Take a Virtual Tour of Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum.
You may not be able to travel to Japan for the foreseeable future, but you can now take a virtual tour of the Secret Ghibli Museum on YouTube .
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio known for its animated films and short films, including Spirited Away , which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003. Other famous and loved works they have produced, including some of Japan ‘s highest grossing films of all time – include Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, Kiki’s delivery service, Castle in the Sky, and My Neighbor Totoro (where you will meet the familiar fuzzy gray forest spirit mascot studio).
The studio was founded in 1985 by directors Hayao Miyazaki and the late Isao Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. Designed more as a peaceful haven and showcase for studio prowess than an American-style tourist attraction, the Ghibli Museum opened in 2001 in Mitaka, Tokyo.
The virtual tour is special because the museum usually does not allow visitors to take video or photos while inside. Videos on YouTube, ranging in length from 30 seconds to about two minutes, highlight the museum’s exterior, entrance, Straw Hat Café, Saturn Theater and an exhibit titled Where Film Is Born. You will take a close look at the ceiling frescoes, stained glass windows, an elevator and a spiral staircase, as well as many of the drawings made by the studio artists and the tools they used.
The original tour videos were uploaded in May, but the museum has added to the selection, so check the channel for new content as it goes live.
Of course, there are a few things you will miss out on when visiting remotely. One of the highlights that remains Tokyo-exclusive is the opportunity to show the original short film – museum-exclusive – at the Saturn Theater (although the virtual tourdoes take you inside the theater ). And the videos don’t cover (at least not yet) the life-size cat bus and visit the rooftop where you’ll see a statue of a robot soldier from the Castle in the sky .