Resist the urge to eat this Ghibli food.
From Up on Poppy Hill is one of Studio Ghibli’s more grounded anime films, and in multiple senses of the word. Taking place entirely in real-world Yokohama in the 1960s, it doesn’t feature any of the magical or whimsical-contraption flying scenes that are often found in the studio’s other works.
However, From Up on Poppy Hill does carry on the Ghibli tradition of lovingly drawn food that looks so good that you almost want to reach out towards the screen and grab a bite. In the case of From Up on Poppy Hill, it’s the croquettes shared by protagonist Umi and her friend/maybe-more-than-a-friend Shun, which they buy from the shopping arcade in the city’s Yamate neighborhood.
And as of this month, you’ll be able to buy From Up on Poppy Hill croquettes at Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku! However, since Donguri Kyowakoku branches aren’t equipped with deep fryers, these aren’t croquettes to eat, but croquettes to keep your belongings in.
What looks like crispy breading is actually soft, fluffy fabric, with the lower half of the “croquette” wrapped in a thick butcher paper of the kind used to package the actual food in Japan.
▼ There’s even a fictitious price tag, saying “Croquette, 10 yen each.”
But cleverly colored to camouflage its presence is a zipper across the top…
…making this a pouch that you can open up to access a storage compartment inside of!
It’s a quirky, fun design, and the abstract illustration of Umi and Shun is a subtle signal to fellow fans as to where this particular croquette comes from.
The From Up on Poppy Hill Croquette that the Two of Them Ate Together Pouch, to use its full name, goes on sale April 25 through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop here. At 3,300 yen (US$21) it is, admittedly, more expensive than an actual croquette would have been in the 1960s, but believe it or not, there is a place not far from Yokohama where you still can get croquettes to eat for just 20 yen.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Studio Ghibli, Donguri Kyowakoku
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