The Ghibli Museum is a great treat for the young and old, and everyone in between. The Ghibli is Japan's equivalent to Disney studios. Ghibli studios have put out such movies as "Howl's Moving Castle" and "My Neighbor Tortoro". The museum offers a variety of activities for kids and for Adults, the architect and grounds alone our just amazing to see. When you turn in your ticket voucher you'll get a a ticket made of piece of film strip which makes a great souvenir, this ticket also gets you into a short film in the museum. The museum is magical that's the only way to describe it, but skip the souvenir shop you can get all the same stuff in any toy store in Tokyo like Kiddyland in Harajuku
I actually had booked my ticket for my very first morning in Tokyo which I thought might be crazy but it worked out perfect because it was a day of thunderstorms so it was a nice indoor activity.
First things first, tickets, you must purchase your ticket in advance at a participating agent like JTB or other Japan specific travel agency before leaving your home country. I also hear that you can get them at a Lawson, which are convenient stores in Japan, but I don't know this for a fact. Since they only sell a certain amount of tickets for a day's entrance I would probably not trust leaving the chance that there are no tickets for the time you are in Tokyo, pre-book your tickets, you will need your passport.
Getting there is very easy:
Take the JR Chuo Line to Mitaka Station (approximately 20 mins from Shinjuku station). Walk downstairs outside the station there are multiple bus stops take the one to the Ghibili museum, buy your ticket for the bus at the automatic machine right next to the line que. It's about Y300 round trip. You'll know it's the right bus because there's always a long line. You can ask the Bus driver to let you know when the Ghibli stop is but chances are everyone will be getting off with you.
There is no picture taking allowed inside the museum.
