Two-tier box shows the forest spirit looks adorable even with motifs much older than the Studio Ghibli anime he made his debut in.
Film critics and commentators have often drawn parallels between My Neighbor Totoro and aspects of Japan’s religious beliefs and folklore, particularly the concept of spirits and deities being present in the natural environment. But while the title character is a forest spirit, and there is a Shinto shrine not far from sisters Mei and Satsuki’s country home, you won’t find mentions of Totoros or creatures with his traits in Japanese mythology. Totoro is entirely the creation of director Hayao Miyazaki, and didn’t exist prior to the 1988 anime film from Studio Ghibli.
However, it would be fair to say that Totoro has become a symbol of modern Japan, and so while the character himself is less than 40 years old, he still makes a great motif for traditional Japanese handicrafts, with this bento lunch box being a perfect example.
The lid features illustrations of both big (gray) and small (white) Totoros among a colorful array of ume/plum blossoms, an auspicious image in Japanese culture, as well as unfurled wagasa, classical Japanese waxed paper umbrellas. The sides of the 15-centimeter (5.9-inch) square box feature more of the imagery in gold, contrasting nicely with the faux-lacquer coloring of the urethane container, and the inside is a striking vermillion.
Bento boxed lunches can consist of various dishes, but they always also contain white rice, and so the box is two-tiered, so that you can keep the rice separate from the other items and prevent any unwanted mixing of flavors.
Of course, there’s no rule that says you have to use this Totoro box for orthodox bento, and it will work just as well for carrying picnic snacks of any type, and would also look perfectly adorable as a stay-at-home storage box, organizer, or even just as a decoration that blends traditional and modern Japanese aesthetics.
The Totoro Wagasa Two-tier Box, as it’s officially called, is available for 4,620 yen (US$31) from Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku, which has recently restocked them through the chain’s online shop here.
Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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