January 17, 2024

Today we started our journey home. We left Hiroshima and headed toward Tokyo and our flight back to the US. The journey is about 4 hours on the train, but we have a stop to make on the way.

Early in the trip, we looked into going to the Studio Ghibli Museum in Tokyo. I came to learn that I would have had to get tickets months ago. They open up tickets for the month and the quickly sell out. So if you go plan ahead for this one. In Japan people can go to a connivence store and get tickets but it is limited for foreigners and the tickets are bound to your passport. I did find a tour that would allow you to get in but it quite expensive and did not line up to our dates.

Then I figured out that Ghibli Park was another option and on our way from Hiroshima to Tokyo. It is Nagoya which is where we had to change trains anyway. It turned out the date we were coming through was still available so we grabbed a slot and decided to go.

We road to Nagoya this morning, stashed our luggage, and ventured to the park. The first part was a normal subway but then we got to ride our first MagLev train while in Japan.

The Ghibli Park is at the site of an Expo from 2005. The next Expo is in Osaka in 2025.

After arriving at the park we wandered around before our timed entry to the warehouse.

As with all things on this trip, first there must be food. We got some burgers and then set off.

The park is setup as different areas. For all but the Warehouse, you have to get the tickets in Japan. We did not pull off tickets to any of those. The Warehouse tickets let you in Mononoke Village which just turned out to be a restaurant, super small gift shop and these guys.

We enjoyed wandering around and then headed for the Warehouse. The warehouse filled half the building and the other half is an ice ring…entrance inspired by the Louvre.

As we approached the Warehouse the excitement mounted.

Once inside it was amazing. Full of Ghibli pieces and just a wonder to walk around and explore.

Overall we explored and got to see a movie just for the warehouse. It was a lot of fun to see all of it.

Once we were done, we ventured on to Tokyo. We got to the Royal Park for our last night in Japan. I apparently had checked the box for access to an executive floor with snacks. We enjoyed that and some Sashimi and are ready for the last few hours in Japan. It has been a great adventure and we will see what the last day holds.