Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki Can Be Spotted on Apple Maps

Studio Ghibli is one of biggest studios in animation, and much of its success falls to Hayao Miyazaki. The director and artist lifted the studio up with films like Spirited Away years ago. Even today, Miyazaki continues to work, and it seems a recent walk of his can be caught online thanks to a certain Apple app.

The information came to light online after a fan in Japan noticed an odd fact. If you look up a certain locale on Apple Maps, you will find a street view available. All you have to do is plug in the address 4-11, Kajinocho 1-Chōme, and the street view will show you Hayao Miyazaki on a walk.

The still above show the Apple Maps moment as it happened. One shot shows Miyazaki walking down an empty paved street with a woman at his side. The two have their faces blurred for privacy reasons, but it is hard to mistake Miyazaki here. In fact, they are wearing the same smock usually seen in Studio Ghibli promo shots, and this address is only a short hop from Studio Ghibli’s campus.

Clearly, Miyazaki likes to take regular walks during the work day, and it just so happens Apple Maps snapped a shot of the legendary director while doing rounds. This is not the first time the artist has been photographed unaware with the most recent instance happening last year. Miyazaki was found in a neighborhood near Studio Ghibli picking up trash, and he was asked about the success of Demon Slayer’s first film. Miyazaki had little to say about the new movie, but the director did advocate for green-thinking as he encouraged others to join him in picking up litter wherever they live.

What do you make of this viral discovery…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.