Picture this:

I am sitting at my computer desk, with sleep-hair piled on top of my head. I am wearing leopard print pajama pants and a frown. It’s a rainy morning, my oatmeal has gotten cold and I am back in the United States. Truth be told, I have been back state-side for exactly a week. Jet lag was super intense but what has really kept me from getting back into the swing of things (blogging included) is that I’m having a bout of post-wedding-everything-depression. Can anyone relate? I’m having a hard time going back to normal after a year of huge, once in a lifetime things to plan and look forward to. I don’t know. And Japan! Oh my sweet, sweet Japan! How can it be over already?! My oatmeal is getting colder just thinking about it all being over and done with. Sigh.

I decided this morning, while I was making a pouty cup of coffee, that the best medicine for me at this point is to blog about everything so that I can relive the experience. I’m also an attention whore so make sure you read my blog and make me feel better about myself. Ahem. Anyway. Without further adieu! Day Two! Part Two!

I know that I summed most of the Ghibli Museum up in the Day Two Part One Post— but the pictures really make it a little more exciting… so I’ll backtrack a little and give you as much of the full experience as I can.

Napkin and I hopped on a train from Shinjuku to Mitaka and got off the station to a beautiful little town. Mitaka has a really lovely ‘village’ quality to it…it’s considerably quieter than where we were staying in Shinjuku.

I know that seems hard to believe from the above pictures, but as soon as you got away from station you were in a more residential area. From the station, there were some pretty easy to read signs telling us which way to head for the Ghibli Museum. This one for example:

See it?

Napkin and I had been told that a bus came every fifteen minutes to the Mitaka Station and took you directly to the Ghibli Museum but it was such a beautiful day that we decided to walk there. What we didn’t know was that we had stumbled onto the “Walk Way of A Wind” which was a lovely stroll through Mitaka, marked by signs every few hundred meters letting you know how far away you were from the museum.

This was where it really hit me.

Our walk was already a romantic stroll of sorts and then all of a sudden we saw one of these:

Getting closer!!

Closer still!

And then all of sudden there we were– at the gates of the Ghibli Museum. And then this happened:

That’s right. I cried. Yes, people saw me. No, I couldn’t stop.

We walked to the front gate, gave our ticket vouchers and our passports to one of the employees (who told me, “It will be alright,” because I was still sniffling and half sobbing at this point) and we were lead into the museum. Once inside, you’re given a map (which basically tells you “Let’s Get Lost Together”) and you’re given a ticket for the Ghibli Short Film playing in the cinema.

(Sorry for the instagram photo– it’s the only one I have of the ticket and you need to see how great it is. Also, my manicure is sorta bitchin’.)

I’ve already explained my surprise at how small the museum was in my last post so I won’t go into detail about that again. I don’t really have any pictures of the inside of the museum (cameras and filming are prohibited and they wouldn’t do it justice anyway– it’s truly an ‘experience’) but here are a few to give you an idea of how amazing it all is, taken mostly outside:

At the gate! Totoro greets you! And look who’s hiding with him!?

Dust bunnies were everywhere!

The entrance path (looking back from the museum…)

Downstairs and outside. Next to a working, old-fashioned water pump:

(This isn’t posed. It was really hard to pump the water.)

A scene from a window near the locker boxes (where people were parking their strollers, extra belongings– that kind of thing.) Maybe the city by the sea where Kiki lives?

There were stained glass windows everywhere. This was one of my favorites. (It’s Chihiro and Haku from Spirited Away!)

…Okay, so now you’re in for it. This is one of many spiral staircases at the museum. This one leads you up to a rooftop garden:

Looking down from the staircase…

Looking down from the rooftop garden. Once you’re up there, you walk through a little wooded area and then suddenly:

!!!!!!!!!

Laputa Robot! From Castle In The Sky!

There were so many people gathered around him that it was almost impossible to take this picture. Afterwards we headed over to the Straw Hat Cafe (where I told you that we couldn’t get in due to the long wait time…)

So we basically just sat back and enjoyed the people walking by and let it all sink in.

After it was all said and done, there was still a little sunlight left so we decided to walk around Inokashira Park, which is right beside the museum. As we were leaving, I heard music. Napkin and I followed the sound a little ways and stumbled onto a man playing guitar on a bench. He was finishing up a song as we got to him and there were a few people gathered and listening. He started another song and I immediately burst into tears (again.)

(That’s right! I listened to you! Here’s a video!)

I think you can actually hear me crying at the beginning of this. The song he is playing is “Kaze No Toorimichi” or “Path Of The Wind” from My Neighbor Totoro and it was played at my wedding. It was absolutely beautiful.

A pretty magical way to end the day, right??

More soon!

Ki Wo Tsukete!