Straw Hat Cafe: Cafe in the Sky
Hey Everyone! Today, we’ll be taking a look inside the Straw Hat Café at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, Japan. What is the Ghibli Museum? It’s a sanctuary for all things related to Studio Ghibli, the famous Japanese animation studio. They produce animated feature and short films that are renowned across the world with fans young and old alike.
I, personally, have not seen many Ghibli films. But, the ones I have seen were quite good. I like Spirited Away. Go check it out if you have time. Unfortunately, they don’t allow photos inside of the museum but you can take pictures in the café and on the rooftop of the museum.
Anyway, the Straw Hat Café is the coffee shop inside the Ghibli Museum. You can only get inside if you have access to the museum. And, it’s very hard to get tickets here. So, make sure you plan ahead of time. Here are some important notes:
There are three effective ways of purchasing tickets to the Ghibli Museum:
JTB Group
LAWSON
Bridge.jpn
Most people would immediately go on the Studio Ghibli official website to buy tickets there, where they would find methods #1 (JTB Group) or #2 (LAWSON). Personally, I thought that these methods were a bit confusing. So, I decided to purchase through another website (#3): Bridge.jpn. For this website in particular, you may purchase your ticket on the 1st to 9th of each month. However, I suggest you purchase your tickets on the first to get a better chance of grabbing tickets. The website also only sells tickets the month before your traveling month.
For example:
If you plan to visit in January, you should buy your tickets on December 1st.
If you plan to visit in April, you should buy your tickets on March 1st.
If you plan to visit in July, you should buy your tickets on June 1st.
If you plan to visit in October, you should buy your tickets on September 1st.
The website also allows you to pick up to 3 choices for the days and times you want to visit the museum. You won't get the ticket confirmation until a couple of weeks later. If and when they get it, they will email you. They will also ask for your home address so they can mail it to you by mail. I had the tickets mailed to our hotel so I can save on shipping. Thankfully, I got my first choice with this website and had no problems afterwards.
The menu of the café is filled with coffee, sweets, desserts, and some savory dishes. The prices are not cheap but they aren't too bad.
I got the Strawberry Shortcake (see above). For about $7 USD, it was an expensive slice of cake. But, a happy visit to a happy museum deserves a happy snack. When it came, it was actually a huge slice. There was a ton of cream and icing, which is my favorite part. Also, look at all those strawberries! The cake itself was soft and fluffy. On top of the cake, you will notice they decorated it with a small flag with a picture of Totoro, a creature from the movie “My Neighbor Totoro”.
Finally, I got the Blue Sky Ice Cream Soda (see above). Funny story. I was browsing through the menu and I thought it sounded cool. There were no pictures or any description. It just sounded fun and I kind of wanted ice cream. When they brought it to the table, I was a bit embarrassed. It was clearly a child’s drink! I frantically looked around the restaurant to see if there were any other adults that ordered this drink. The only person that ordered the same drink was a three-year old girl! But, it’s okay. That toddler and I stood strong with our baby blue ice cream sodas. In case you were wondering, it was delicious.
Anyway, I highly recommend going to the Ghibli Museum if you are a big fan of their animations. If you do visit the museum, definitely stop by the Straw Hat Cafe for a quick snack.
I also got a Straw Hat Latte (see above). The foam on top was designed with a straw hat to match the logo of the restaurant. It was cute and… tasted just like a latte!