JAPAN
The clock is made of hand carved copper steel, and also features mechanical vignettes, old castle, teapots, blacksmiths, boiling teapot and other moving elements.

(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan  )

If you are a Studio Ghibli fan, Nittele Odokei (NTV Big Clock) is a must-see attraction in Tokyo.

Just outside the Toei Oedo Line’s Shiodome Station stands the majestic Cuckoo clock designed by famed Japanese animator and filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

Miyazaki is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, which has released award-winning animated films like “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service.”

The animated clock stands 12 meters tall, 18 meters wide and weighs 28 tons. The clock is made of hand carved copper steel that took six years to complete. The installation was completed in 2006 and features mechanical vignettes, old castle, teapots, blacksmiths, boiling teapot and other moving elements in the inimitable Miyazaki style.

Visitors are treated to the lively 3-minute-long display various times of day depending on whether it’s a weekday or weekend, according to the NTV website. During my visit at 3 p.m. on a weekday, the bells and moving elements drew a small crowd to enjoy a robotic show that reminded me of “Howl’s Moving Castle,” another hit animated Ghibli Studio film.

The neighborhood Nittele Odokei calls home is just southeast of major hub Shimbashi Station, and is known as Tokyo’s Italian Square due to its European-style buildings and squares. NTV Tower, where the clock is installed, is a futuristic office building with many restaurants open to the public.

Don’t miss this beautiful Cuckoo clock you can only catch in Tokyo!

The clock is made of hand carved copper steel, and also features mechanical vignettes, old castle, teapots, blacksmiths, boiling teapot and other moving elements.

(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan  )

The clock is made of hand carved copper steel, and also features mechanical vignettes, old castle, teapots, blacksmiths, boiling teapot and other moving elements.

(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan  )

NTV Big Clock designed by Hayao Miyazaki (Ghibli Clock)

  • Location: NTV Tower [2nd floor], 1-6, Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

  • Cuckoo Clock performance: Mon – Fri, noon, 1, 3, 6 and 8 p.m., Sat and Sun, 10 a.m., noon, 1, 3, 6 and 8 p.m.

  • Admission: Free

  • URL

Takahiro Takiguchi is a writer based in Yokosuka, Japan. Takiguchi covers travel, food and culture stories for Stars and Stripes Japan. Follow along as Takiguchi takes readers to less crowded destinations around the mainland, you might also catch him out and about recording Speakin’ Japanese lesson videos for Instagram.

The best stories from the Pacific, in your inbox

Sign up for our weekly newsletter of articles from Japan, Korea, Guam, and Okinawa with travel tips, restaurant reviews, recipes, community and event news, and more.

Sign Up Now