Only fans of Japanese animation (anime) may find the obstacles of visiting this unique museum worth the effort — a required advance purchase of tickets (either through JTB offices in Japan or abroad, or through Lawson convenience stores in Japan); admission at a specific date and time; and the museum’s location on the outskirts of Tokyo (a 20-min. train ride followed by a 5-min. bus ride). It’s the brainstorm of Japan’s most famous animation director, Hayao Miyazaki, who is to Japan what Walt Disney is to the U.S. and whose film Spirited Away won the best Oscar for animated film in 2002.
As expected, the museum is a whimsical flight of imagination, with displays related to Miyazaki’s films and a reproduction of his studio, complete with a play area for children, a rooftop garden, and a theater showing 10-minute excerpts of his work. Disappointingly, displays are in Japanese only, so you’ll probably spend just an hour here. A consolation: On the same train line to Mitaka is the Suginami Animation Museum, 3-29-5 Kamiogi (tel. 03/3396-1510; station: Ogikubo), with English explanations on the history of Japanese animation and a theater showing past and current films.