Studio Ghibli is coming to Gardens by the Bay for seven months from 18 December, with an 8-metre bathhouse

Totoro is coming to Marina Bay, and he is bringing the bathhouse.

Book it, but not for December. The Story of Studio Ghibli, an exhibition licensed by the studio behind My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away, opens on the West Lawn of Gardens by the Bay on Friday 18 December 2026 and runs until Sunday 4 July 2027, open 10am to 7pm. Singapore residents pay S$39 for an adult and S$29 for a child; everyone else pays S$49 and S$43. Tickets are sold online through Klook, the authorised platform, by timed slot, and the organiser says a limited number may be sold on site, subject to capacity. Bayfront MRT is the station, with the sheltered linkway into the Gardens.

What you get is nearly 3,500 square metres of walk-through sets across 12 scenes. The organiser, M Experience, names Totoro and the Cat Bus, an 8-metre-tall bathhouse from Spirited Away that it bills as the world's first, Kamaji's boiler room beneath it, and the Guchokipanya bakery from Kiki's Delivery Service. A visit takes 60 to 75 minutes at an ordinary pace, there is no time limit once you are in, and you are asked to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before your slot. Strollers are allowed, though the organiser warns that space is tight in places, photographs are allowed in designated areas, flash and tripods may be restricted, and outside food is not permitted. There is exclusive merchandise at the exit, and food trucks outside rather than a café within.

Why it matters: Studio Ghibli licenses very little, and the organiser's claim that the bathhouse is a first tells you these are purpose-built sets rather than a touring poster show. Seven months is also unusually long for a ticketed exhibition here, which changes how you should plan it. It opens as the school holidays begin and runs through Chinese New Year and the June break, so there is no reason to fight the first fortnight.

Our advice: skip the December crush and book a weekday 10am slot in January, when the Gardens are quiet and the heat has not built. Go with the children who know the films; a four-year-old who has never met Totoro will enjoy the Cat Bus and be baffled by the boiler room. The Fortune Bundle, S$9 more online for a coin and a talisman, is for collectors rather than families. Pair it with the Supertree Grove at dusk, and read our guide to the Gardens if you are making a day of it. It is also on our Christmas page, as the one December booking worth making early.

Good to know The Story of Studio Ghibli, West Lawn (beside the Active Garden), Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive. Friday 18 December 2026 to Sunday 4 July 2027, 10am–7pm (the Gardens say timings may change). Residents S$39 adult, S$29 child; non-residents S$49 adult, S$43 child; Fortune Bundle +S$9, online only. Timed tickets on Klook (authorised platform); limited on-site sales subject to capacity. 60–75 minutes; strollers allowed; no outside food. Nearest MRT: Bayfront.

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The Story of Studio Ghibli, Gardens by the Bay | West Lawn, Gardens by the Bay