When Monster Inc. meets Totoro

Imagine what happens when a Miyazaki fan got the chance to not just visit the famous Ghibli Museum, but Studio Ghibli itself?

Well, I almost went crazy (but not with my camera as photos are not allowed at most times)

My lucky break was during my Japan trip last June. Totoros of all sizes were almost everywhere the moment we stepped into Studio Ghibli: greeting us near the entrance, at the foot of the stairs leading to the meeting room, in the meeting room itself, all over the book shelves, on the glasses and coaster...

They are so adorable that even the 2 cute monsters from Pixar paid Totoro a visit at Studio Ghibli. Hanging outside the meeting room is a picture of Sulley and Mike waiting for the catbus with Totoro in the rain. Kawaii desu ne!

We were given a tour of the studio to catch a glimpse of the animators and artists at work. Being an ardent fan of Studio Ghibli's work, I was completely swept off by the painstaking efforts the artists take to put every detail into each frame of the anime by hand. Although the animation market is currently dominated by 3D animation, I'm really glad that Ghibli has stuck to its style of 2D drawings (They even painted the walls with windows and blue sky, Ghibli style)

Ghibli museum was like stepping into its anime world. It's frustrating that I had barely 30 minutes to tour the whole museum, and I wasted half the time waiting for the anime shorts to start. Still, I managed to take as many photos as possible wherever it is allowed. I can be sure that the museum would be in my "must go" list next time I visit Tokyo.

My 3rd encounter with Ghibli during this Japan trip was at Aichi World Expo. Yes, it's another "so close, yet so far" experience when I caught a glimpse of Satsuki and Mei's House from a distance. Tickets to this hugely popular place at the expo were hard to get. So I'm satisfied with at least a glimpse. It looked almost like a doll house, creating a "picture perfect", ideal world sense of feeling. No wonder Totoro the movie has been so well liked by people.

Looking forward to the next Ghibli movie!