Straw Hat Cafe
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| The Straw Hat Cafe |
A trip to the Studio Museum should not end without dining at the Straw Hat cafe. You can get snacks, drinks, desserts, and both cold and hot meals. The menu is all sourced from organic farms and very healthy! Favorites include the katsu curry, fried pork cutlet sandwich and strawberry short cake.
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| The iconic straw hat inviting you in for a home-cooked meal. |
If you don't have the time to wait to get inside (it's very popular!), you can get something from the takeout place, which serves hot dogs, ice cream, tea, and alcohol.
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| Takeout! |
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| The stand is down through here next to the yellow tent. |
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| It offers hot dogs and ice cream. |
While it's good for a quick fix, I can't recommend the Straw Hat cafe enough! Make sure to leave ample time in your schedule to get in here, and save your appetite!
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| Porco Rosso entices you with today's menu. |
The cafe has a pretty red exterior.
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| Cafe entrance. |
You can look at the menu while you wait (don't forget to wash up in the sink with the Jiji-topped spigot outside the cafe!), in both English and Japanese, although the English seems to be more detailed in its descriptions!
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| The English menu. |
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| Little icons cue you in on ingredients such as peanut and wheat. |
The pork cutlet curry is popular, as well as the fried rice filled omelet. There are some nice drinks to choose from, too. They even serve real ale and wine!
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| "Drinking straws used at our cafe is made of real straw" |
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| You can even enjoy real ale and house wine! |
Luckily you can take pictures inside the restaurant! It's a really nice interior with a great skylight.
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| Inside the cafe. |
I ordered the katsu-curry, a Japanese favorite! It was a really healthy, upscale version! Everything is served on cute Totoro and Jiji plates.
Barley and Rice with Pork Cutlet Curry ¥1200
Delicious Japanese curry with onions and crispy pork cutlet! A fancier, healthier version of the normal katsu-curry.
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| Look at that warm puddle of savory curry and crispy fried pork! |
For dessert – or even just a single dish if you're not that hungry – get the strawberry shortcake. It's a generous portion, the strawberries are big and sweet, and the whipped cream is delicious!
Strawberry Shortcake ¥800
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| A luscious strawberry shortcake topped off with succulent berries and a Ponyo flag. |
Moist sponge cake stuffed with cream and strawberries and topped with even more berries! Decadently creamy, and not too sweet! If you only order one item make it this one!
Straw hat omelet rice ¥1100
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| A straw hat omelet awaits on a plate of Totoros eager to devour it before you. |
A thin, delicate omelet filled with rice, chicken, onions, mushrooms, peppers, and garnished with a cute ketchup heart design.
Glutton’s Fried Pork Cutlet Sandwich ¥1100
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| Jiji scouts to make sure no one steals a half of your crispy pork sandwich. |
Crispy, thick cut fried pork cutlet on a bed of lettuce on whole grain bread.
Cream Soda ¥600
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| Amazing sky-blue color! |
A beautiful sky-blue soda with a scoop of milk flavored ice cream floating on top.
Coffee with Milk ¥500
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| The cafe's straw hat design adorns your afternoon coffee. |
A simple coffee made with frothy milk and a design of the straw hat itself! I got to watch them make the design and it’s beautiful!
Cream cheese and sweet bean paste donut holes ¥580 (for three)
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| Crispy on the outside, creamy red beans on the inside. |
Freshly fried donuts made with anko beans grown in Hokkaido and filled with cream cheese, crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside!
Hot Dog ¥500
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| A well-dressed frank sitting on a pale bun. |
Juicy Hokkaido raised pork sausage topped with sour pickle relish, available at the takeout stand. Now that's what I call takeout!
Tip for the cafe: save those little flags that come with your meals for a freebie, as they sell them in packs!
Another destination that would be sacrilege not to visit is the museum gift shop. This will be the most crowded part of the museum all day long! Only those who are willing to test the boundaries of their patience dare enter.
Mama Aiuto Gift shop
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| Museum gift shop. |
The gift shop’s name comes from the sky pirate band from Porco Rosso, which means “help me Mamma!” in Italian, which you may be saying after braving the crowds of frenzied Ghibli fans.
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| "Help me Mamma!" |
You can find merchandise exclusive to the museum gift shop here as well as other products from the Donguri shops. You can purchase more film strips here, but be warned! These are real strips from the movies so you may end up with something really random that doesn’t even have a character in it! It’s kind of a hit or miss. There are also puzzles, figures, T-shirts and towels (expensive!), and gorgeous Totoro and Jiji plates, mugs, and tea cups, as well as books, DVDs and CDs, keychains, decorative stands and calendars, and plushes.
After you've finished exploring and enjoying everything at the museum, step outside for a lovely evening shot when the museum's clock lights up.
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| The museum by night. |
Thanks to the museum's many glass-paned windows, it's very reflective!
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| Night view. |
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| Peaceful and reflective. |
Souvenirs
Lastly, I couldn't end this blog without sharing with you some of the awesome souvenirs I've picked up over the years! Remember that little film strip ticket you received at the entrance? If you're tired of squinting up at the light, snag this magnifying viewfinder for a few bucks.
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| A magnified scene from Ponyo alights in this miniature viewfinder. |
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| It's Howl! Score! |
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| This gorgeous Jiji cup makes me want to have classy afternoon tea party! |
I also bought a cute hand towel of the image Osono hangs of Kiki and Jiji in their bakery.
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| Kiki's Delivery Service hand towel |
Here are all the souvenirs I bought on my first trip! Jiji phone strap with biscuit and coffee cup, mini Totoro stamps, Princess Mononoke playing cards, Studio Ghibli Museum stickers, and Teto stuffed animal.
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| My collection of Studio Ghibli Museum-only souvenirs. |
I also love this mini cat bus with real spaces to put characters inside! All aboard!
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| All your favorite characters can ride the cat bus! |
So, special exhibits, delicious cafe, 9 short films shown exclusively at the museum, and awesome merchandise?! And all for only around US $10?! This is definitely one place you cannot miss while in Japan!
Location: Mitaka, Tokyo
Hours: 10AM-6PM
Closed on Tuesdays, New Year's holidays
1000 yen for adults
100-700 up to 18 years
Access: Mitaka station, Tokyo
Check out the museum website more information on access, and don't forget my article on izanau for tips on snagging those tickets! And don't forget, if you're already in Japan but haven't been able to make it to the museum yet you can still find awesome Ghibli products at the Donguri stores!
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