Studio Ghibli serves up My Neighbour Totoro with a side of traditional Japanese wagashi sweets
Studio Ghibli loves to champion traditional Japan in its movies and its merchandise lines, highlighting aspects of the culture to remind us of the things that make it so unique.
One of the tastiest examples of this can be found in the Totoro Wagashi Burarin Series, a collection of charms — burarin loosely translates as 'dangly' — that combine the titular character from My Neighbour Totoro with wagashi, Japanese sweets.
▼ There are four to collect, starting with the Sakura Mochi no Omiyage.
'Omiyage' is the Japanese word for 'souvenir' and is often used to refer to sweet local specialty souvenirs purchased while away on a trip. Judging by the look of the sakura mochi dangling from the chain, Totoro may have returned from a trip to Kansai, the region of Japan in and around Osaka, as its made in the Domyoji style, which wraps a mound of sakura mochi rice in a cherry blossom leaf.
The product has loads of cute details, including a Soot Sprite, which we hope is able to hop out of the way before being eaten.
▼ Next up, we have the Dango de Hitoyasumi.
With a name that translates as 'Taking a Break with Dango', this is a particularly sweet design, with a small white Totoro leaning back on three sanshoku dango (literally 'three-coloured rice dumplings'), which also go by the name 'hanami dango' ('flower-viewing dango'), due to the way the colours match the sakura trees, making them popular during cherry blossom season.
Traditional sweets pair incredibly well with matcha and Totoro makes the most of breaktime by enjoying a serving of powdered green tea with his dango.
▼ Here's hoping the white mochi-resembling Totoro doesn't get gobbled up by accident.
▼ The next item in the range is cutely named Taiyaki Tsuri ('Taiyaki Fishing').
This red snapper-shaped cake is filled with sweet red bean paste, and Totoro appears to be fishing for it, in a bowl that looks like a boat.
▼ This sweet contains another Soot Sprite that's in danger of being eaten.
▼ Finally, we have the Shinsen Ichigo no Daifuku Mochi ('Fresh Strawberry Daifuku Mochi')
Totoro looks incredibly excited by the fresh strawberry, which appears in his hand as well as the soft rice cake that dangles beside him.
Ichigo daifuku are known for containing whole strawberries, and this one includes a mound of red bean paste, alongside…
▼ …a tiny Soot Sprite!
This is a collection that's as cute as it is mouthwatering, and with each item in the range priced at 1,650 yen (US$11.46), we can easily take them all home for 6,600 yen. They'll look right at home with these igusa rush cushions and Totoro noren curtains.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4)
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