Japan Awaits

Fans of Studio Ghibli’s films won’t want to miss the opportunity to see the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo! Admission to the museum is by advance reservation only and tickets cannot be purchased on site at the museum. Book your tickets (including optional small group 1.5 hour tour) early with Japan Awaits to secure your spot and experience what the Ghilbi Museum has to offer! 

Studio Ghibli, Inc. is a Japanese animation film studio, that is famously led by Hayao Miyazaki. The studio is best known for its anime feature films–eight of which are among the 15 highest-grossing anime films made in Japan and five films (including Spirited Away, 2001) received Academy Award nominations in the United States.

The Ghibli Museum opened in 2001 in Mitaka, Tokyo, and has become a popular tourist attraction. Co-founded by director Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli is behind some of Japan’s most beloved animated films, such as “My Neighbor Totoro,” “Princess Mononoke,” and “Spirited Away”. The museum attracts a huge number of visitors and tickets are extremely limited, so it is best to acquire these guaranteed tickets to ensure you can visit the museum when you are in town.

Hayao Miyazaki, the director of Studio Ghibli, had a hand in designing the facilities at the museum, including:

• A sculpture of a robot from Castle in the Sky (the most popular exhibit in the museum)
• A stone monument from Castle in the Sky (words of the character Laputa are engraved)
• The seasonal exhibition room, which focuses on specific works of art
• The permanent exhibition room, which features storyboards from films
• The Cat-bus room where children can play freely
• Library reading room with all books available for purchase
• Video exhibition room where seasonal anime works have been screened
• Ghibli characters drawn on the entire ceiling of the entrance hall
• A display entrance counter from Totoro
• Mugiwara Bousi café
• Souvenir shop

Highlights:

• Easily pre-order your tickets (with optional tour) online. This is a request only and is based on availability (the Ghibli form will be sent to you after booking so that you can provide more details and preference dates and times).
• Explore the museum at your leisure (or join the small-group optional tour only available with this booking)
• Optional tour within Ghibli Museum (about 1.5 hours) is available for guests. The optional tour is not mandatory, but is included in this booking. It provides guests with more insight and context on their visit in the museum, as most of the material in the museum is in Japanese only. Guests are free to roam around the museum after the tour (or they can break away from the group tour at any time).
• Watch one of Miyazaki’s earliest films (only shown in the museum theater)
• Shop for exclusive Ghibli-themed souvenirs at the museum

Availability:

• All days except Tuesdays and holidays. Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis and is based on availability. Acquiring the tickets is not always guaranteed. We will let you know at least two to three weeks before the ticket date if we were NOT able to secure the tickets for you, and you will receive a full refund.
• You can pre-order your tickets until the 4th of the previous month of your ticket date. For example, if you would like tickets for February, you must place your order with us by January 4th (23:59 JST), or if you would like tickets for October, you must place your order with us by September 4th (23:59 JST), and so forth.
• Entrance Times Available: 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3 PM on weekdays except Tuesday (on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, there may be additional times at 4 PM and 5 PM available)

Location:

Ghibli Museum, 1-1-83, Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo (meeting point is a designated location at Mitaka Station)

Price: 

• Tickets with Join-in Tour: ¥12,800 per person (includes ticket age 4+ and service fee). Children from age 1 to 4 is free of charge. Includes optional 1.5-hour tour with an English-speaking tour guide. This tour is for a small group of up to 11 people only per tour guide.
• Ticket with Private Tour: See pricing at checkout. This private tour is for your group only (other guests cannot join).
• Tickets with Private Vehicle Transfers and Private Tour: See pricing at checkout. Includes ticket (age 4+), service fee and private vehicle transfers from hotel to museum, and return (2 hours at museum only), and tour from an English-speaking tour guide in museum.

Included: 

• Admission ticket
• Optional 1.5 hour tour within the museum by English-speaking Tour Guide
• Personal escorting service to the Ghibli Museum from Mitaka Station by a Tour Assistant
• Community bus fare from Mitaka Station to Ghibli Museum (return bus fare not included)

Additional information: 

• PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN THE GHIBLI FORM: After your booking, you will receive a link to the Ghibli Form (within 48 hours) that asks for pertinent information required for this booking. Please ensure that this Ghibli Form is completed accurately before the 4th of the previous month of your ticket request date to avoid cancellation.
  • Please provide at least 3 different dates and 3 different times (in order of preference) to increase your chances of getting the ticket.
  • Please note that we will purchase the tickets based on your preferred date and time. Once the tickets are purchased, we are unable to make any changes to the date or time or offer a refund if you are unable to join us (the tickets will be under your name and cannot be transferred). Therefore, please double-check your preferred date and time before submitting the form.
  • We will notify you within the first week of the official ticket release date (between the 10th to 17th of the previous month of the preference date) regarding the status of your tickets.
  • The tickets are based on availability, but acquiring the tickets is not always guaranteed. If we were NOT able to secure the tickets for you, and you will receive a full refund.

• Children must be accompanied by an adult.
• A moderate amount of walking is involved. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• The join-in (optional) tour is for up to 11 guests.
• The tour will begin immediately at the entrance ticket start time. Once the other guests have entered the museum, the tour guide will not be allowed to leave the museum to get any late guests. Please arrive exactly at the meeting time (20 minutes before the entrance time) to meet the Tour Assistant at Mitaka Station. If you are late, you will not be able to enter the museum and will not receive a refund.
• Please note that if the tour guide has seen the film before, the museum does not allow the tour guide to watch the short film again. Therefore, guests may go into the theatre to watch the short film (10 to 15 minutes) on their own and the tour guide will wait outside of the theatre for the guests.
• The cost includes ticket (age 4+, 1000 JPY); service fee, escorting service by Tour Assistant from Mitaka Station to Ghibli Museum, and optional tour by English-speaking Tour Guide (11,800 JPY). Adult pricing applies to all travelers age 4 and above.
• This ticket with tour request booking is an independent service and is not affiliated with Ghibli Museum (this is not an official tour by Ghibli Museum).

By Train: Take the JR Chuo Line to Mitaka Station (it takes about 20-30 minutes from Shinjuku station on Express or Local train). When you arrive at Mitaka Station, exit from the South Exit (南口, Minami). Further instructions on where to meet the Tour Assistant will be sent to you before the tour.

By Car: Driving is not recommended by the museum, as there is no parking upon arrival.

Payment

All bookings is payable via Stripe (Booking Checkout) or PayPal. Confirmations regarding your booking will be sent at least 10 days before your activity date.

Cancellation policy

Strict Cancellation Policy:

• We will charge a cancellation fee of 100% if booking is cancelled 55 days or less before event.

Museum’s Guidelines

The following rules were set by Ghibli Museum to make your stay at the museum pleasant, safe and comfortable:

• Bring your passport. At the museum, staff will check that the name (or lead passenger) on the ticket matches with your passport.
• Photography and video recording are not allowed inside the Museum (“The Ghibli Museum is a portal to a storybook world. As the main character in a story, we ask that you experience the Museum space with your own eyes and senses, instead of through a camera’s viewfinder. We ask that you make what you experienced in the Museum the special memory that you take home with you.”)
• Admission into the Saturn Theater will be limited to one screening per person.
• Smoking is strictly prohibited on the premises of the Museum.
• Please turn off all mobile phones. You are also asked not to use mobile phones outside the Museum building where they may disturb others.
• Those who are sensitive to light should be aware that in the Permanent Exhibition Room, there is an exhibit that flashes bright bursts of stroboscopic light.
• The garden roof may be closed in case of inclement weather.
• The Cat Bus is for elementary school children and under only.
• Eating and drinking are prohibited inside the Museum. Anyone who has brought food or beverages to the Museum must eat or drink on the Cafe’s outside deck only (The deck area may be closed in case of inclement weather) and take with them any litter he/she has created.
• Please leave baby carriages at the designated storage area. Coin lockers are available for small bags and parcels. For large luggage, please contact our Museum staff for assistance.
• It is prohibited to enter the Museum with dangerous objects.
• Pets (except seeing-eye or guide dogs) are not allowed in the Museum.
• Any activities which may interfere with the operation of the Museum, either inside the Museum or in the facilities related to the Museum, are strictly prohibited.
• The Museum reserves the right to refuse admission to anyone who might interfere with other visitors or cause trouble to others in the Museum.
• No re-entry to the Museum is allowed.
• The Museum or its related service providers are not responsible for accidents caused by visitors’ negligence.
• Visitor parking is not available at the Museum. You are kindly requested not to come to the Museum by car.
• Meetings, speeches, distribution of leaflets, and exhibit and sales of goods are prohibited within the Museum.
• Photography or video recording of the Museum for commercial purpose is not allowed.
• Ticket purchase for resale is not allowed.

How far in advance should I book?

Make a reservation as early as possible and ideally, at least a month in advance. Tickets go on sale every 10th of the month for the following month (we stop accepting bookings on the 4th of the previous month of the ticket date). For example, February tickets will go on sale on January 10th (we stop accepting ticket bookings on January 4th).