Exhibit to include replica clock tower, maze, diorama and more

An upcoming exhibit at the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo will showcase Edogawa Ranpo's novel Ghost Tower, a major influence on Hayao Miyazaki. The "Yūreitō-e Yōkoso Ten: Tsūzoku Bunka-no Ōdō ("Welcome to the Ghost Tower: A Work of Popular Culture") will explain through manga how the novel became beloved by generations of Japanese people. It will also include a replica of the clock tower itself, a maze, and a diorama of the eponymous castle from Miyazaki's first film, The Castle of Cagliostro. The exhibit will be designed by Miyazaki himself.

Miyazaki was inspired by the novel after reading it in middle school. The way its romance is interwoven into the story and the central motif of the clock tower were later reflected in The Castle of Cagliostro.



Edogawa Ranpo's Ghost Tower

The exhibit is scheduled to open on May 30 and run until next May. The Ghibli Museum, located in Mitaka in west Tokyo, is dedicated to bringing the works of Studio Ghibli to life through interactive exhibits and replicas of iconic Ghibli creations like the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro and the robot from Castle in the Sky; exhibits on the works that have influenced Miyazaki are also common. Edogawa Ranpo was a classic Japanese mystery writer whose works influenced manga and anime such as Chiko, Heiress of the Phantom Thief, Man of Many Faces and The Caterpillar.

[Via Kai-You]