We Went To Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Japan - And The Walk On The Way There Was Just As Magical
It was a cloudy day in September 2012 in Mitaka, Japan. My husband and I had just gotten off the train from Tokyo in the hopes we could find the Ghibli Museum during our whirlwind tour by H.I.S. Travel. They had designated a free day with no itinerary planned and we decided to have an adventure.
It was Sunday and pretty quiet in the area. We walked for a while, but we weren't seeing any signs for the museum which seemed odd as we figured it was a pretty big tourist attraction. Our handdrawn map wasn't very clear on what landmarks we should be seeing. I stopped in front of a pastry shop where an older woman was sweeping the doorway. I asked her in broken Japanese where to find the museum. She looked a little confused and went in to grab a younger employee, possibly her own daughter. I asked again and listened intently. From my limited vocabulary I was able to gather that we had gotten out on the wrong side of the station! I thanked her profusely and we turned around.
We crossed through the station and began our walk anew. Homes lined one side of the street, and we could hear the gushing of a large creek on the other side. The creek was lushly lined with trees and greenery, a beautiful sight after the concrete jungles of Ikebukuro. It began to rain lightly so we ran into a convenience store and picked up an umbrella for as cheap as we could find...it turned out to be a really tiny umbrella that couldn't really cover both of us. We had a wet shoulder each, but it wasn't the end of the world.
Time seemed to stand still. The sound of the rain from above and the creek from the left was positively musical. Hardly a soul passed us. I stopped in my tracks when we spotted a gigantic spider on a perfect web, glistening from the water. There is a reason spiders are so prevalent in myths there. Every spider I saw on that trip was monstrous and fearsome. This one had a vibrant yellow and black pattern on its abdomen.
The trees glowed and twinkled from the wetness. A cat stood on the doorstep of a wooden home with interesting old architecture. We reached the end of the road to turn right and we were surrounded by enormous fairytale trees. My husband took a leaf from one and held it over his head, just like Totoro.
We spotted some metal signs with Totoro on the front and knew that we were getting close.
At last we reached a faux ticket counter with Totoro himself grinning at all newcomers. We could see the robot from Castle in the Sky on the roof of the museum, forever still and watchful of his green home. We went inside and marveled at the creative process of the great Hayao Miyazaki. Rooms were set up with concept drawings, rich watercolor paintings, and gadgets that were certainly used as reference material for the many magical contraptions in his films. It was so inspiring! Surround yourself in things that inspire you to create. That's the message I took away that day.
If you ever get a chance to go to the Ghibli Museum, make sure to soak in the beautiful surroundings that greet you on the way there. And make sure you pay more than 500 yen for an umbrella...if you want your shoulders to be dry!
It was Sunday and pretty quiet in the area. We walked for a while, but we weren't seeing any signs for the museum which seemed odd as we figured it was a pretty big tourist attraction. Our handdrawn map wasn't very clear on what landmarks we should be seeing. I stopped in front of a pastry shop where an older woman was sweeping the doorway. I asked her in broken Japanese where to find the museum. She looked a little confused and went in to grab a younger employee, possibly her own daughter. I asked again and listened intently. From my limited vocabulary I was able to gather that we had gotten out on the wrong side of the station! I thanked her profusely and we turned around.
We crossed through the station and began our walk anew. Homes lined one side of the street, and we could hear the gushing of a large creek on the other side. The creek was lushly lined with trees and greenery, a beautiful sight after the concrete jungles of Ikebukuro. It began to rain lightly so we ran into a convenience store and picked up an umbrella for as cheap as we could find...it turned out to be a really tiny umbrella that couldn't really cover both of us. We had a wet shoulder each, but it wasn't the end of the world.
Impeccably kept gardens full of color along the way.
The trees glowed and twinkled from the wetness. A cat stood on the doorstep of a wooden home with interesting old architecture. We reached the end of the road to turn right and we were surrounded by enormous fairytale trees. My husband took a leaf from one and held it over his head, just like Totoro.
We spotted some metal signs with Totoro on the front and knew that we were getting close.
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