Ghibli Museum tickets for December 2026: dates and how to book

When do December 2026 tickets go on sale?

December 2026 tickets go on sale at 10:00 JST on Tuesday 10 November 2026, through Lawson Ticket.

Clocks in Europe and North America have gone back since the previous release, so this one is an hour earlier on your watch than the last two were. Japan does not change its clocks.

Which days is the museum closed in December 2026?

Tuesdays are normally closed, and December 2026 has five of them: 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 December, so none of them should be on sale. Then there is the year-end. The museum has closed over the year-end and New Year holidays in recent years, and the exact dates are set by the official calendar and nowhere else. Read it before release day and do not plan around the last few days of the month until you have.

Which December dates will go first?

December weekends will go first, as always, with the 10:00 entry leading on each. There is no national holiday in December.

The Japanese school winter holiday starts about 25 December, and from then on weekdays go almost as fast as weekends. Peak year-end travel begins around 29 December, so any days the museum is open in that final stretch will be in demand.

That leaves the first three weeks. A Wednesday to Friday afternoon between 2 and 24 December is usually the easiest booking of the month, and those are the slots that stay on sale longest.

What is Mitaka like in December?

Cold and dry, with clear skies most days. Highs are around 10 to 12 °C and lows near 1 to 4 °C. Autumn colour lingers in Inokashira Park into early December, so the first week or so still has some red in the trees.

The walk from the south exit of Mitaka Station along the Tamagawa Josui waterway is 15 minutes. The community bus, every 15 minutes (¥230 for adults, ¥120 for children aged 7 to 12 in cash or ¥50 by IC card), is the warmer option. The Straw Hat Café on the terrace is the only place on site to eat or drink, and coats can go in the coin lockers.

How much daylight is there for the rooftop?

Sunset is around 16:30. Photography is allowed only outdoors, on the grounds and the rooftop garden, where the five-metre Robot Soldier from Castle in the Sky stands. A 15:00 entry leaves you an hour or so of light for it. A 16:00 entry leaves you very little.

If the rooftop is part of why you are going, book 13:00 or earlier and go up first. The roof is reached by a narrow spiral staircase and closes in bad weather. Everything indoors is unaffected by the dark: the atrium under its glass ceiling, the Saturn Theater and its short film, the Cat Bus room for children aged 12 and under. You can stay until 18:00 whichever hour you enter.

When do January 2027 tickets go on sale?

Tickets for January 2027 go on sale at 10:00 JST on Thursday 10 December, so a trip that runs into the New Year means a second release day while you are travelling. That is 01:00 in London and 20:00 on Wednesday 9 December in New York, or a Thursday morning if you are already in Tokyo. If you would rather not be online for either, a booking service like Tickets Japan queues at release with your dates in order of preference.

The full release calendar for 2026 and 2027 is in the release dates guide. Entry times, prices and how our booking works are on the Ghibli Museum page.