museum ghibli/joyopolis
Jan 28th, 2007, 04:36 PM
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museum ghibli/joyopolis
Can anyone give a recent report of any detail on what there is to do at either the Museum Ghibli or Sega Joyopolis? Would they be fun for an 11 year old? are things in English? Also would appreciate specifics on the Museum of Innovation. Thanks!
Jan 28th, 2007, 08:05 PM
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Ghibli is only interesting if you are into Japanese animation flicks. In which case, it's an incredible museum for seeing how they do things. It's all in Japanese, very little English, but if you're akin to Japanese animation then you wont find this a problem.
Jan 29th, 2007, 06:08 AM
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Just another perspective...I was not so into Japanese animation (my son was interested in that, so I took him) and I loved the Ghibli. We went to Nakano mall afterwards (a few subway stops back towards central Tokyo) and liked that also, fun shopping and a whole floor of anime toy shops, cosplay exhibits, etc. Fun general shopping also. I went back there on my 2nd trip. You will not find many (if any) people who post on this forum who have gone to Sega Joyopolis. We went to the bldg that houses it in Odaiba, but didn';t go in. There are reviews of it on the web in other sites. Google it, and also look at the forum at www.japan-guide.com Put Joyopolis in the search box there and you'll get info.
Here is an excerpt from my trip report about our time there:
"We have vouchers for Ghibli (must be bought in the U.S.) in Mitaka, west Tokyo. We find the yellow Ghibli bus w/characters on it. A gloved attendant helps us get tickets from the machine. I am so impressed w/the Japanese and their uniforms. They all look so “official”, their diff. colored uniforms crisp, and most women in uniform have sharp coordinating hats.
We got to Ghibli just as it opened. Like everywhere else we have gone in Tokyo (w/exception of Senjosi, and the business people at the hotel) we are the only gaijin there. It is phenomenal. If you have any interest at all in film animation, go, even if you don't it was great visually. It is colorful, incredibly artistic and beautifully designed. Stained glass windows at every turn w/scenes from Miyazaki’s films. The “Begininng of Movement” room alone is more than worth the price of admission ($17 me, $10 son). The zenotropes are indescribably beautiful. I was mesmerized and watched one of them for half hr. The “preproduction” rms. upstairs which have “living” exhibits on the creative part of animation are very interesting. There is a special Pixar exhibit there now, so those of you who are Toy Story, Bug’s Life, Monster’s Inc., or Finding Nemo fans will be delighted. Everything is very magical. I had a lot of childlike wonder going through, little surprises at every turn. I had only seen 2 of the films but I loved this place. 3 ½ hrs. there.
Mitaka station has a soup stand right on the train platform. If you have 10 min. you can get the best bowl of noodles or other stuff cheap. Pictures on the machine, pick what you want, put in yen, get ticket, hand ticket to soup lady inside, get your bowls, $10 for us both w/appetizers too.
We went to Nakano Mall, as we had heard it has good anime/manga & general shopping. Upstairs of the mall is owned by Mandarake- store after store of capsule toys, collectables, reading material, and most interestingly, cosplay costumes. Lots of salarymen there mid-day. We split up and I go normal shopping. I discovered Sunmerrys, a pastry shop where you go in w/a tray and pick out yummies w/tongs. Went to a “reflexology” place and got feet bliss for 30 min. Went to a tea shop and got a canister. The owner patiently told me in Japanese/sign language that the picture on it (which I thought was abstract) was actually a kabuki face. He went out of his way to make sure I realized the significance of what I had chosen, and offered me a cup of tea."
Here is an excerpt from my trip report about our time there:
"We have vouchers for Ghibli (must be bought in the U.S.) in Mitaka, west Tokyo. We find the yellow Ghibli bus w/characters on it. A gloved attendant helps us get tickets from the machine. I am so impressed w/the Japanese and their uniforms. They all look so “official”, their diff. colored uniforms crisp, and most women in uniform have sharp coordinating hats.
We got to Ghibli just as it opened. Like everywhere else we have gone in Tokyo (w/exception of Senjosi, and the business people at the hotel) we are the only gaijin there. It is phenomenal. If you have any interest at all in film animation, go, even if you don't it was great visually. It is colorful, incredibly artistic and beautifully designed. Stained glass windows at every turn w/scenes from Miyazaki’s films. The “Begininng of Movement” room alone is more than worth the price of admission ($17 me, $10 son). The zenotropes are indescribably beautiful. I was mesmerized and watched one of them for half hr. The “preproduction” rms. upstairs which have “living” exhibits on the creative part of animation are very interesting. There is a special Pixar exhibit there now, so those of you who are Toy Story, Bug’s Life, Monster’s Inc., or Finding Nemo fans will be delighted. Everything is very magical. I had a lot of childlike wonder going through, little surprises at every turn. I had only seen 2 of the films but I loved this place. 3 ½ hrs. there.
Mitaka station has a soup stand right on the train platform. If you have 10 min. you can get the best bowl of noodles or other stuff cheap. Pictures on the machine, pick what you want, put in yen, get ticket, hand ticket to soup lady inside, get your bowls, $10 for us both w/appetizers too.
We went to Nakano Mall, as we had heard it has good anime/manga & general shopping. Upstairs of the mall is owned by Mandarake- store after store of capsule toys, collectables, reading material, and most interestingly, cosplay costumes. Lots of salarymen there mid-day. We split up and I go normal shopping. I discovered Sunmerrys, a pastry shop where you go in w/a tray and pick out yummies w/tongs. Went to a “reflexology” place and got feet bliss for 30 min. Went to a tea shop and got a canister. The owner patiently told me in Japanese/sign language that the picture on it (which I thought was abstract) was actually a kabuki face. He went out of his way to make sure I realized the significance of what I had chosen, and offered me a cup of tea."
Jan 29th, 2007, 06:10 AM
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Regarding Ghibli being in Japanese, we went to the bookshop there and bought a book on the Ghibli and read along w/it as we looked at the exhibits. It is mostly a very visual place, and you really don't need the reading to go along w/it though.
The zenotropes are amazing.
The zenotropes are amazing.
