Ghibli Museum, Mitaka-shi
Magical Moments at Ghibli
The provocative quote comes from Hayao Miyazaki’s directorial work, The Wind Rises released back in 2013. I thought the title of this post was fitting seeing as JICE was taking us to the Ghibli Museum — the Mecca of Japan’s animation industry.
There is so much I can say about the architecture. From the moment you enter the green gates, you are greeted by the whimsical and colourful exterior of the actual museum, which looks a bit like neon Neapolitan ice cream — speaking of which, I’ve heard that the ice cream from the Straw Hat café is amazing. You follow the queue into the lobby where you are genuinely greeted by friendly faces who hand you a small entry ticket made out of a portion of film reel.
On the main floor of the museum, you will see exhibits which illustrate the methodical creation of Ghibli short films, from inspiration to production and you will enter a theater for screening short films. I caught the showing of Mizugumo Monmon (Water Spider Monmon). The extremely adorable protagonist is a water spider and it spends most of his day valiantly building a bubble nest to hide from predators.
A tight spiral staircase leads up to the rooftop garden. At the top of the stairs you’ll find a towering replica of the robot soldier from Castle in the Sky. One exhibition room recreates a Studio Ghibli art director’s studio. Mascot characters and film references are hidden around the museum like Easter eggs you have to hunt for.
The gift shop is where you purchase your Ghibli souvenirs, T-shirts, collectibles and movie-themed jewelry. If you want to find a souvenir that will give you the most bang for your buck, I suggest steering clear of the stuffed animals and clothing, which can be quite overpriced. The best find in the shop were, for me, the colourful postcards.
I bought several postcards with beautiful depictions of iconic scenes from some Ghibli films (for about $2 CAD each).
But as an artist, my favourite part by far was undoubtedly the concept art exhibit. A cozy cottage-esque room was covered from top to bottom in pencil sketches of characters and settings, and detailed hand-done oil paintings of film backdrops.
The History of Japanese Animation
Major Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Diving into the theme of Japanese animation, we attended an afternoon lecture given by renowned anime critic, Ryusuke Hikawa, about the rich history of animation in Japan. As a TA for UBC’s manga and anime course, I was back in my element!
So what does it take to make a film stand out from the crowd? What is it that endears one film to thousands of fans around the world ?
From the era of Astro Boy to the present day, there were several noteworthy works that were major turning points in animation technology, and in storytelling genre. You might even recognize some of these iconic films — Ghost in the Shell (1995), Spirited Away (2001) and Your Name (2016).
Joey Go 