This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelsey Frampton, a 21-year-old business student from Fresno, California, who's studying in Barcelona. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
29.10.2023 - 09:21 / insider.com
I recently visited Japan for my honeymoon.
My husband and I actually got married two years ago, but our heart was set on visiting Japan. After the borders opened without COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year, we scheduled our trip for October.
Visiting the Ghibli Museum, which showcases the work of filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki and the animation studio he cofounded, was high on our list as my husband is a huge Miyazaki fan.
The museum has a really important rule, though: no photography is allowed inside.
I was curious, as a tourist, whether this would change my experience at all. In the US, I'm used to museums with lax policies when it comes to snapping photos of exhibits and taking videos of displays.
The Ghibli Museum is located in the suburbs of Tokyo, and the bright-yellow building seemed small and fairly unobtrusive, surrounded by a public park.
The metal gates featured the Studio Ghibli crest, and after walking through, we encountered a glass storefront with a giant Totoro, one of the famous characters from the animation studio.
There was a long line, but it moved fast, and we were inside within 10 minutes.
The ceiling by the entrance was a bright-blue fresco with a large smiling sun surrounded by vines entwined with flowers, fruits, and mushrooms, just like the ceiling of the baby's room in "Spirited Away."
A few people tried to take sneaky pictures of the entrance but were reminded politely — but firmly — not to take photos.
As I walked through the museum's castle-like interior, I tried to commit each exhibit and display to memory.
There was a skylight, a staircase that led to the upper floors, and a bridge on the second floor that overlooked the floor below.
One exhibit was called "The Beginning of Movement," and it focused on the start of animation. Others featured special displays and artwork from the studio's many famous films.
Another section of the museum had visitors winding through rooms reminiscent of the wizard Howl's famously cluttered space from "Howl's Moving Castle."
There were desks piled high with books and papers, model airplanes hanging from the ceilings, and sketches, as well as what looked like original concept art from the Miyazaki films all over the walls.
It was truly creative chaos. I wondered if this was possibly inspired by the filmmaker's own office.
Here is where I struggled most with not taking photos. I wanted to remember every detail, but there was so much to see that I just had to look in every direction and take in as much as possible.
I also struggled not to snap pictures of the museum's doors and windows, which featured beautiful stained glass with scenes of nature or characters from Studio Ghibli movies. I did manage to take a sneaky photo of one in the
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelsey Frampton, a 21-year-old business student from Fresno, California, who's studying in Barcelona. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
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