Like the adage goes, it's always when you're not looking for something, does that something come appearing out of the blue. I've tried my hand at getting a ticket to the famed Studio Ghibli Museum in Tokyo last year, and was unsuccessful due to a comedy of errors. This comedy more or less continued where I now learned that the ticketing in Lawson's stores outside of Tokyo do not carry that option of purchasing the tickets (unless I'm mistaken again!) So it all depends on luck when I head back to Tokyo in a few day's time to get my hands on those limited tickets for the day that I'm free from TIFF activities.
So here I was exploring Kyoto's famed Gion district, an experience in itself to behold with what's possibly a glimpse into Japan's past
and being trigger happy with the camera, I was having a field day with shooting the antiqued looking building facades when I just happened to take this:
and walked away, continuing my photoshoot...
then I did a double take. Those words in my viewfinder (yeah, LCD screen's a battery-waster) looked extremely familiar, and I headed back. I'd admit I was behaving like one of those men in the Heineken Walk-in Fridge ads, though I was composed enough to fire away a few more shots before I had to restraint myself from bursting out...
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHAAAAHHHHHHHHH
AAAAHHHHHHHAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAHHHHHHH
Lo and behold! A Studio Ghibli shop tucked away in a corner! I would've missed this had I not turned back. I think it's authentic enough though, everything in the shop is a Ghibli memorabilia for sale, with soft toys galore of various characters and in sizes that suit every budget. I thought of not getting something, but the temptation is just too great not to. In the end it boiled down to money in the pocket, and what looked good. So I had to settle for...
Peek-a-boo!
Ponyo!I suppose it's time to fatten up the wallet a bit for that Museum tour, especially if there's a gift shop at the end of it. Otherwise, well, at least I managed to snag something from somewhere that I least expected to!
For those who might be interested to authenticate the shop, I've marked it out on the map below, which is basically (from the direction of the UNESCO site of the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple) to walk down the flight of stairs marked Sannenzaka Slope and continue down the walkway. The shop should be on your left side before you hit the Ninenzaka Slope:
Cllck to Enlarge the Map
5 comments:
Hey thanks! I've been looking for this. Your map is excellent. You've done us a big favor. ^_^
You're welcome Pax, hope you find it and get what you want. Bring lots of cash ^_^
i just wanted to say THANK YOU. i've been looking for Ghibli items since I got to Japan and I haven't been able to find anything save for some totoro stamps. I never thought i'd find this place and I was on a huge time crunch, but your map led me right to it.
I also wanted to post an update for anyone who still happens upon this post: they now take credit cards! i paid with a US mastercard with no issues.
thank you again!
Thank you so much! There is a Studio Ghibli shop at Tokyo Tower too, but we were running short on time and I wanted to buy a few more things, so a big thank you for the excellent map!
There is another Ghibli store, donguri kyowakoku, along gojozaka.if you're walking towards kiyomizu-dera,it's on your right side.there is a big totoro on the roof if the entrance. :)
Post a Comment