Im turning 45 in April and a trip to Japan foraStar Warsconventionsounded like a fun way to celebrate.

But I wasnt gonna make the same mistake againno quick trip in and out.

As the date got closer, I dug a bit deeper.

Me after getting those tickets.

Me after getting those tickets.Image: Studio Ghibli

I found the website.

But what day was I looking for?

I soon realized that 10 a.m. in Tokyo is the day before in the United States.

Ghibli Museum Page

The image at the top of the museum page. – Studio Ghibli

Plus, my specific weekend was the first day of daylight savings time.

Now, before I break this down in more detail, a few important things.

You have to know what days you are available to attend.

Ghibli Queue It

An admittedly crude screencap of my computer screen in the queue – io9/Gizmodo

Also, its usually closed at least one day a week.

The other thing is practice.

Im also something of an expert on San Diego Comic-Con hotel reservations, a notoriously difficult task.

Ghibli Museum calendar

A screenshot of the, now sold-out, April Ghibli Museum calendar. – Studio Ghibli

The issue was if I didnt get them, there wasnt any good second option.

Surely, if I spent more, I could figure it out.

There are always ways.

My Neighbor Totoro Family

Nothing but happy faces at this point. – Studio Ghibli

But I didnt want to deal with that.

In my mind, I had one shot at this and I wish I had practiced.

So I did that a few times as anxiety continued to build.

Princessmononoke

The key moment, however, is 30 minutes before the sale.

Its the one Ive been dealing with for years for Comic-Con hotels.

So while Queue-It is my enemy, its an enemy I respect.

Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli

In this 30-minute window, the key is to open as many different devices or browsers as possible.

You cant just open different tabs.

They have to be different profiles entirely.

Ghibli 2

If so, thats good.

Thats its own entry.

You want this because each web client/machine is another roll of the dice.

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The Queue-It site keeps you well-informed on all that with an evil little person walking.

I was aiming for either a Thursday or a Friday, with the earliest slot available.

Hopefully at this point, youve already done this partbut if not, its go time.

Family summer fandom merch

You click a few pages and get to the big calendar with all the dates.

On here youll see all the time slots with one of three symbols.

An O is available.

Article image

A triangle means close to selling out and an X is sold out.

I filled everything in, got to the credit card and, alas, it sold out.

Onto noon I went.

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At this pointand this has changed over the years you need a few things.

You need a date and time, of course.

it’s crucial that you know which kind of tickets you want (its age-dependent).

Predator Badlands

But youll have to fill that out along with your nationality.

Now, this is a key I learned from the YouTube videos.

This is not a good thing, especially when theres a ticking clock.

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And while you have them on the phone, give them your full travel dates too.

Once the credit card is accepted, voila!

You have tickets to the Ghibli Museum.

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After months of anxiety and stress, the actual ticket-buying process only took me 15 minutes.

I was very lucky but I was also prepared.

I got my first-choice day and second-choice time.

Alicia Witt in Urban Legend

My other browsers, however, were not so fortunate.

An hour after that, the whole month was gone.

To recap, here are my biggest tips to get Ghibli Museum ticketson the official website.

Hp14

Its as simple as that.

Yes, Im joking.

But, hopefully, all the stress was worth it.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a guided tour of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before leading a board meeting on March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Ill find out next month when Im in Japan.

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