Tokyo - Ghibli Museum and Sensoji

This may have been one of the best experiences of my life—top twenty at least. Starting out early, we made our way to the famed Ghibli Museum!

Who's excited? I am!

The train ride was pretty typical—it was when we waited for the bus to take us to the museum that the magic really started.

Yes, this is the bus

Entering the museum gates, I was much enamored of the ticket seller.

There were also random portholes in the wall filled with soot sprites.

Here they are

My reaction

Unfortunately, no photography is allowed within the museum to expend the aura of mystery and wonder.

But look at the ticket with frames from Ponyo on it!

I, myself, muchly enjoyed the film room where a mixture of stop-action, glass plate diorama, mobius strips, and old film machines were used to show the animation process.

I was also very impressed by the stained glass sprinkled liberally throughout the museum—it was all of Ghibli characters!

The inside of the museum is too wonderful to describe with words. If I attempted to tell you in person, I probably could only gesticulate wildly while making strangled squeaking sounds of joy.

The most awesome exhibit in my opinion is the walk-through Ghibli scenes—starting with a life-size Catbus that you can sit in.  following that, you experience Mei’s goat, the Baron’s Antique Store, and a large pile of roasted chicken—be careful not to eat it, or you’ll probably end up pigs!—followed by Yubaba’s quarters. You can also step into Sophie’s hat shop and see Ashitaka’s deer. It was mind-blowing. I only wish I could have taken pictures. Luckily, there was a book that you could buy of all the scenes.

The Catbus

The less I mention about the jam-packed gift shop, the less I give away certain Ghibli-lovers’ souvenirs.

But there were cookies

But Sarah, you cry. You’ve mentioned Totoro, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and The Cat Returns—what about Laputa (Castle in the Sky)? This is the part where my smile threatens to split my face in half.

On the top floor there is a patio. On the patio is a spiral staircase encased in ivy. If you climb up that staircase you will reach one of the biggest signs of the Ghibli Museum.

This.

Yes, this is the robot from Castle in the Sky (a.k.a. Laputa).

But that’s not all—there’s also the power cube!

A photobomb turned right: FEAR MY POWER

Also the Ghibli Museum has its own beer. Awful-tasting, but worth the bottle!

After Ghibli, I made my way for Sensoji—the temple closest to my hostel that I haven’t visited yet. Almost better-known is the street leading to it!

There's the Tokyo Sky Tree, unfortunately not open yet, but it's the tallest structure in the world now I think...

It was there that I finally get some nice, authentic Japanese fans!

After that, I met up with Isa and we walked to the kitchenware street, Kappabashi, but they were all closed when we arrived! Oh no!

But the lights were pretty

We also stopped by a sweets/snacks shop

Tomorrow is my last day in Tokyo and I’m going to spend it with a blast—I’m going on a museum spree—the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and the Mitsui Memorial Museum!

I'll leave you with a picture of my newest friend, KuroTotoro (limited edition museum-only)