When I first heard that Hayao Miyazaki was planning a museum in Mitaka dedicated to the films that his Studio Ghibli animators and he had created over the years, I imagined animation cels framed on beige walls. Save for dedicated fans, it wasn't the most thrilling prospect for a Saturday afternoon, especially if the lines were to stretch the entire 15-minute walk from Mitaka Station.
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| A robot soldier near Ghibli Museum Mitaka |
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| Ghibli Museum's main hall |
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| Totoro in the ticket booth |
A likely scenario, given that Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli cofounder Isao Takahata have made some of the most popular films in the history of Japanese animation, including "Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa (Nausicaa Valley of the Wind)" (1984), "Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro)" (1988), "Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke)" (1997) and this year's "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away)" -- the highest-grossing film ever released in Japan.