"Totoro" is a well-known anime movie that is loved by audiences at home and abroad.
Produced by Studio Ghibli and choreographed by legendary director Hayao Miyazaki, it tells the story of two young girls, Kozuki and Mei, who move into a house in the countryside with their father to get closer to their hospitalized mother.
The sisters discover that the nearby forest is home to a magical species, the Totoro. They quickly become friends and go on magical adventures together. Although the film was released in 1988, it has not lost any appeal to this day.
Studio Ghibli is known for its dedication to artistry and empathetic narrative style. Not only are these movies loved by kids, but every adult can also find what they want there.
In Nagashima City, Japan, you can visit a replica of totoro forest
Animation giant Studio Ghibli is widely known for its meticulous depiction of real things. The house in Nagatamachi has successfully replicated the main stage of one of Studio Ghibli's most famous films, Totoro.
Originally, it was built as part of the 2005 World's Fair. That year, the theme of the 185-day show was "The Wisdom of Nature". Among the many international pavilions, this full-size replica of a 1988-style house that first appeared in the 1988 anime is loved by visitors.
The building as a whole looks almost exactly the same as it did in the animated movie
Even the interior is carefully restored
Even the smallest details have been taken into account
The house included my father's study
The study was full of books and various newspapers
Even the lampshade is a bit skewed as in the anime
Located in Aichi Memorial Park, the house was actually designed by Miyazaki's son, Goro, who also happens to be an animation director and designer.
However, due to copyright issues, despite its incredible resemblance to the expo's mascot, Totoro never really appeared in the park. Although the 2005 World's Fair ended 15 years ago, the house in this replica was renovated in 2006 and has been open to the public ever since.
The house has always looked like this, as it should have been in the animation
The wardrobe and dresser in the house are filled with clothes and other items shown in the animation
The kitchen is equipped with cooking utensils and a variety of utensils you are familiar with
The windows and walls are as mottled as the animations
The overall interior perfectly recreates Japanese family life in the mid-to-late 50s
Visitors to Xiaoyue and Xiaomei's house are to some extent free to explore the entire space (just like the two sisters in the movie when they arrive at the house).
Although there are a little restrictions on photography, it can meet all the needs of fans to play in general.
In a real replica of the house, visitors are free to explore the space
Closets, drawers and boxes can be opened
Like the animated movie, there is a well outside the house
The whole of the well is also perfectly reproduced
If you have the opportunity to go to Nagatsute City
Be sure to book a ticket to Xiaoyue and Xiaomei's house
Feel the magic of Totoro.
From Ikebukuro, it takes about 30 minutes by train Seibu Ikebukuro Line to Reach Sozawa.
This is where the inspiration for the movie "Totoro" comes from, and it is also where the film was filmed.
The film's mysterious forest is based on the hilly area near Sozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, where Hayao Miyazaki once lived, about 40 kilometers northwest of central Tokyo, where Miyazaki was inspired to create totoro during his early walks.
Once an agricultural area surrounded by narrow mountains, but over the years, it has faced the crisis of the destruction of natural ecological resources, and Miyazaki, who has always been concerned about environmental protection, has not only contributed a number of totoro paintings, but also actively donated money to help Sozawa City purchase land to be developed.
Because by buying land and acquiring ownership, commercial development can be prevented forever. Today, the area of the place reaches 1.3 hectares and is named "Forest of Totoro".
"Totoro No Mori" in the anime
The Real-Life "Totoro Forest"
Volunteers come to this forest to revive forest farmland and plant new saplings and vegetables and grains without chemical fertilizers.
Today, the drylands, nurseries, wetlands, and surrounding woodlands retain their pristine posture.
From 1991, when it received the first payment from Japanese citizens, the Totoro Foundation has bought a total of 48 pieces of land and established 48 such forest guide wooden signs
On the way out of the mountains to the lakeside park, the trees are smiling at you
The scene shown in the film is the city of Sozawa in the 1950s.
So how are the people of Sozawa City today, food, clothing, shelter, and transportation?
Below Xiaoling will introduce you to a few new residences in Sozawa City. Let's take a look at the reality of this city in a fairy tale.
A new two-storey detached villa was built in Sozawa
This double-storey villa, which was just completed in June this year, costs 21.8 million yen, equivalent to only 1.42 million yuan. The land area is 79.5 square meters, and the construction area is 63.74 square meters.
Villa exterior
Integrated kitchen
Spacious bedroom
Spin-turn-floor-ladder
Washing area
This is still a school district house, and the elementary school is The Sosawa Municipal Wakamatsu Elementary School, which is 300 meters away.
Junior high school Korekorozawa City Chuo Junior High School, 1400m.
And there's more
This villa is also a new villa that was just completed in May this year, with a land area of 83.83 square meters, a construction area of 66.83 square meters, and a private road area of 71 square meters. Large three bedroom design double storey.
Villa façade
Parking for two cars
Huge kitchen
Bathtub with automatic heating
Spacious living room
What's more, a LOFT space is included!
Secret cottage
This spacious villa with a land area of 98.36 m², a building area of 88.69 m² and a private road area of 112 m² was just completed in July. It is only a 5-minute walk from Nishishozawa Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line.
Clean and tidy integrated kitchen
Spacious bedroom
Highly integrated integrated bathroom
And this house is also a school district room
Tokorozawa Elementary School 850m
Tokorozawa Junior High School 1200m
Imagine a child's childhood, growing up in a dreamy totoro hometown, what would it be like?
Original link: https://www.boredpanda.com/my-neighbor-totoro-satsuki-mei-house-japan/
Totoro Image source: Studio Ghibli