It just so happened that our friends Galen and Hyde were in Japan at the same time we were, so we all met up in Tokyo after we returned from Kyoto and Nara. On our list of things to see was the Ghibli Museum - a place based on the work of Animator Hayao Miyazaki and his company, Studio Ghibli.
By far, this is one of the most magical places I've ever visited. Disney and other glitzy theme parks can rot. Studio Ghibli managed to build this museum with the same sense of wistful and hopeful childhood nostalgia that make Miyazaki's movies so special. It's uncanny. Aside from it's obvious appeal to children and adults (or rather, the child within adults) it is a masterpiece of emotive architecture and interior design. It was definitely a highlight of my trip. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed at the museum except in a few spots.
There is a roof garden that has a full-size metal statue of the robot from "Castle in the Sky".
Myself, Galen, and Hyde in front of the "ticket booth" outside the museum that's manned by Totoro from "My Neighbor Totoro". In my hand is a pile of Clementine rinds. I couldn't find a place to ditch them, as garbage cans are scarce on Japanese streets.
Although I could not take pictures, I found another site by a person who did (whether or not it was sanctioned by the museum). I highly recommend visiting this person's site to see the images - www.tautoz.com/ghiblimuseum/
After the museum, we all had dinner and got dessert at a fancy place in Ginza that Momo's father used to take her to. It was really fancy; the walls were dark stained wood with victorian tea room furniture. On the table is chocolate chiffon cake that had what appeared to be silver flakes. Very fancy.
