Day three was set aside to calm the otaku within, by visiting the Studio Ghibli Museum. I had visited the museum three years before and really loved the quirky architecture, the playful interior and the opportunity to see unreleased footage.

The Ghibli museum is in Mitaka, outside of central Tokyo so a portion of the morning was spent travelling to this western edge of the city.

Hint #2: Ghibli museum tickets must be purchased in advance when you are still in your country or origin – plan ahead!

The Ghibli museum doesn’t allow photography inside, and that is a blessing as experiencing it first hand – not through a lens – is a must. You can get a taste of Miyazaki’s own genius, seeing his process first hand by exploring his room. There is also a mini-theater which will show one of four unreleased short films… not to give a spoiler alter but one does involve the catbus! The outside of the museum does allow photography, up a winding staircase stands the sentinel, guarding the museum and the lush vegetation on the roof. For any ghibli fans I strongly recommend going along.

For the evening we revisited Asakusa Senso-ji as I wanted an opportunity to do some night time photography of the stunning lit temple buildings.