Hayao’s filmmaking process at the permanent exhibition area!

 The “Where a Film is Born” permanent exhibition on the first floor recreates the animation filmmaking process. Here, you can learn about the production stages, from initial ideas, storyboard creation, drawings, to film shooting.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

The highlight is the exhibition “A Boy’s Room”! The walls are filled with paintings, character designs, illustrations, sketches, and various model airplanes and antique items… Inside the room, you can immerse yourself in the world where film ideas come to life.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

Handwritten explanations and catchy slogans are displayed throughout the exhibition rooms. For example, around the storyboard creator’s desk, you’ll find explanations about storyboards and related stories posted on the walls. Near the ceiling, there are references to a creature called “Ghibli Monster” that appears when work doesn’t progress smoothly.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

Additionally, the room explaining color has many interactive exhibits for both children and adults. These include transparent celluloid sheets used for drawing or coloring objects in the animation production process, a camera dolly for trying out background movement, and a celluloid sheet for learning about filming, as well as an editing machine.

5. Meet the robot soldier from “Castle in the Sky” on the 2nd floor.

 After visiting the first floor and passing the Catb Room (for children under 12 years old), you can climb the spiral staircase outside to reach the rooftop garden.

Here, you’ll be greeted by a statue of the robot soldier from the animated film Castle in the Sky.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

Tourists who came here were excited to see the giant robot and the panoramic view of the museum from above! If you walk around the back of the robot soldier and along the narrow path, you’ll find the stone slab of Laputa Castle. We took a picture in a retro style, as if we were in a scene from the animated film. This authentic moment felt like stepping into the world of animation for those who love Ghibli films.

6. Must-have souvenirs at Ghibli Museum, Mitaka 

If you visit the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, you must not miss the exclusive souvenirs available here.

At the souvenir shop Mamma Aiuto, named after the flying squadron in the film “Porco Rosso,” you can find various exclusive Studio Ghibli merchandise.

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Ghibli Museum Attractions

Exclusive stained glass-designed postcards 

The first is a postcard with a stained glass design, featuring the same type of glass used for the museum’s windows and doors. The postcard’s design vividly recreates the transparency and vibrant colors of stained glass (made from blown glass). You can open a small window on the back to use it as a decoration.

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When light shines on the postcard, its colors change, and images of Totoro and others also appear! The design portrays a scene from the film where characters play the ocarina under the moonlit night, creating a cute decoration for your room.

Museum Original Kurosuke plush toys 

Makkuro Kurosuke plush toys (also known as Susuwatari) with big round eyes and soft, fluffy fur are limited-edition products of the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. They are also the most beloved creatures due to their unique appearance. You can buy them in multiples to recreate the scene of the Makkuro Kurosuke spirits from the movie My Neighbor Totoro.

Ghibli Museum Attractions
Makkuro Kurosuke plush toys

Visit our store to see more beautiful and unique souvenirs : Ghibli Merch