For our Who We Are unit, the students in my class research a person of notable character and they present what they have learned about this person to the class. As a part of their presentation, they create biography bottles, which are two liter bottles made to look like the person they did research on. This past school year, one of my students chose Hayao Miyazaki, who has been dubbed as Japan's Walt Disney. He founded Studio Ghibli, which is the company that produces Japan's most popular anime films. Prior to this presentation, I had never heard of Ghibli, Miyazaki, or even watched any of those anime films my students all knew about. This was completely foreign to me and I felt very out of touch with their generation. I wrote about this in my proposal and included a visit to the Studio Ghibli Museum as a part of my growth and learning. Prior to coming to Japan, I watched two Ghibli movies: Kiki's Delivery Service and The Secret Life of Arriety, with the latter being my favorite. I liked the movies and I could sense why the kids liked them too, however I was still unclear to what all the 'fuss' was about. Well, that soon changed upon my visit to the musem.
After winning the grant, I immediately applied for a ticket to gain entrance into the museum. There are limited quantities and you have to commit to a specific date. You cannot get in the museum without purchasing a voucher before hand. A couple of weeks after applying for the ticket, my voucher arrived...I would finally get up close and personal with Ghibli.
So, off I went, to Mitaka, which is about 45 minutes outside of Tokyo. I arrived prior to the 10 a.m. opening time and when I got there, I was suprised to see a long line of people waiting. Being surrounded by all these Ghibli fans made me giddy with excitement! It was like entering Disney World. The kids could've burst with anticipation right then and there. As I made my way to the entrance, I was told of the rules: no food/drinks, no video, and absolutely no pictures inside the museum. Oh how disappointing! Regardless, I made my way through and it was magical. Each room was an exhibit and all the fictional characters from Miyazaki's films seemed to come to life. The museum is so detailed that you really had to look closely at everything. It seemed as if I had stepped into a wonderland of suprises.
Here is the front of the museum. The sign is not too big and is a bit discreet with it being the same color as the trees behind it.
But, once you pass the sign and follow the curvy path, you come across..Totoro! Totoro is Ghibli's logo/mascot and is also the main character in one of their highest grossing films, My Neighbor Totoro.
This is a picture of one of the windows when you enter the museum; and it was also where I was told to put my camera away. Oops.
My favorite part of the museum was a room set up like Miyazaki's office/work space. It was captivating. Every bit of space was used with his drawings, papers, pencils, and other things. You could tell that a creative genius worked in that room. I know that no pictures were allowed, but I happened to sneak one in. This is the original drawing of a scene from Kiki's Delivery Service. The numbers on the drawing tell you what color the drawing you should be colored in. The detail was truly impressive.
After touring the inside of the museum, I headed outside where you could take pictures. Here's the big robot from The Flying Ghost Ship that seems to stand guard over the museum. It's huge!
I decided to grab a snack at their outdoor cafe and came across their washing bin. Look at how cute the faucet is! It's the cat from Kiki's Delivery Service. There are details such as these all over the museum. You could easily miss them if you were looking too fast.
This metal silhouette is from My Neighbor Totoro. The hat is the main character's distinction.
After circling the exhibits twice, I made my way through the gift shop and then decided it was time to leave.
Visiting the Ghibli Museum really helped me understand my students' fascination with their films. I now understand what anime is all about and I can now say that I too, can join in on the 'fuss' of Miyazaki's imaginative creations.
...and this visit completes my proposal!
-Mrs. de Leon :)
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