It took months to get tickets to the Ghibli Museum, but the Saturday finally arrived. Our family headed out to this “home of animation” not knowing what to expect:

Ghibli Museum (三鷹の森ジブリ美術館 Mitaka no Mori Jiburi Bijutsukan^?, Mitaka Forest Ghibli Museum) is a museum featuring the Japaneseanime work of Studio Ghibli, and is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western suburb of Tokyo, Japan.

The museum is a fine arts museum, but does not take the concept of a usual fine arts museum. With many features that are child-oriented and a sprawling and occasionally mazelike interior, the museum is a playfully created place. Centered around the motto appearing on the museum’s website “Let’s become lost children together” (迷子になろうよ、いっしょに Maigo ni narō yo, isshoni^?), or “let’s lose our way together” as it is translated in the English leaflet. It has no set path or order of viewing. While the museum brochure contains a variety of languages, the signs within the museum are in Japanese only.

Unfortunately, I missed that last line. It is a very cool museum, with a very “Gaudi” feel to it.

One of our first stops was the roof top garden. I remember watching the Iron Giant with the kids years ago.

A very serene and beautiful garden.

Inside is stuffed with interesting drawings and the history of animation from around the world. However, you are not allowed to take pictures and there is zero English to be found.

It is a real shame and very frustrating as we wanted to learn. So much in front of you and not accessible. In some ways like all of Japan.

Still, it was a beautiful day, in a park with some beautiful architecture.