'Zen and Ghibli' Kyoto Exhibition Ticket | The Boy and the Heron

What is the 'Zen and Ghibli' Kyoto Exhibition?

• The 'Zen and Ghibli' Kyoto Exhibition is an immersive showcase based on the book 'Zen and Ghibli,' a collection of dialogues between Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki and Zen monks.

• Rather than a simple retrospective of animated works, the exhibition uses recurring values and scenarios from the world of Ghibli to transform the often ineffable spirit of 'Zen' into a space that visitors can walk through and experience at their own pace.

• The core work featured is director Hayao Miyazaki's 2023 film 'The Boy and the Heron,' which won the 96th Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and set a record for the highest overseas viewership in Studio Ghibli's history.

• The exhibition intentionally avoids providing standard answers; what you see and what you think are your own personal interpretations.

• Held in Kyoto, a city where Zen temples and culture remain naturally woven into daily life, the exhibition allows your post-visit stroll through the streets to become an extension of the experience itself.

What can you experience at the 'Zen and Ghibli' Kyoto Exhibition?

• Centered on director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, 'The Boy and the Heron,' the exhibition connects various classic Ghibli works. Through iconic lines, film stills, and calligraphy by producer Toshio Suzuki, it presents the 'Zen' perspective hidden within the world of Ghibli from multiple angles.

• Seemingly ordinary dialogue, the silence of characters in moments of confusion, and the empty spaces in the landscapes are rediscovered through the exhibition's curation, serving as gateways for contemplation.

• Toshio Suzuki's calligraphy, with its brush strokes and power, gives physical form to the Zen phrases discussed in the dialogues, representing the aspect of the exhibition closest to 'Zen' itself.

• We recommend slowing down and walking freely as if on a leisurely stroll, without rushing to reach a conclusion. Lingering a little longer in front of a specific line or piece of calligraphy is often the best way to experience this exhibition.

• After leaving the exhibition, the Zen temples and streetscapes of Kyoto are perfect for continuing that sense of tranquility.