The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka - Information on Booking Tickets and Access

Studio Ghibli and its works have gained international attention and fans all across the globe. The Ghibli Museum or Mitaka no Mori Jiburi Bijutsukan was designed by Hayao Miyazaki himself, the man who created most of Ghibli's beloved films. Today, we would like to introduce how to buy tickets and get to the museum.

Real also: Going Back To Childhood – A Visit To The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

How to Buy Tickets in Japan

Photo courtesy of PRTIMES
In order to visit the Ghibli museum, you need to buy tickets and choose the date and the time of your visit in advance. Tickets cannot be bought at the museum counter. So you need to make a reservation via the Loppi machine found in any Lawson convenience stores, then pay for your tickets at the cash register once you receive your printed ticket stub from the machine. Lawson is a well known convenience store easily recognized by its bright blue sign, and can be found at almost every train station. From this link you can learn how to use the Loppi machine specifically for Ghibli Museum tickets.

The museum has been a beloved site since its opening 15 years ago, which means that you may have trouble booking tickets on short notice. If you want to guarantee that you will be able to visit on a certain day, it is strongly recommended that you book your tickets at least a week in advance, but ideally as soon as possible is best. By the way, reservations for the next month are available to make from the 10th of every month (though that may differ in other countries).

You can also reserve tickets either on the Ghibli website or by phone. But you need to go to the nearest Lawson store to pay for them within three days after making a reservation.

Entry Time and Price of Tickets

Four designated time slots for admission to the museum are available, starting at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00. Once you are inside the museum, you can stay there for as long as you want. Please keep in mind that it is closed every Tuesday and may be temporarily closed for yearly maintenance. To check their schedule in more detail, please refer to their official website for more information.

Admission fees are 1000 yen for adults and university students, 700 yen for middle and high school students, 400 yen for elementary school students and 100 yen for 4 to 6 year old children.

Is it Possible to Buy Tickets from Overseas?

If you live in countries such as the US and Taiwan, you will be able to buy tickets in designated ticket centers in your country, though the method of purchasing tickets varies from place to place. More information on overseas ticket centers is available here.

The tickets may cost more if they are purchased overseas, but if you have a tight schedule and want to make certain that you will be able to visit on a given day, this is the best idea.

How to Get to the Museum: On Foot

Located near Mitaka Station on the JR Chūō line, there are two options for traveling to the Ghibli Museum: walking or by bus.

If you choose to go on foot, you will need walk along the Kaze no Sampomichi street alongside the Tamagawa Jōsui (Tamagawa Aqueduct). Go out of the south exit of Mitaka station and turn left, you will be able to see the Tamagawa Jōsui. Let's take a small trip to the museum.

Picture by Pixta
Signs found along the way will guide you to the museum. So please do not worry about getting lost.

Picture by Pixta
You will reach the museum in about 15 minutes. But the first gate you see in the picture above is not the main entrance.

Picture by Pixta
The main entrance is located further down. Here you need to show your ticket at the building seen in the back in the picture above.

How to Reach the Museum: by Community Bus

A community bus service is offered between the south exit of Mitaka Station and the museum. The ride takes about five minutes. You should take either a loop bus which departs Mitaka Station, travels to the Ghibli museum and back to Mitaka station or a bus towards Myōjōgakuen via the Ghibli museum.

Picture by Pixta
Please wait for a bus by the bus stop that looks like picture above.
You might be able to take Studio Ghibli-themed bus if you are lucky; this bus is yellow and has illustrations from Ghibli films on it.

The Fare on the Community Bus

A one-way fare is 210 yen for adults and 110 yen for children. You can buy a round ticket with a ticket machine located near the bus terminal or at a bus information center; these cost 320 yen for adults and 160 yen for children. A very important thing to remember though is that you should not arrive later than your reservation time at the Ghibli Museum. If you are any more than 30 minutes late, you will not be able to enter the museum.

Picture by Pixta
When you get off the bus at the Ghibli museum bus stop, this building standing inside Inokashira Park will welcome you.

After enjoying the world of Ghibli, you can travel back to Mitaka Station by bus from the same bus stop where you got off, but make sure that it is a bus heading to Mitaka Station, not towards Myōjōgakuen.

Picture by Pixta
If you have some more time to spend, why not take a stroll in Inokashira Park? You can forget about your busy life in the city and enjoy nature as its best for a while, which might let you understand the reason why the Ghibli museum was opened in Mitaka.

Ghibli Museum, Mitaka

1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka City, Tokyo 181-0013