My favourite-est day in Tokyo was when I got to go visit the Ghibli Museum. It was a pretty amazing experience. I’ve been enamoured with the work of Miyazaki ever since I saw, My Neighbour Totoro/A Tonari no Totoro, which to this day is my favourite. Thank you, Jules for getting the tickets!!!  Jules couldn’t join us though, she was in training 😉 So it was just me and Erv. It was great to share it with another Miyazaki fan … although he’ll tell you that I’m the more otaku one. Needless to say, Erv was pretty much worn down by my enthusiasm … I was a little excited … to say the least.

That’s me in my element and having a complete fan girl moment. This was even before we went into the museum proper where we saw storyboards, exposure sheets, 3D key frame models. We couldn’t take pictures in there and in a sense I’m glad because stills would not be able to capture the inspiration and awe that rises from your gut when you get to experience the process of producing some of the best animation works in the world. It woke my soul, which from the doldrums of everyday life suffers from narcolepsy.

So if you know me, when I get excited I bounce around a little more than a bunny at Easter; and by the time we sat down at the Straw Hat Cafe, Erv was just happy to have a place to rest 🙂 where we were served with Totoro cups *clap clap and dance of joy* Ok, I didn’t really do that … if I did, I think he would have swatted me on the head :p Even I know there’s so much bubbles one can take.

So we sat there, sipped our teas, chatted about great animation and how that burns the fire in our bellies. Discussed our fears, hopes and dreams and at 33, even though everything isn’t going perfectly as plan, we are doing just that dreaming big dreams, being scared as hell about them and hoping that for what it’s worth, the journey will be like a Miyazaki film. I’ll even be grateful for a couple of these magical moments in my lifetime and hey, I’ve been real lucky to have a few already 🙂

Call me idealistic and naive but I think my very own Totoro is out there for me … maybe I’m already on it and I just haven’t figured it out yet 🙂 That’s the amazing thing about the Ghibli Museum, it wakes your soul and inspires you.