Ghibli Museum

Planning for the museum began in 1998, and construction started in March 2000. The museum opened on 1 October 2001. Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki designed the museum himself, using storyboards similar to the ones he creates for his films. The design was influenced by European architecture such as the hilltop village of Calcata in Italy. The museum features internal and external spiral staircases built from iron, interior bridges, and balconies stretching throughout the building's height. The stairways lead to exhibits, dead ends, and across bridges. and for the museum to be an uplifting and relaxing experience "that makes you feel more enriched when you leave than when you entered". Photography and video recording is prohibited inside, because the museum is described as a "portal to a storybook world". In February 2020, the museum closed temporarily as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It re-opened to Mitaka residents only in July and fully in September. ==Exhibits==

Permanent exhibitions On the bottom floor of the museum is an exhibit room showing the history and science of animation, including a three-dimensional zoetrope named "Bouncing Totoro", with models of characters from My Neighbor Totoro (1988). On the first floor is a mock-up of an animation studio. Called "Where a Film is Born", the five-room exhibit is meant to showcase the creative process of an animation filmmaker, including illustration techniques. • • • • • • • • • • The films are also screened at the Cinema Orion in the Grand Warehouse section of Ghibli Park, in Nagakute. ==Other features==

Tri Hawks Tri Hawks is a reading room and bookstore in the Ghibli Museum. Opened on 6 February 2002, it is filled with books recommended by Hayao Miyazaki. The name Tri Hawks comes from a translation of "Mitaka", the city where the museum is located, which means "three hawks". The film is set in Italy, and the name Mamma Aiuto translates to "mama, help me" in Italian. Catbus room There is a playroom for children aged 12 and under, with a stuffed Catbus toy to play in. Its size is slightly reduced from the original scale in My Neighbor Totoro, for it to fit into the museum. The Robot Soldier was made by the artist Kunio Shachimaru. It is formed from a hammered copper plate and took two years to complete. The keystone from Castle in the Sky, bearing an inscription in Old Persian cuneiform, which can also be found in the rooftop garden, is a replica of the control room stone found in the floating castle, Laputa, in the movie. Fresco painting At the entrance of the building, the museum's ceiling is covered in a fresco painting that features characters from Studio Ghibli films, such as Kiki on her broomstick from ''Kiki's Delivery Service'' (1989). ==Tickets==

Tickets to the Ghibli Museum are only accepted if bought in advance. They range in price from ¥1,000 for adults to ¥700 for 13–18-year-olds, ¥400 for 7–12-year-olds, and ¥100 for 4–6-year-olds. Younger children can enter the museum for free. ==See also==