Amazing experience of watching the Ghibli short in the theatre and exploring the whimsical museum. However, the exhibits were fairly sparse with information and you're not allowed to take photos inside the museum. You can take photos on the roof with the castle in the sky robot.

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I was behind 8000 people in queue to get tickets for May. I tried to get tickets for 3 people, but was kicked out due to tickets no longer being available. Then I tried to get 2 tickets , but it failed again. I gave up and tried to get just "1" ticket! And I couldn't purchase it even when it was available! Not a single ticket. This is the worst website I've experienced to just get a ticket. You try and order one then you should have a timer to pay that's it, but that's not even possible. You get kicked out to get the ticket after verifying (Drag and drop the correct image) This Lawson ticket system (By Lawson Entertainment, Inc) is probably worse than Ticketmaster as you can't even get a ticket

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This is a must do for dedicated Studio Ghibli fans. In my opinion, the best way to get tickets is to go through the Japan site and pick them up at Lawson's, which was super easy. If you are driving there are parking lots near the museum, however the closer you are to the museum the more full the lots are. We parked less than 5 minutes walking from the museum, and it still had spots when we were done 2 hours later. I recommend getting there early and just enjoy Inokashira Park. Our entry time was 1300 and 20 minutes was too early to line up. By 5 til the line had formed but moved quick. There are no photos allowed inside the museum according to the website it's so you can truly experience the museum rather than from behind a lens. Honestly the musuem is so crowded that it's probably a good thing people aren't taking a billion photos. Everything is in Japanese, of course, but they do have English maps with explanations. If you read the review of the short film before viewing, you'll get the gist of what's going on. We spent way too much money in the gift shop. I was initially salty because I saw that their online site had a lot of limit edition items out of stock, but to my pleasant surprise, they were in stock at the museum. :) The food at the Straw Hat cafe is pricey! The food tastes fine, a little bummed they were already out of sandwiches by 1500. While my family and I love everything Studio Ghibli we concluded this is a great space to visit once, but not twice.

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The corner where you can take a photo with Big Totoro (because it's inside the building, you can see it through the glass) is always popular. The yellow bus from Mitaka Station and the cute colorful building will lift your spirits. Anime fans and children will have fun, but for average adults, one visit is enough.

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My husband and I traveled in Japan with our 22-year-old daughter who is a huge fan of the Ghibli movies. It was at the top of her list to visit both the Museum and the Park. The Museum is on the outskirts of Tokyo. Ghibli Park, on the other hand, is outside of Nagoya, about two hours south of Tokyo by bullet train, and it is a much more laborious and expensive visit. We watched several of the movies in advance of the trip in order to better enjoy our visits there. While I enjoy the superb animation artistry and music of the movies, I can't say that I fully engage with the stories and characters. That's the only reason I rated our visit 4 stars rather than 5. I would not have chosen this activity for myself, but all three of us did enjoy the Museum. The Museum was an easy day trip by public transit from our hotel in Minato. We managed on our own with a little helpful advice from a guide. (None of us speaks Japanese, but our daughter is an intrepid navigator using just Google maps on her phone.) It was fun to board the special yellow Ghibli bus for the final leg from the train station. I found the Museum to be interesting both artistically and. architecturally for sure, and I especially appreciated its relatively small scale. Staff were very friendly and helpful in explaining procedures. The gift shop was a madhouse. The cafe is quite pleasant, but be aware that you can't get to the cafe until you're admitted to the Museum. For the uninitiated, the ticketing process is extremely "precious", by which I mean that the point seems to be to create an aura of desirability and enhance its prestige by a complex, tightly-controlled ticketing process. Presumably there is a crowd-control objective too. (The success of that was more apparent at the Museum than at the Park.). Tickets are for timed entry and cannot be purchased outside of Japan and can be bought only on a certain day of a certain month (details on their website.) We bought our tickets through a Japan-based American named Seann on Fiverr (search on "Ghibli tickets" and his account will appear. Apparently Trip Advisor won't allow me to include his link in this review, even though it's not to promote my own business but is instead to provide a source that will be helpful to other travelers...that seems to comport with the community rules! *Sigh*) It was a leap of faith based on a good review by a travel writer. Results were excellent. He obtained exactly the tickets we wanted and provided photos of the tickets to confirm the purchases. Then he mailed them to our hotel, where they were waiting for us when we checked in, some months later. He's a good efficient communicator. (Compare this review to my less favorable review of Ghibli Park.)

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My partner absolutely loved this experience. I personally have only seen a couple of Ghibli movies, so I found it fun but a little boring. That being said, the museum is incredibly well set up and has a number of whimsical elements, which were really fun. Definitely an experience worth seeing if you love Ghibli!

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Amazing experience. The entire museum, exterior landscapes and interior design, was well thought out and executed. If you're a Ghibli fan, Totoro fan, fan of Miyazaki, you will visit the museum regardless.

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I went with my teenage children, one of whom is a fan of Studio Ghibli films. It was worth the visit. Iterative. The museum is well set up. Very pleasant location and easy access from Tokyo.

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5/5, the guide was excellent and they were great and civil to talk to, even after accidentally arriving late to the meeting place.

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With regard to buying tickets on the Lawson English site where we had a positive experience. I logged on 10/11/2023. At 10am there was 3,200 ahead of me in the queue. Within the hour I had our tickets for our December 2023 trip. I guess we were lucky and it probably helped that being Western Australia we are only an hour behind Japan. I was got the tickets my Android phone and used Australian CC to pay. I can't recall if I had a VPN set to Tokyo. Other than the stress of watching the little person march across the screen it all worked well. It is noted that your place in the queue appears to be random. My partner joined at the sametime and she was a several thousand places behind. My iPhone was similar and my Windows laptop was around 10,000 places behind. As you get closer to the front of the queue the speed of the queue picks up with the little person animation walking a lot quicker. I suspect others like us had more than one device going and then logged out once the tix were secured. Six weeks later on Christmas Day 2023 we finally visited. A one word review is 'wow'. Make sure that you have printed copies of your tickets and the Id of the 'group leader'. The line for our 2pm session moved very quickly. There are free lockers for bags and coats. Inside is a magical experience. The first room is a hands on/ interactive demonstration of animation theory and techniques. Other rooms show concept art of the current Ghibli movie and an insight of the creative processes that go into the inspiration and creation of the movies. The roof includes the iconic robot to pose with. Included with the entry ticket is an exclusive short film. I really enjoyed the little details such as the way emergency equipment such as Exit through the giftshop. NB: Photography inside the museum other than on the roof is not allowed. It took us just over two hours to visit the museum. It was very much worth it making the journey to the museum. It is about half an hour train ride from Shinjuku. There is a shuttle bus from Mitaka station that only takes five minutes, or it is a 15 min walk.

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As a devoted fan of numerous Studio Ghibli movies, I was absolutely blown away by this museum. To put it simply, it's nothing short of incredible. Roaming through the museum creates an otherworldly experience, with each display and room beautifully maintained, featuring exhibits detailing the creation of many beloved films. Despite its popularity, the museum wasn't overly crowded, except for the movie area and the gift shop. While the food options weren't extensive, they were remarkably delicious and reasonably priced. The cuisine boasted quality and well-crafted flavors. Similarly, the souvenirs didn't break the bank, appearing considerably more affordable than those at the Studio Ghibli store in Tokyo. Priced at just 1000 yen per person at the time of booking, this is an absolute steal for what you get. Although it's a bit of a journey from Tokyo, the experience is well worth the time and effort. I am excited to come back on a future trip to Japan.

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I recently visited a museum known for its remarkable collections but found the experience less accommodating for foreign visitors. The process for ticket acquisition was particularly challenging; my wife and I faced undue complications due to strict name matching policies on tickets, which seemed unnecessarily rigid and unwelcoming to international guests. Furthermore, the museum’s strict no-photography policy was a significant letdown. As someone who appreciates capturing memories of cultural visits, this restriction was not only disappointing but also felt disproportionately restrictive for non-Asian visitors. In summary, while the museum houses impressive exhibits, the visitor experience for foreigners could be greatly improved. This lack of accessibility and flexibility may deter international guests from visiting, which is a shame given the museum’s potential to offer a rich cultural experience to a diverse audience.

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