The house was constructed using traditional Japanese carpentry methods to ensure it accurately reflected a 1950s rural residence.
All the daily necessities found inside, such as school bags and kitchenware, were sourced or created to match the specific period of the film.
The house features a functioning well in the garden that visitors can operate.
The interior is designed to look lived-in, with personal items placed as if the family has just stepped out for a moment.
The house is situated in a location chosen to mimic the natural landscape depicted in the movie's countryside setting.
The construction project was overseen by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro Miyazaki, to maintain cinematic integrity.
Satsuki and Mei's House is a faithful 1:1 scale recreation of the protagonist's home from the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbor Totoro. The structure was originally constructed for the 2005 World Expo and now serves as a centerpiece of Ghibli Park's Dondoko Forest area. It features two distinct floors, including a traditional Japanese tatami room and a clutter-filled study that mirrors the film's animation. Visitors are permitted to touch and interact with many of the household items, such as opening cupboards and drawers, to discover hidden Ghibli-themed objects. The house is built using authentic architectural techniques consistent with the Showa period setting of the movie. It is nestled within a forested hilltop, requiring a short hike from the base of the hill to reach the house. The interior layout remains consistent with the film, including the iconic round window in the attic and the staircase leading to the crawlspace.
The exterior porch looking out toward the garden, which captures the most iconic angle of the house structure.
Wear slip-on shoes as you will be required to remove your footwear before entering the house interior.
Explore the garden thoroughly to find small details, like the family's old wooden shoes or water buckets, placed around the exterior.
Bring a camera with a wide-angle lens, as the interior rooms are small and can be challenging to capture in full.
Do not attempt to walk through the forest trails in unsuitable footwear, as the paths can be steep and uneven.
Closed on Tuesdays; subject to closure during major maintenance periods in the Ghibli Park complex.
You must remove your shoes at the entrance and place them in the provided bags; photography inside the house is restricted to specific areas; do not touch fragile museum-grade artifacts.
