Zen and Ghibli

Before you go

A hands-on exhibition encountering Studio Ghibli's works through a Zen gaze. Through famous lines, film stills and Toshio Suzuki's calligraphy, it gives three-dimensional form to the Zen way of seeing that runs through Ghibli's works: a multi-layered ambiguity that doesn't split good from evil, and a spaciousness that doesn't rush for answers — resonating with Zen's 'not dividing, not fixing, seeing as it is'.

• Exhibition space built around 'The Boy and the Heron' (Miyazaki's 2023 film, Ghibli's biggest overseas audience ever)
• 'Yamaga Seika' textile exhibition (19 Sep–20 Dec) in the same museum — ¥100 off with a paid ticket for this show (same day only)

Booking

General/university ¥1,900 (advance/groups ¥1,700), junior/senior high ¥1,500 (¥1,300), elementary ¥1,100 (¥900); preschool children free; all tax included. From 31 October a reservation-priority system applies; reservations open 16 October at 10:00 on the ticket page. After that, walk-ins are normally admitted, but at busy times visitors without reservations may have to wait or may be refused entry.

Crowds

The museum expects heavy crowds on weekends, holidays, consecutive holidays and toward the end of the run — reservations recommended. Numbered entry tickets are distributed on weekends through 30 October (possibly weekdays too); check the official X account for live congestion updates.

Good for

Ghibli fans; anyone interested in where Zen thought and Japanese culture intersect.

How it differs

Unlike a conventional view-and-move-on show, the museum defines this as a hands-on (taikan-gata) exhibition; unlike collection-based permanent displays, everything is organized around one film and the theme of a Zen way of seeing.

The exhibition originates from the book 'Zen and Ghibli', a collection of dialogues between Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and Zen monks. Its space is built around Miyazaki's latest film 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023), which drew the largest overseas audience in Ghibli history. Organized by Yomiuri Telecasting, The Yomiuri Shimbun, Pia and Kyoto City; planned and produced by Studio Ghibli and Nippon Television.