How would you spend 20 summer days in Japan? Here’s a log of highlights from my latest trip, day by day. Follow along this Blaugust as I recount my adventurous July!

As an aniblogger who grew up on Kiki’s Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky, I don’t think I could live with myself if I made it all the way to Tokyo and didn’t visit the Studio Ghibli Museum.

Nestled in the quiet greenery of Inokashira Park, the museum is by far the gem of Mitaka Ward. You’re led down the streets by a few lampposts with modest signage until suddenly a line of trees guide you to the colorful waves of the building’s exterior. Naturally, a huge Totoro mans the faux ticket booth.

With my friend having booked our tickets in advance (only $7 USD per person!), we arrived by 9:30 AM for our 10:00 entry. It was one of the coolest days of the entire trip with the entire sky overcast and misting occasionally. This made the luscious summer flora of the museum grounds pop vibrantly in all of my photos, of which I only have of the exterior. (Photos, understandably, are not permitted inside the museum.)

And the inside, ah, it’s really like waltzing through an old Victorian mansion! Famously, there’s no designated path through the exhibits; instead, guests are encouraged to navigate via their own curiosity and whimsy. There’s a whole history of animation to be unpacked with each room. I was especially pleased with all of the gorgeous background art and image boards that, until this point, I’d only managed to admire in art books. Another highlight (aside from, well, everything) was the special Boy and the Heron Background Art Exhibition, which is apparently the tail-end of a larger Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka exhibition that we were lucky enough to catch before all of the artwork was packed up and returned to the studio.

For some reason, I feared we’d end up mowing through the painstakingly crafted exhibit rooms all too quickly. So, I was happily surprised upon checking the time to realize that only an hour and a half had passed! And we still had to try out the Straw Hat Cafe, stroll the outside rooftop, and score some loot at the MAMMA AIUTO! gift shop.

From the gift shop, I was able to pick up a plush keychain of the Koneko Bus, the titular creature featured in the Mei and the Baby Cat Bus (2002) short that OF COURSE WE WATCHED since it was the special July screening. There are some 10 or 12 Studio Ghibli shorts which loop on a monthly rotation. I like to think we caught the best one. My friend and I now have matching keychains to commemorate this day. 🙂

Oh, and I also picked up an assortment of Ghibli postcards for myself and as souvenirs for family, a soundtrack CD for the Baby Cat Bus short, a couple museum-centric guidebooks, and a long 4 or 5-foot reproduction poster that rolls out to depict Miyazaki’s original watercolor mockup of the museum and its many majestic rooms. In all honestly, I could’ve bought more–perhaps I should’ve. bought. more–but I’m happy with my treasures, most of all the memory of this incredibly imaginative, cute, and lively place where the playful kids could roam about freely and adults could dream again of sweet, bygone days.

Tomorrow, I’ll return to a vastly different yet all too familiar magic shop (*cough cough BTS reference*). Look forward to it!

– Takuto