Ghibli Museum Tickets: New QR E-Tickets and the 110 Yen Fee
The official English name is Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, and it sits in the west part of Inokashira Park in western Tokyo. Admission works by advance reservation for a set date and time. The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka tickets page (English) states it plainly: no reservation or ticket purchase can be made at the museum.
The museum turned 25 on 1 October 2026, and it changed how tickets work a few days later. If you are visiting from November 2026, read the next section first. The new e-ticket has rules about phone numbers and screenshots that can stop you at the gate.
What changes from November 2026 entry
From tickets for November 2026 entry, the museum moved to a new ticket system that uses QR codes. The Ghibli Museum new ticket purchase method notice also adds a system fee of 110 yen, tax included, for every ticket. We checked the notice and the Lawson Ticket pages on 12 October 2026.
The table below puts the old and new e-ticket side by side.
| Item | Until October 2026 entry | From November 2026 entry |
|---|---|---|
| How you show the e-ticket | Lawson Ticket app | URL in the email, shown in MOALA Ticket |
| App needed | Yes | No install |
| Verification | SMS check in the app | SMS check to show the ticket |
| Phone numbers | — | 090, 080 or 070 only |
| System fee | — | 110 yen per ticket, tax included |
| Paper ticket | Print at a Lawson Loppi | Print at a Lawson Loppi |
Here is how the new e-ticket works in practice. You book on the Lawson Ticket website and choose the electronic ticket at the pickup step. Later, Lawson sends an email titled チケット表示開始メール (chiketto hyoji kaishi meru), which means “ticket display start email”. You open the URL in that email on your smartphone, and the QR code appears.
The Lawson Ticket Ghibli Museum ticket page says the new e-ticket runs on MOALA Ticket, a service from playground Co., Ltd. You do not install an app. Until October 2026 entry, you needed the Lawson Ticket smartphone app instead.
The new system has five conditions that matter most to visitors:
- SMS check: showing the ticket needs SMS verification, so your phone must receive text messages.
- Phone number: only numbers starting with 090, 080 or 070 work. A number starting with 050 does not.
- Same phone: the number you enter when you book must belong to the phone that shows the ticket. If you change your number later, the ticket stops showing.
- No copies: the QR code has special processing, so a screenshot or a printout of the code will not get you in.
- No splitting: you cannot send tickets to companions. Everyone enters together with the person who booked.
In short, the app goes away, and the QR code opens from an email link instead. Lawson recommends the latest Safari on iOS and the latest Google Chrome on Android. You also need an internet connection at the entrance. Charge your phone fully before you leave the hotel.
One small trap concerns the +Message app used on some Japanese phones. Lawson says SMS codes may not arrive in it. If that happens, switch it off for a moment and use another SMS app such as Messages.
The paper ticket is the other option. You choose in-store pickup when you book, then print the ticket at a Loppi machine inside a Lawson convenience store.
Tickets for the Mitaka City and neighbouring-city residents’ quota are still sold the same way as before. That quota does not apply to overseas visitors.
When Ghibli Museum tickets go on sale
Ghibli Museum tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. JST on the 10th of each month, for the whole of the following month. The museum’s own example: tickets for February 1st through February 28th go on sale at 10 a.m. JST on January 10th. Tickets for November 2026 went on sale on Saturday 10 October 2026.
The table below lists the next release dates under that rule.
| Entry month | Sale date | Sale time |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Saturday 10 October 2026 (on sale) | 10 a.m. JST |
| December 2026 | 10 November 2026 | 10 a.m. JST |
| January 2027 | 10 December 2026 | 10 a.m. JST |
| February 2027 | 10 January 2027 | 10 a.m. JST |
| March 2027 | 10 February 2027 | 10 a.m. JST |
Lawson Ticket sets four limits on every order:
- Once a month: each account can book once a month, up to 6 tickets.
- Only for visitors: buy with the account of a person who will visit. Someone who is not coming cannot buy on your behalf.
- Until full: tickets stay on sale up to the date and time on them, but sales end once a slot reaches capacity.
- Final: after you buy, the name and the date and time cannot be changed.
Four steps run from the sale to the gate. Buy at 10 a.m. JST, pass the SMS check, open the email link, then arrive within 1 hour of your time. If you buy on the Japanese site with a Japanese mobile number, verify the number before sale day. The Lawson Ticket FAQ on mobile phone verification warns that verification may fail on busy sale days.
Plan around the winter closure if you travel over New Year. The museum is scheduled to close from 27 December 2026 to 2 January 2027. Tickets for January 2027 go on sale on 10 December. Our New Year 2026–27 holiday guide shows that banks also close from 31 December to 3 January.
Busy seasons can bring extra sale rounds. For July and August 2026 entry, the museum ran an advance lottery sale on top of the regular sale on the 10th. Check the museum’s news page for any extra sale rounds.
How to get Ghibli Museum tickets from overseas
The museum lists two ways to get Ghibli Museum tickets from overseas. You can book on the Lawson Ticket English site, or join a bus tour by Sunrise Tours JTB, part of the JTB Group. The tour visits several places, and the Ghibli Museum is one of them.
The English site matters because of the phone rule on the Japanese site. Buying there needs a free Lawson WEB membership and mobile phone number verification. The Lawson FAQ says verification works only with Japanese mobile numbers, such as those starting with 090, 080, 070 or 060. It also says you cannot verify from outside Japan.
The verification itself is a voice call. You enter your number, a call arrives from a number starting with 03, and a voice reads out an activation code. You type that code in, and the call is free. Visitors with only an overseas number cannot pass this step, so the English site is the route for them.
Lawson, the convenience store chain in the photo above, runs Lawson Ticket. Its Loppi machines print paper tickets, which is useful if you are already in Japan when you book. The museum’s notice says the 110 yen system fee applies per ticket from November 2026 entry.
Here is how to choose between the two routes:
- Lawson Ticket English site: pick your own date and time, and visit on your own. Book at 10 a.m. JST on the 10th, which may be late at night or early morning where you live.
- Sunrise Tours JTB bus tour: the museum is one stop on a longer day, and the tour handles transport.
The same rules apply on either route. The museum bans resale, and named tickets carry one name, so tickets from unofficial resellers can be refused at the entrance.
Ghibli Museum ticket prices and the 110 yen fee
The Ghibli Museum ticket price depends only on age. Adults aged 19 and over pay 1,000 yen, and children aged 4 to 6 pay 100 yen. Ages 3 and under are free.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Ages 19 and over | 1000 yen |
| Ages 13 to 18 | 700 yen |
| Ages 7 to 12 | 400 yen |
| Ages 4 to 6 | 100 yen |
The chart shows the four paid age groups. Here they are in full:
- Ages 19 and over: 1,000 yen.
- Ages 13 to 18: 700 yen.
- Ages 7 to 12: 400 yen.
- Ages 4 to 6: 100 yen.
- Ages 3 and under: free, and they do not need a ticket reservation.
On top of the admission price, every ticket for November 2026 entry onward carries the 110 yen system fee, tax included. The Ghibli Museum how to buy tickets (Japanese) page adds that there are no group, advance-purchase or other discounts. A family of four pays the fee four times, once per ticket.
Other Tokyo sights have moved to similar timed tickets with ID checks. Our guide to PokePark Kanto tickets and the new rules covers a park that checks ID for every visitor. The teamLab Planets tickets guide explains a sight where the price changes with the entry time.
Entry times, ID and resale rules
The museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00. There are seven entry times a day, on the hour from 10:00 to the last slot at 16:00. You must enter within 1 hour of the time on your ticket.
Visitors are not swapped out once inside. A 10:00 ticket and a 16:00 ticket both let you stay until closing at 18:00, so an early slot gives you the most time.
The tickets are named to stop resale. Lawson prints the name on your Lawson Ticket account on every ticket in the order. That name decides three things on the day:
- ID: staff may check the named holder’s identity at the entrance. Bring ID such as a passport, driver’s licence or student ID.
- Arrive together: the whole group enters at the same time as the named holder, so meet up before the gate.
- Phone trouble: Lawson also asks e-ticket holders to bring ID in case their smartphone fails on the day.
Four mistakes can keep you out. Show the live e-ticket, not a screenshot. Book with a 090, 080 or 070 number, never 050. Bring the named holder and their ID, and arrive within 1 hour of your time.
Resale is banned. The museum refuses entry with resold tickets. Lawson Ticket adds that buying tickets for resale may break the law and be punished.
Plans that change are the hardest part. After purchase, you cannot change the name, date or time, and there are no refunds. That applies even if you never use the ticket. Pick a date with some slack, and avoid booking for anyone whose trip is not fixed.
Ghibli Museum closing days: Tuesdays and 4-18 November
The Ghibli Museum closes every Tuesday. It opens on a few Tuesdays, including 3 November 2026, 5 January 2027 and 23 February 2027. The Lawson Ticket Ghibli Museum opening calendar lists these dates and the long closures.
The open Tuesday on 3 November is Culture Day, a national holiday. Our November public holidays page shows it falls on Tuesday 3 November 2026. The open Tuesday on 23 February 2027 is the Emperor’s Birthday.
November has a long gap. The museum is scheduled to close for maintenance from Wednesday 4 to Wednesday 18 November 2026. In November, that leaves 1 to 3 November and 19 to 30 November, except Tuesday 24 November.
The museum stands in the west part of Inokashira Park, shown above. The park stays open when the museum closes, so it still makes an autumn walk. The community bus from Mitaka Station does not run on days the museum is closed, though.
The winter closure is scheduled from 27 December 2026 to 2 January 2027. The calendar notes that long closures change each fiscal year, and all dates may change without notice. Check the calendar again close to your visit, or call the information line on 0570-055777.
For other things to do in the same weeks, see our guides to Tokyo in November and Tokyo in December. If you are planning further ahead, our list of Japan closures in 2027 covers other sights that shut for long periods.
How to get to the Ghibli Museum, and rules inside
Take the JR Chuo Line rapid train from Shinjuku Station to Mitaka Station, a 20-minute ride. From the south exit of Mitaka Station, walk about 15 minutes along the Tamagawa Josui canal, or ride the community bus for about 5 minutes.
Both the walk and the bus start from the south exit. Signs along the Tamagawa Josui point the way to the museum.
The Ghibli Museum how to get to the museum page gives the bus details. The community bus is called Mitaka City Bus, and it runs every 15 minutes during opening hours. The adult fare is 230 yen by cash or IC card. Children pay 120 yen in cash or 50 yen by IC card.
Two other stations work too. Kichijoji Station, on the JR Chuo Line and the Keio Inokashira Line, is about a 15-minute walk away. So is Inokashira-koen Station on the Keio Inokashira Line. From the south exit of Kichijoji Station, local buses toward Chofu leave every 2 to 5 minutes, and the nearest stop is Manjobashi.
| Place | Ghibli Museum, Mitaka |
|---|---|
| Price | Ages 19 and over 1,000 yen, 13-18 700 yen, 7-12 400 yen, 4-6 100 yen, 3 and under free; plus 110 yen per ticket |
| Hours | 10:00-18:00, last entry slot 16:00; closed Tuesdays and long closures |
| Access | About 15 min walk or about 5 min by community bus from JR Mitaka Station south exit |
| Official site | Ghibli Museum, Mitaka hours and directions |
The museum has no parking, and it asks visitors not to come by car. There is space for about 100 bicycles on site. The address is 1-1-83 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-0013.
From the airport, the Haneda Airport to Kichijoji transfer guide covers the direct Airport Limousine bus, which takes 60 to 80 minutes for 1,700 yen. Our Haneda Airport to Shinjuku guide lists the Keikyu Line and JR at 43 minutes for 590 yen. From Narita, see Narita Airport to Shinjuku and change to the Chuo Line there.
An IC card covers the trains and the community bus. Our page on IC cards in Tokyo explains which cards work, and Welcome Suica is the card made for short visits. The Suica card guide compares it with PASMO.
Inside, the museum has its own house rules. The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka accessibility and museum rules page lists them:
- No photos: do not take photos or videos inside the museum, and turn off your phone indoors.
- Food: do not eat or drink inside. Eat in the Straw Hat Café or on the café deck.
- Film: each visitor can watch the film in the Saturn Theater only once.
- Lockers: the Ghibli Museum visitor information and rules page counts 96 coin-return lockers, 80 small and 16 medium. They take 100 yen, which comes back when you collect your bag.
For larger luggage, ask the museum staff. The shop, the reading room and the café take cash in Japanese yen, major credit cards and Suica or other Japanese transit IC cards.
FAQ
Can I buy Ghibli Museum tickets at the museum on the day?
No. The museum sells no tickets and takes no reservations at its door. Every visitor needs a ticket from Lawson Ticket for a set date and time. Children aged 3 and under are the only exception, because they enter free without a reservation.
Can I show a screenshot of my Ghibli Museum e-ticket at the entrance?
No. From November 2026 entry, the QR code has special processing, and Lawson Ticket says screenshots and printouts of only the code are refused. Open the ticket from the link in the email on the phone you registered. Keep the phone charged and connected to the internet.
Can I get Ghibli Museum tickets without a Japanese phone number?
Yes, through the routes the museum lists for overseas visitors. You can book on the Lawson Ticket English site or join a Sunrise Tours JTB bus tour. The Japanese Lawson site needs a Japanese mobile number for verification, and that step cannot be done from outside Japan.
Can I change the date or get a refund on a Ghibli Museum ticket?
No. After purchase, you cannot change the name, date or time on the ticket, and there are no refunds. This applies even if you do not use the ticket. Check your travel dates and the closing days before you book.
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