Ghibli-mania

Hayao Miyazaki's works have brought joy to the world with his superb illustrations. And SPIRITED AWAY as his most famous masterpiece to date has achieved worldwide acclaim. I can watch this film over and over again, and yet glean a different perspective on life no matter how many times I watch it. The soundtracks written by Joe Hisaishi also complete the miyazaki experience with his glorious symphonies, minuets and solos to further accentuate each nuanced scene in the stories. His works are the Asian equivalent of Alan Menken's works in Disney classics.

My personal favourite are the tunes from HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE. Listen to the alluring title theme on this site - http://www.howlsmovingcastlemovie.co.uk/

Ghibli museum is one definite pitstop to make whether young or old. I myself have visited it twice and still wouldn't hesitate to go back again to experience the magic and wonder that this place brings. You feel like a kid again, exploring its maze of rooms and exhibits ( in the hope of bumping into the well loved "totoro" ). Going with kids can make the visit even more exhilirating as they squeal and grin with delight at all the fun things to see and do in the musuem. www.ghibli-museum.jp/en

Situated in a lovely residential neighbourhood of Mitaka-TOKYO, you will see regular signposts pointing towards the museum. Ghibli musuem is only 20 mins walk away from MITAKA train station. The neighbourhood has lovely houses and shops so its a nice pictureque walk down to the musuem from the train station. Just don't get carried away posing for photos like I did. It took me a good half hour before we reached Ghibli musuem.

Tickets are not sold in Singapore yet unless you join a tour by JTB. But fret not, the other way is to get a friend/colleague in Japan to help you buy tickets from the LAWSON convenience stores (somewhat like a 7 eleven convenience store). The official Ghibli website gives detailed instructions on how to purchase tickets at LAWSON. Tickets are released 1 month ahead for purchase, so grab them fast if you have a a very tight schedule to work around as this musuem is highly popular. Get the 10am tickets so that you can take a leisurely stroll before grabbing a seat inside the highly popular STRAW HAT cafe before the lunch crowds come in. The cosy cafe refuses further entry when they reach full capacity so go early. After lunch, catch an exclusive screening of a 10 minute animation of Totoro in the Saturn theatre. Seats only a maximum of about 50 pax so join the queue early. Go window shopping at the retail shop. And I say window shopping coz the Ghibli merchandise don't come cheap. Exquisite jewelry, porcelainware, stationery, DVDs and soft toys of every imaginable Ghibli character are available here. You can say this is the Asian counterpart of Disney and I am proud that Miyazaki-san has created this legacy for the kids of tomorrow in this part of the world! I got myself a cute little soot ball keychain ( watch SPIRITED AWAY and see if you can spot them)

By the time my entourage of 8 ( kids & adults ) finished the day's exploration of this amazing place, it was already 3pm. Last entry into the museum is at 4pm which leaves one with less than 2 hours to skim through the whole compound. If you hold a ticket for 4pm entry, you cannot enter before 4pm even if you arrive early. This is their way of crowd control. Nightfall in Tokyo starts around 4-5pm during December so make a quick dash next door to the Inokashira Park to cha cha with cheeky squirrels in their enclosure or get to play with guinea pigs at the patting zoo..

Photography is strictly prohibited inside the museum however with quick fingers and a keen sense of strategic blindspots, you can still snap some rare momentos for your private photo collection long after returning from Japan. I have way too much photos to upload here but you can google for a preview of the museum on youtube, otherwise this website is also a great peek into what you can expect at the musuem. www.ghibliworld.com

Suggested itinnerary :

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1) reach mitaka station by 9am and grab some of the yummiest and freshest salads from the "QUEEN'S MITAKA" food hall located within the station after exiting. Don't miss the fluffiest potato croquettes just beside the salad bar. Candied sweet potatoes are also a big hit! Be sure to buy a pack each and share amongst your fellow travelmates.

2) take a leisurely 20-30 min walk to the museum on foot, or

3) take a bus to the musuem from the bus stop at MITAKA train station. You can pay during boarding, don't buy the tickets from the machine coz its 100 yen more expensive.

4) reach the musuem at 10am sharp.

5) acquaint yourself with the general surroundings and head on first to STRAW HAT cafe and try their signature hot

drinks and desserts. Freshen up in the washroom which is decked out beautifully with stained glass.

6) catch a short film @ Saturn theatre

7) window shop at the GHIBLI retail shop

8) see the cat bus and exhibits of the animation process within the musuem

9) head on up to the rooftop and pose with the gigantic LAPUTA robot soldier. Go behind the robot and tread on the wooden chip path to decipher Laputa cube's hidden message.

10) hop over next door to Inokashira zoo to play with squirrels & guinea pigs.

11) grab some yummy dinner from the supermarket next to MITAKA station

12) back to hotel :)