The Ghibli Museum in Tokyo is a place that all anime fans make an effort to visit the moment they arrive in the country. It is not just for individuals who are fans of the studio that the museum is based on, but also those who are not as familiar. This is partly due to the fact that it also shows how animation is done through traditional and modern methods.
Before, Ghibli film fans had nowhere to go in order to see official memorabilia from the movies or creators. Hayao Miyazaki, the owner of Studio Ghibli, thus decided to create the museum for this purpose. It was also decided that the museum would be located in Mitaka and be an inspiration for fans of animation in general.
This naturally led to having many popular Ghibli characters featured in the museum, with many of them life size recreations or original props used. One would be able to see the towering robot from Laputa:Castle in the Sky on the rooftop. Others will also be ecstatic with the iconic Totoro greeting them from the ticket office.
However, there is a small stumbling block for anyone wishing to pay the museum a visit. Trying to get tickets to the site can be a challenging task, as they are not available at the door and must be purchased way in advance. This information is curiously not easily available to those outside of Japan and can often lead to confusion and frustration.
At this time, it is not as difficult to get one's hands on tickets in general. Locals will find it extremely easy given that they can buy them from convenience stores. However, this is more challenging for tourists who do not know the language, but they can resort to getting them from local tour operators.
Models of favorite characters are not the only things to see at the museum. Passionate animation fans will get to witness fantastic animation models that show how much one can do with the art. These models are very popular and have been said to inspire many current and future artists.
There are special film screenings in a film theater housed in the museum. These are not the films like My Neighbor Totoro that are available easily elsewhere. Instead they are unique short anime films created just for visitors to the museum.
With so many special moments and things to see in the Ghibli Museum, it is no wonder the Japanese government has earmarked it as one of the country's cultural attractions. While anime on a scale has yet to achieve widespread mass appeal, the museum can help to cultivate the interest.
Before, Ghibli film fans had nowhere to go in order to see official memorabilia from the movies or creators. Hayao Miyazaki, the owner of Studio Ghibli, thus decided to create the museum for this purpose. It was also decided that the museum would be located in Mitaka and be an inspiration for fans of animation in general.
This naturally led to having many popular Ghibli characters featured in the museum, with many of them life size recreations or original props used. One would be able to see the towering robot from Laputa:Castle in the Sky on the rooftop. Others will also be ecstatic with the iconic Totoro greeting them from the ticket office.
However, there is a small stumbling block for anyone wishing to pay the museum a visit. Trying to get tickets to the site can be a challenging task, as they are not available at the door and must be purchased way in advance. This information is curiously not easily available to those outside of Japan and can often lead to confusion and frustration.
At this time, it is not as difficult to get one's hands on tickets in general. Locals will find it extremely easy given that they can buy them from convenience stores. However, this is more challenging for tourists who do not know the language, but they can resort to getting them from local tour operators.
Models of favorite characters are not the only things to see at the museum. Passionate animation fans will get to witness fantastic animation models that show how much one can do with the art. These models are very popular and have been said to inspire many current and future artists.
There are special film screenings in a film theater housed in the museum. These are not the films like My Neighbor Totoro that are available easily elsewhere. Instead they are unique short anime films created just for visitors to the museum.
With so many special moments and things to see in the Ghibli Museum, it is no wonder the Japanese government has earmarked it as one of the country's cultural attractions. While anime on a scale has yet to achieve widespread mass appeal, the museum can help to cultivate the interest.
About the Author:
James Katashima has always loved the characters of Miyazaki. Learn more about the Studio Ghibli Museum on James' site where he provides an in-depth review.
No comments:
Post a Comment