The Ghibli Clock

Back in September, we stumbled across an amazing clock affixed to a building.  We investigated this beautiful structure and quickly discovered our guess was correct - it was designed by the famous artist and animator, Hayao Miyazaki, the director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli.

Affixed to the Nippon Television headquarters, the clock is 3 stories tall and over 18 meters (60 feet) wide.  It is made from over 20 tons of copper and steel.  It took over 6 years to make!  And it is a sight to be seen, especially for any Miyazaki fans.  There is the only Miyazaki clock in the world.

On our first sighting, we saw a sign that explained the clock came to life at noon, 3pm, 6pm, and 8pm everyday.  There is also an extra "show" on Saturdays and Sundays at 10am.  I wanted to see this clock do it's thing.  I am a huge fan of Miyazaki.  To see his work come to life in this way would be incredible.  Unfortunately, we always seemed to be in the area (a quick 2 minute walk from Shiodome station) at the wrong time.  So, I kept missing it every time we passed through that area.

But sometimes the stars align, and I got to see the clock come to life. 

Something to note: the performance doesn't actually start at the top of the hour.  Instead it counts down to the hour!  So I'm so glad we arrived 5 minutes before 3:00!

Although officially called the Nittele Giant Clock, it will always be the Miyazaki Clock to me.  And I will always be happy that I was able to see it creating a bit of magic right before my eyes.