(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi)
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!
(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi)
(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi)
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
