Japan: Spring 2011: Nakano & Ghibli Museum

So, today was the Nakano and Ghibli Museum trip. I had to google Nakano (I was interested only in the museum) and it seems to be a place for anime fans and collectors. While I do enjoy anime, I'm not really one to drop 50 dollars on a 4 inch figurine. It was really nice to look at, but there wasn't much for me to personally buy, since everything was really pricey.

It started out...bad. First, we were too early. Almost everything was close when our tour arrived. We had a tour guide, but it really wasn't needed. Nakano Broadway is like a mall, so imagine getting a tour around a mall...yeah, pretty pointless. Once we were let loose, it was a lot better. Just able to wander around and what not. Here are some pictures.

They had some art galleries around. I thought they were
rather nice.

Yup...Isn't it wonderful?

They were drawing on the walls (a project of sorts). It was
pretty nifty.

What I bought from there. 700¥. I'll hang it up...somewhere.

After that, we got on the train and made our way over to the Ghibli museum. Now, I was already excited about this place. I love Miyazaki's work. I always have. His stories are always touching and fun and the art is magical (He's like Japan's Walk Disney). The museum did not disappoint. It was a great place. They had a huge room of his sketches and color pallets, still cells, and great diagrams of walks of many characters and creatures. It was wonderful. They wouldn't let anyone take pictures, but I was able to take some outside. Here's what I was able to get.

We also were able to see a short film, only for the museum. It was really great for multiple reasons. The art was great and the store was adorable. But best part was that there wasn't any dialogue. I know this is going to sound freakishly cheesy, but it was a great experience for me, since I want to be an animator and all. Everyone was able to laugh and react all at the same time, with nothing but the movement of the characters, their expressions and timing. At the end, when our little corner was cheering, there was a really small child who was cheering with us. We turned and clapped with the little girl and it was touching, because even though we must of been strange to her, and could barely say anything (and I'm sure the child didn't even know where she was or why we were clapping), it was nice that we could all come together over something as simple as a cartoon. I'm happy with my choice in majors.

Here's what I bought. The intention was not to buy a stuffed animal or trinket, but something distinct to the museum (kinds sorta). I bought an art book for the movie Spirited Away (hard choice. I like a lot of his movies, but those books are 30 dollars a pop) as well as a small stuffed keychain of the character in the cartoon. The cartoon was really endearing, plus, I had a "moment" being all animator-ish. I had to get something to remember it by.