Help securing tickets to the Ghibli Museum - difficulty, not in Japan

February 13, 2015 10:07 AM

We're trying to secure tickets to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, but our international agent has no availability within our time scales. Is there a service like TaskRabbit in Japan where we could ask someone to check locally if these are available?

We'd prefer not to pay a massive premium over the ticket prices, so would like to avoid using a service like Viator or Govoyagin. It looks like tickets are available from the Lawson convenience store, but you need to be in Japan to access this system. Would it be possible to hire someone to do a quick check and purchase tickets if there are any available?

If the tickets are available, would there be any issues asking for these to be delivered to the hotel where we'll be staying? Alternatively, would it be safer to have these sent by post internationally?

posted by apcmwh to Travel & Transportation around Tokyo, Japan (5 answers total)

I guess location would help... but I'm surprised you aren't able to call the travel agents and pay over the phone/email. (I personally picked up the tickets in the NYC office- it was a under 5min trip, and the mueseum was totally worth the visit)

Depending on how soon you need them, you may be able to set up a Metafilter job for this for someone located in a major city to pick up and then overnight to you.
posted by larthegreat at 10:37 AM on February 13, 2015

It might help to know where you are and what is the time frame for tickets. When I planned my trip to Japan we were in contact with JTB for Ghibli tickets, but the timing didn't end up working.

JTB
posted by Julnyes at 10:59 AM on February 13, 2015

Response by poster: To clarify - we contacted JTB (Canada). They had no availability in their international allocation of tickets for the dates we're in Tokyo. However, it appears there is a separate allocation for local purchase in Japan, which is what we are trying to access.
posted by apcmwh at 11:39 AM on February 13, 2015

Just to warn you, I'm to understand it's actually easier to get tickets from the international allocation. When I went, we took a few living-in-Japan friends with us and their friends and coworkers were really surprised we were able to get in. I guess the Japan allocated block of tickets is smaller and they sell out really fast? But good luck on your quest. It is a really amazing place to visit.
posted by Aznable at 12:42 PM on February 13, 2015

Your friends at JList have anticipated your wish: Mitaka no Mori Ghibli Museum Ticket Service.
posted by mythical anthropomorphic amphibian at 3:29 PM on February 13, 2015