Crowdfunding to save Ghibli Museum raises over $200K
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By Ryan General
The city of Mitaka in Tokyo has so far raised over $200,000 via crowdfunding to help Ghibli Museum stay afloat following revenue loss from the pandemic.
Totoro’s home: Designed by director Hayao Miyazaki himself, the museum showcasing Studio Ghibli’s work opened in the city’s Inokashira Park in October 2001, according to ANN.
- The Ghibli Museum features a children’s museum, a technology museum, and a fine arts museum dedicated to the art and technique of animation.
- Other attractions include a specialty café, bookstore, rooftop garden, a theater for exclusive short films, a replica of Totoro and the Catbus from “My Neighbor Totoro” and a life-sized robot from “Castle in the Sky.”
- The COVID-19 pandemic forced the museum to close in February 2020. It re-opened later to Mitaka residents only in July last year and eventually to all in September.
- This year, it closed again temporarily from late April to early June, further cutting off its revenue.
- Mitaka gave the museum a grant, but it is not enough to cover its expenses and operational costs.
Fans came through: To further support the museum, the city launched a fundraising campaign, seeking 10 million Japanese yen ($91,000) and targeting donations from online backers on the crowdfunding platform Furusato Choice.
- The campaign, which asks backers for at least 5,000 yen ($46) in donations, is open only to Japanese residents.
- As of this writing, the online funding campaign has so far generated over 23 million yen ($209,000).
- Backers can continue to donate to the fund until Jan. 31, 2022.
Featured Image via Furusato Choice
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