Kichijoji is located in the west of Tokyo and is viewed as one of the trendiest parts of the capital. Most famed for its expansive Inokashira Park, the town is also an artist’s wonderland with unique arts and crafts available on every street corner. Much quieter than central Tokyo, Kichijoji is just a 15-minute train…

This spring and summer the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum has been holding a special art exhibit on Gustav Klimt, a famous Austrian symbolist painter. I love going to art museums and was not going to pass up an opportunity to see this special exhibit. While I’ve been to plenty of art museums in my life, going…

The name Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿) is no longer a stranger to the ears of many people. This highly prolific director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist had announced his retirement in September 2013. Back then, the director who had on and off retirements even said, “This time is for real.” However, in February 2017,…

As you may already know, Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio that is globally famous for its anime feature films. The films made by Studio Ghibli have become a large part of Japanese culture starting with the success of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984. View this post on Instagram…

A lot of people know about the wonderful animation company that is Studio Ghibli. If you haven’t heard of it before the easiest way to think of it is Disney but better. Hayao Miyazaki has spent years lovingly creating and recreating some of the most amazing stories that borderline fantasy and reality. These fantastic stories…

Fans of Totoro, Spirited Away and other Hayao Miyazaki films may have heard about the storybook-like Ghibli Museum in Tokyo. Since the museum has been specially designed according to the same storyboards Miyazaki used for his films, you will feel as if you have just stepped into his amazing fantasy world. However, actually getting to…

Fans of animation from around the globe have something to enjoy at one of Japan’s most fun and delightful museums, Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, Tokyo. This fanciful wonderland is not only a tribute to legendary director Hayao Miyazaki’s famous work but also to animation itself. So if you are not so familiar with classic Japanese…

There are many people across the world that can relate to the Japanese otaku, a person who really loves anime, manga or games. Japan is, obviously, a great draw for the international otaku as it is the centre of a lot of the anime and manga that we love. But, if you visit Japan where…

Are you a fan of Japanese animation movies? If so, you will know the legendary Ghibli Studio that was the producer and the origin of the most interesting and attractive Japanese anime, as the anime movies of Hayao Miyazaki. I think that visiting Ghibli museum in Tokyo would be for you a source of inspiration…

Manga comes to life in Japan For many people who live outside of Japan one of the most recognisable aspects of Japanese culture is manga and anime. From humble roots as an art form within Japan anime has taken the world by storm and is now more readily available than ever. You might be forgiven…