After five months of closure due to the Covid-19 coronavirus, Tokyo’s famous Ghibli Museum is reopening (information in Japanese only) on July 26 just for residents of Mitaka, the city in west Tokyo where the anime attraction is located.
For now, admission will be granted via a lottery system (in Japanese only). This may sound slightly outdated, but you’ll have to send a postcard – that’s right, there’s no online registration – to the Ghibli Museum before July 14. On it you'll have to state the number of visitors in your group (up to six Mitaka residents) along with all your names and ages, the address and phone number of the person applying, and the intended date and time of visit.
The museum will reopen with two or three time slots depending on the day: July 26 and 29 (9.30am, 10.30am), August 1 (9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am), August 9 and 12 (9.30am, 10.30am) and August 15 (9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am).
Make sure to follow Ghibli Museum’s new safety guidelines when visiting:
- Your temperature will be checked upon entry. Anyone with a fever of 37.5ºC or cold-like symptoms will be refused entry.
- Everyone must wear a mask at all times.
- Disinfect and wash your hands frequently.
- If crowded, entry to the exhibition rooms and souvenir shop will be limited.
If coronavirus case numbers remain low, the Ghibli Museum plans to accept all visitors in September, although tickets will be limited. The museum is already planning to close in November and December for major maintenance work, so we’ll have to wait until early 2021 for a full-scale reopening. In the meantime, you can get a glimpse of what’s inside the museum via virtual tour.
Before visiting the Ghibli Museum, read our guide on how to go out safely.
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