How Do You Get Ghibli Museum Tickets When They Sell Out in Minutes?
Ghibli Museum tickets go on sale once a month and are gone almost immediately, and there are no sales at the door. For most travelers who missed the monthly release, a tour that includes the ticket is the only realistic way in. Two Kichijoji tours on this page do exactly that.
About This Experience
1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka, on the edge of Inokashira Park
15-minute walk or community bus from Mitaka Station on the JR Chuo line, and walkable from Kichijoji
10:00 to 18:00, closed most Tuesdays
¥1,000 for adults, advance-only, no sales at the door
No photography inside the museum and no re-entry once you leave
Both tours run about 4 hours, with the Kichijoji walk before the museum
Check Live Availability & Prices
The food tour is capped at five people, so dates close quickly. See current pricing and open days below.
Which Ghibli Museum Tour to Pick
First, the problem both tours solve. Official Ghibli Museum tickets go on sale on the 10th of each month at 10:00 Japan time for the following month, and they sell out within minutes. July and August use a separate lottery instead. There are no door sales and no re-entry, so if your travel dates were fixed after the monthly release passed, buying direct is usually no longer an option. Both tours here include the museum ticket, which is the whole point.
The small-group Kichijoji food tour costs $152 and carries a 4.7 rating. It is capped at five people and fills the hours before the museum with local snacks, the Harmonica Yokocho alleys, and a walk through Inokashira Park before ending at the museum. One firm restriction from the operator: children under 18 are not accepted on this tour. The walking tour costs $99, rated 4.8 from a handful of early reviews, and trades most of the food for Kichijoji's anime shops and the same park approach, with your entry handled at the end. Same museum, same 4-hour shape, so the choice comes down to snacks versus shops and how much you want to spend.
If the museum is one stop on a longer culture itinerary, our Tokyo museum planning guide shows how a Mitaka morning fits alongside the rest of the city.
Both Ways Into the Ghibli Museum
Two Kichijoji tours that include the museum ticket, side by side.
from $152 Ghibli Museum, Kichijoji & Food Tour (Tickets Included)
- Ghibli Museum tickets included — no lottery
- Kichijoji food tour with local snacks
- Small group, maximum 5 people
from $99 Kichijoji Walking Tour & Ghibli Museum with Ticket
- Ghibli Museum ticket included
- Kichijoji anime shops and alleys
- Inokashira Park stroll
What You'll See
Hayao Miyazaki designed the building himself, and it plays by his rules: crooked staircases, small doors, and details that reward slow wandering rather than a checklist.
- The rooftop Laputa robot soldier standing in the garden
- Stained-glass windows filled with Totoros
- The Saturn Theater, screening exclusive short films never released anywhere else
- Crooked staircases and passages built for getting pleasantly lost
- Inokashira Park on the walk in, greener than you expect Tokyo to be
- Harmonica Yokocho, Kichijoji's cramped postwar snack alleys (food tour route)
- Kichijoji's anime and manga shops (walking tour route)
How a Visit Flows
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Before you go
Book the tour, skip the ticket race
Your museum entry is included, so there is no need to sit at a computer on the 10th of the month. Reserve the tour as soon as your dates are fixed.
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On arrival
Meet in Kichijoji
Both tours start in Kichijoji, a short ride from Shinjuku on the JR Chuo line, and spend the first hours there before the museum.
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First stop
Alleys and shops
The food tour works through Harmonica Yokocho with snacks along the way; the walking tour browses the neighborhood's anime shops instead.
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Next
Walk through Inokashira Park
Both routes cross the park toward Mitaka, passing the pond and swan boats on the approach to the museum.
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After that
Enter the museum
Your guide hands over the entry, then the building is yours: the Saturn Theater short film, the exhibit rooms, the rooftop robot soldier. No photos inside, so pocket the phone.
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Before you leave
See everything in one pass
There is no re-entry once you exit, so take the staircases slowly and finish with the shop before heading out.
Know Before You Go
Not suitable for
- Children under 18 on the food tour, the operator does not accept them; families should check the walking tour instead
- Travelers hoping to buy at the door, the museum sells no same-day tickets
- Anyone who wants to photograph the interior, cameras stay away inside
What to bring
- Comfortable walking shoes, both tours cover Kichijoji and Inokashira Park on foot
- An appetite if you booked the food tour, snacks are included
- Your booking confirmation on your phone
- A light layer, the park walk is outdoors in any weather
Not allowed
- Photography or filming inside the museum
- Re-entry after you exit
- Turning up without an advance ticket, there are no door sales
Insider Tips
A few things that make the Mitaka trip smoother.
- If you would rather buy direct, mark the 10th of the month at 10:00 Japan time and be online the moment sales open for the following month
- July and August entries run on a lottery, not first come first served, so plan those months around a ticket-included tour
- The museum closes most Tuesdays, build your Kichijoji day around that
- Watch the exclusive short film in the Saturn Theater early, then wander; screenings rotate and are shown nowhere else
- Save the rooftop robot soldier for a clear-sky moment, it is the one part of the visit you can photograph from the garden
- Kichijoji rewards arriving early, Harmonica Yokocho and the shopping streets are their own attraction before the tour starts
Where You're Headed
Ghibli Museum Tickets FAQ
How do you get Ghibli Museum tickets?
Official tickets go on sale on the 10th of each month at 10:00 Japan time for the following month and sell out within minutes. July and August use a separate lottery. The alternative is a tour that includes the ticket, like the two on this page.
What happens if Ghibli Museum tickets are sold out?
Once a month sells out there is no official resale and no waiting list. A ticket-included tour is the only realistic way in for most travelers who missed the release.
Can you buy Ghibli Museum tickets at the door?
No. The museum is advance-only and sells nothing on site, so never travel to Mitaka hoping to walk in.
Why do these tours include the museum ticket?
Operators secure entry in advance and bundle it with a Kichijoji walking or food tour. Since individual tickets vanish within minutes of release, the bundled entry is the main reason people book.
Can you take photos inside the Ghibli Museum?
No, photography is not allowed anywhere inside. The rooftop garden with the robot soldier is the exception, so save your camera for that.
Which day is the Ghibli Museum closed?
The museum closes most Tuesdays and is otherwise open 10:00 to 18:00. Check the calendar for your date before locking in plans.
How much is Ghibli Museum admission?
Official adult admission is ¥1,000, but availability is the real cost. The tours on this page price the ticket into a 4-hour Kichijoji experience at $99 or $152.
What Visitors Say
We tried for months to get tickets on our own and gave up. The food tour got us in, and the snacks around Harmonica Yokocho turned out to be half the fun.
Group of five max meant it felt like walking with a friend who knew every alley in Kichijoji. The museum itself is small but every corner has something.
Booked the walking tour for the ticket, stayed for the anime shops. The park walk to the museum was lovely. Only wish we could have taken photos inside.