The museum building was designed by Hayao Miyazaki, who used storyboards to plan the layout just as he would for a film.
The Saturn Theater displays original short films that cannot be viewed on any home media or streaming platforms.
The interior contains a 'Cat Bus' room specifically designed for children to play in, modeled after the creature from My Neighbor Totoro.
The museum floor features original painted tiles and custom-designed stained glass depicting iconic Ghibli characters.
The central atrium contains a winding spiral staircase that connects all levels, intentionally creating a sense of wonder and disorientation.
The rooftop garden is only accessible via a narrow, exterior spiral staircase.
The Ghibli Museum, designed by director Hayao Miyazaki, serves as a conceptual exploration of Studio Ghibli’s animation process and architectural whimsy. The building avoids a traditional museum layout in favor of a maze-like structure featuring narrow staircases, bridges, and stained-glass windows. Exhibits include permanent displays detailing the production stages of animation and rotating temporary exhibitions on specific films or techniques. The Saturn Theater shows exclusive, short-form animated films produced by the studio that are unavailable elsewhere. The rooftop features a life-sized copper statue of the robot soldier from Castle in the Sky. Visitors enter through a registration process that utilizes personalized film-strip tickets. The museum structure itself is considered a primary exhibit, designed to reflect the studio's organic and hand-crafted aesthetic.
The rooftop garden featuring the life-sized Robot Soldier statue.
Book tickets significantly in advance through the official online system as availability is extremely limited.
Arrive early to ensure you have enough time to browse the Straw Hat Café and the Mamma Aiuto gift shop.
Bring a portable battery as the museum encourages exploration and potential long wait times for indoor exhibits.
Attempting to purchase tickets at the museum entrance; tickets must be secured online well in advance of your trip.
Closed on Tuesdays and during periodic maintenance and inventory periods.
Photography is strictly prohibited inside the museum building, though it is allowed on the rooftop terrace.
