Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, located in Tokyo, Japan, showcases the art and technique of Studio Ghibli’s animations. Designed by Hayao Miyazaki, the museum features exhibitions, a small theater for exclusive short films, a café, bookstore, and a rooftop garden. Visitors can explore the museum’s maze-like interior, which encourages discovery and immersion in the world of Ghibli. Tickets are available by advance reservation only, and photography inside the museum is prohibited to preserve the immersive experience.

Planning your visit

The Ghibli Museum was designed by Hayao Miyazaki himself, and his instruction to visitors was to "get lost, together" — the building is deliberately maze-like, with spiral staircases, catwalks, small doors and rooms that reward wandering rather than following a route. There is no fixed order. The Saturn Theater screens short films made exclusively for the museum and shown nowhere else, rotating so that repeat visitors see something different. Upstairs, a recreation of an animator's studio is buried in sketches, references and half-finished work, and a giant Catbus is open to children only. The robot from Laputa stands on the rooftop garden.

Two rules define the experience and both are strictly enforced. Photography is prohibited indoors, which is the reason the atmosphere holds. And tickets are sold by advance reservation only, released on a set monthly schedule, with none available at the door — they sell out within minutes, and overseas visitors typically buy through authorised agents or organised tours.

That ticketing is the single biggest planning obstacle. It sits in Mitaka, west of central Tokyo, reached via Kichijōji or Mitaka station with a walk through Inokashira Park.

Bookable options are mostly guided tours that include the entry ticket, which is how many international visitors solve the reservation problem. Formats combine the museum with Kichijōji food tours, Inokashira Park, or wider Tokyo itineraries. Current availability is shown below.