catbus

Okay, there isn’t actually a working Catbus there, but you can see the next best thing!

The Ghibli Museum, located in Mitaka, Japan, was closed for a couple of months for construction earlier this year, but it reopened on July 16 with some renewed features! One that will delight your inner child (or your actual child) is the new My Neighbor Totoro exhibit titled “All Aboard! The Catbus to the Ghibli Forest.” Its main feature is a giant Catbus model with seats fluffy enough to make you think you’re riding an actual Catbus.

Among other updates are rearranged exhibits for Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Castle in the Sky. You can also find a 3-D model of the castle from Howl’s Moving Castle.

The Ghibli Museum features sketches, scenes, plushies, and more from short films and full-length features. You can also walk through the process of making a Ghibli movie from start to finish.

This year actually marks the 15th anniversary of the Ghibli Museum’s opening. A comment on the Ghibli Museum website describes how elementary school children who went to the museum in its early years are probably grown up with children of their own by now. Each year has presented a unique exhibition. For the 15th anniversary, they’re looking back and reflecting on past exhibits.

Oh, and don’t forget to stop by their gift shop! It’s full of all sorts of amazing trinkets and souvenirs that will delight and excite. These postcards are just some examples.

▼ Here’s a cool card modeled after the museum itself!

museum

▼ Don’t you wish you could get actual Ghibli stained glass windows?

postcards

You can hop aboard the Catbus anytime between now and May 2017. You’ll have to pre-order tickets before going, so order them fast; they sell out pretty quickly!

Museum Information
Ghibli Museum
Address: 1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-0013
〒181-0013 東京都三鷹市下連雀1丁目1-83
Museum hours: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Closed: Tuesday (unless otherwise noted on their website)
Ticket price: 1,000 yen (US$9.48) for ages 19 and older; 700 yen (US$6.64) for ages 13-18; 400 yen (US$3.79) for ages 7-12; 100 yen (US$0.95) for ages 4-6
Website

Source: Natalie, Ghibli Museum
Images: RocketNews24