My favourite part of the Ghibli Museum in Mitake Tokyo was definitely the two "preparatory spas" which re-created Miyazake's work studio for his early career. They were more like personal studies of an individual, with personal collections of the artist's books, music and of course sketches and paintwork. The museum was styled in a way that allowed visitors to touch and handle the personal artefacts in the rooms.
It confirmed one thing that I have always believed about great artists - their interests are always extremely broad. You could tell from the books (both Japaneses and foreign language) that were in Miyazake's studio - everything from children's and classical literature, to architecture and even engineering. There were books on botany, insects, trains, ships and aeroplanes. No wonder his animation work is so full of delightful nuances and details, a product of wonderfully curious mind!
Just spent N-Day afternoon re-watching some of the Ghibli collection, including Totoro. The more I watch Miyazake's stuff, the more I see his (and his studio workers') sensitivity to both to art and character development. The setting in each movie is like a beautiful, lovingly crafted art canvas on which people and magical creatures come to live. His characters are never simple, the storyline always profound and wildly imaginative. It's a shame that kids (and adults) in another part of the world have to be satisfied with Walt Disney, at best Pixar.
