The official site of Ghibli Museum, Mitaka in Japan

This is the Kind of Museum I Want to Make!

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:06:51 +0900

A museum that is interesting and which relaxes the soul
A museum where much can be discovered
A museum based on a clear and consistent philosophy
A museum where those seeking enjoyment can enjoy, those seeking to ponder can ponder, and those seeking to feel can feel
A museum that makes you feel more enriched when you leave than when you entered!

To make such a museum, the building must be...
Put together as if it were a film
Not arrogant, magnificent, flamboyant, or suffocating
Quality space where people can feel at home, especially when it's not crowded
A building that has a warm feel and touch
A building where the breeze and sunlight can freely flow through

The museum must be run in such a way so that...
Small children are treated as if they were grown-ups
The handicapped are accommodated as much as possible
The staff can be confident and proud of their work
Visitors are not controlled with predetermined courses and fixed directions
It is suffused with ideas and new challenges so that the exhibits do not get dusty or old, and that investments are made to realize that goal

The displays will be...
Not only for the benefit of people who are already fans of Studio Ghibli
Not a procession of artwork from past Ghibli films as if it were "a museum of the past"
A place where visitors can enjoy by just looking, can understand the artists' spirits, and can gain new insights into animation
Original works and pictures will be made to be exhibited at the museum
A project room and an exhibit room will be made, showing movement and life (Original short films will be produced to released in the museum!)
Ghibli's past films will be probed for understanding at a deeper level

The cafe will be...
An important place for relaxation and enjoyment
A place that doesn't underestimate the difficulties of running a museum cafe
A good cafe with a style all its own where running a cafe is taken seriously and done right

The museum shop will be...
Well-prepared and well-presented for the sake of the visitors and running the museum
Not a bargain shop that attaches importance only to the amount of sales
A shop that continues to strive to be a better shop
Where original items made only for the museum are found

The museum's relation to the park is...
Not just about caring for the plants and surrounding greenery but also planning for how things can improve ten years into the future
Seeking a way of being and running the museum so that the surrounding park will become even lusher and better, which will in turn make the museum better as well!

This is what I expect the museum to be, and therefore I will find a way to do it

This is the kind of museum I don't want to make!
A pretentious museum
An arrogant museum
A museum that treats its contents as if they were more important than people
A museum that displays uninteresting works as if they were significant

Ghibli Museum, Mitaka
Executive Director
Hayao Miyazaki

A boy's Room - A Gift From Grampa

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:14:25 +0900

This is one of the five rooms on the first floor called "Where a Film is Born". The room seems to belong to someone who was sketching at the desk just a few minutes ago. The room is filled with books and toys. The walls are all covered with illustrations and sketches. Hanging from the ceiling are a model of an airplane and a model of a Peterandone. It's a place where the owner of the room has stored his favorite things. This room provides lots of inspiration for what will go on to the blank piece of paper on the desk to become the origin of an actual film.
After walking through the five rooms, you will get an idea how an animated film is made. With a little bit of an idea and a flash of inspiration, a film-maker struggles with his work and ultimately completes the film.

Poof, Boing! The Cat Bus

Sat, 10 Feb 2007 17:48:28 +0900

The Cat Bus is waiting for you in a room on the second floor. It must be everyone's dream to touch and ride the Cat Bus. In order to make this wish come true, we made a room with an actual Cat Bus. If you remember the Cat Bus from "My Neighbor Totoro", you have probably dreamed of touching its fluffy fur. Now you can do it. Next to the Cat Bus, a bunch of soot-black Dust Bunnies are waiting for you to play with them. We wanted to make the Cat Bus as big as it is in the film, but because it wouldn't fit in the museum, we ended up downsizing him a little bit.

The Cat Bus is for elementary school children and under (age 12 and under) only.

Our Guardian - The Robot Solider on the Rooftop

Mon, 05 Feb 2007 17:48:02 +0900

From the terrace off the Cat Bus Room, a spiral stairway leads to the roof, and there you will find a grassy rooftop garden. From this lofty post, a serene five-meter-tall Robot Soldier (from “Laputa Castle in the Sky”) looks down on Inokashira Park.
But have no fear; the Robot Soldier is the Guardian of the Ghibli Museum!

Passing behind the Robot Soldier you will find yourself in a patch of wildly growing vegetation which makes you forget that you are on a building and not in the park itself. Please take a moment to experience the seasonally changing plant life.

Ghibli Original Short Animated Feature at the Museum Only!

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:35:43 +0900

The Saturn Theater is a small theater in the basement of the Museum with only about eighty seats. There you can watch an original short animated feature from Ghibli, which can only be seen in the Museum's theatre. A blue sky and lots of colorful flowers are drawn on the ceiling and walls. When the film ends, the windows open and the sunshine comes in. You can sit on a little red bench or the back of a seat to see the big screen without being blocked.
Most of you probably don't know how a movie is projected. But here the projectionist's room, which looks like a tiny train car, is transparent, so you can see how film moves through a projector.

(The Theater houses approximately 80 seats, with a dts sound system)

>>Screening Schedule

The Day I Bought a Star