The museum speaks to us as we encounter some of its cutest anime characters. 

Since February, the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo’s Mitaka has been closed as part of the city’s efforts to help curb the spread of coronavirus. While this means fans are unable to visit for now, it also means the museum is quieter than it’s ever been, and to keep everyone’s spirits up during the health crisis museum staff have been sharing videos of the site as part of a new “video diary” series on YouTube.

Given that the Ghibli Museum bans visitors from taking photos or videos inside the building, these videos are a treat for the eyes, both for people who’ve visited the museum and those who have never seen it before.

This week, the museum posted its newest video, which take us into its “Central Hall“. This large, high-ceilinged space gives us a view of the upper floors, which can be accessed via two staircases — one spiral — or a gorgeous, old-timey elevator.

Take a look at the video below:

The video begins by taking us down the stairs from the front entrance and into the hall, which is usually the first part of the building visitors see when they enter. It’s a grand, open, beautifully lit space, thanks to the octagonal skylight in the ceiling, which helps to throw Ghibli-esque hues around the building. 

From the ground floor, you can see doors adorned with beautiful stained glass windows, like this one which pays homage to the world of Kiki’s Delivery Service. 

The video then takes us up the spiral staircase, giving us a view of down below from a third of the way up, before taking us over to the adorned elevator, which displays the kanji “星降機“, a beautiful touch which can be read as “Disembarking at the Stars”.

The text at the bottom of the screen says “The elevator has just arrived” and as we enter, it’s as if the museum itself is speaking to us, taking us warmly into its heart with its elegant, gentle prose. 

The elevator takes us up through the floors of the building and past Mr Dough — from the in-house Ghibli Museum short anime film Mr Dough and the Egg Princess — who can be seen quietly sitting on a bench as if waiting for us to join him.

As we pass Mr Dough, the text reads “Well then, where shall we go next?” and again it’s as if the Ghibli Museum itself is speaking directly to us. With the building still closed for the time-being, it’s as if the museum misses us as much as we miss the museum, and no matter where it wants to take us in its next video, we will gladly follow. Except perhaps for the ladies’ restrooms on the ground floor, because that’s where it took us to last week.

Source, images: YouTube/三鷹の森ジブリ美術館 GHIBLI MUSEUM, MITAKA 
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