My first non-work related trip to Japan in 2009 was an amazing little biking tour of the city, including Ginza. Husband and I had not visited the Ginza area before and decided to walk around while we were visiting. We wandered around and found this really cool looking, large building and started exploring. Coming around a corner, we spotted what looked like a scene from a Studio Ghibli film.
The clock is part of Nittele Tower, the headquarters of Nippon Television, in a sub section of Ginza called Shiodome. After we returned home, I discovered the clock was designed by Hayao Miyazaki. It is unmistakable as Miyazaki’s design, or a really good copy of his style. The sculptural clock performs a music and movement show several times a day. We stayed to see the show but I did not have a video capable recorder with me.
While the clock is not exactly straight out of Howl’s Moving Castle, it is from the same design thought process. Many of the styling pieces are also in residence at the Studio Ghibli Museum (which I might post about later). The details on the clock are pretty amazing.
You can see some of the workings but getting close up, there are a few pieces just for show.
These guys are pretty neat – they hammer an anvil as part of the performance. Here’s a slightly closer shot of them.
Some of the smallest things really caught my attention. The weld and rivet detail on this claw foot of the clock is a nice touch.
The curved, asymmetrical windows are a feature in many of Studio Ghibli’s architectural designs for their films and are included in this massive moving sculpture.
The striking of the clock is pretty spectacular at night as you can see in the YouTube video below:
Thanks to Atlas Obscura and Asking For Trouble for a few details about the clock. Have you been to see it? What do you think of the design?