Where to Get your Ghibli Fixes
In TokyoFor fans of Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki, you must pay a visit to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka（三鷹）. If you're buying your tickets outside of Japan, I hope you live in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, North America, Europe or Australia, because only these areas have travel agency counters which sell reservation tickets. Sis got ours from Melbourne, and I got Nick's from Hong Kong. You will need your passport number to purchase the tickets, so if you're getting them for your friends, make sure you go to the counters equipped with their full names and passport numbers! Plan well in advance!
How to Get There:
From Shinjuku station (新宿駅）, take the JR Chuo （中央） line to Mitaka (about 20 mins). There is a community bus at Mitaka station which goes to the museum. Round trip fare costs ￥300.
Phototaking is not allowed in the Museum; however you may snap away at the roof-top garden and at the cafe area.
Pretty!
The whimsical cafe area
Cute!
If you've watched Laputa, these would be familiar.
At Asakusa (浅草)
Along the main road between the Asakusa station and the street where the Asakusa Kannon temple is, there's a tiny shop which sells Ghibli goods but they look of lower quality as compared to those in the Museum. I got Nick's Totoro umbrella figurine from there, which is not available in Ghibli Museum.
In Osaka
Tucked away in a corner of Universal Citywalk is GK Station, which has a corner near the entrance dedicated to Ghibli goods (Can you see the Totoro stuffed toy in the 1st photo in the link? Hope you understand Japanese though!). Sis and I only saw it when we were heading for the station after having dinner at this pasta place near the store. There are goods ranging from clocks to pillows to gardening stuff. I spent $200 in there!
Dozens of Totoro stuffed toys
*Drool* I actually considered buying another clock back, but could not stand the thought of lugging another one around!
I bought one of these umbrella figurines for myself!
In Kansai
At the Kansai airport, look for the shop called どんぐい共和国 (donguri kyouwakoku). It's a quiet narrow shop, half of which is filled with Ghibli goods.
I found my handsome Baron figurine here!
Collection of cups for the 12 months
How could I bear to use any of these as cutlery?
The sales assistants are nice and helpful. It was in this store that I learnt that 2008 is the 20th anniversary of My Neighbour Totoro (となりのトトロ). So they're pushing out commemorative items like this, this and these. They have outlets elsewhere too.
I found my handsome Baron figurine here!
Collection of cups for the 12 months
How could I bear to use any of these as cutlery?
The sales assistants are nice and helpful. It was in this store that I learnt that 2008 is the 20th anniversary of My Neighbour Totoro (となりのトトロ). So they're pushing out commemorative items like this, this and these. They have outlets elsewhere too.
The free postcard I got from the shop, Ghibli bento set! かわいいね！
Hope this post has helped in your quest! Lastly, look out for the new Miyazaki anime: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea!
posted by Addy @ 9:13 AM
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