Totoro stamp collection lets you add adorable Ghibli touches to cards and letters【Photos】

Totoro shows up in time for Japan’s nengajo season.

In a perfect world, we’d spend every day surrounded by Totoros, who’d appear like magic whenever we snapped our fingers. Not that we’ve given up on that dream (<snap>…<snap>…<snap>…), but we’re happy to know there’s now a non-mystical, more reliable way to make Totoros appear too.

Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku has just released a line of adorable Totoro stamps, with six different illustrations featuring the three sizes of the cuddly guys, plus some Soot Sprite friends.

Though the above pattern features cherry blossoms, a symbol of spring, the timing of the stamps’ release was chosen because Japan has a tradition of sending New Year’s cards, called nengajo. Similar to the Christmas cards in the west, nengajo are sent to friends, family members, and coworkers to thank them for their continued kindness and to wish them well in the year to come.

The Totoro stamps are sized and designed to be used to add a little Ghibli touch to New Year’s cards, with the one above bearing the message “Happy New Year” and the ones below expressing similar sentiments.

▼ “Thank you for all your kindness last year. I hope this year will be a happy one for you too.”

▼ “Yoroshiku this year too.”

▼ A small Totoro inside a shimekazari (New Year’s wreath) decorated with plum blossoms

▼ Big Totoro flanked by the kanji for nenga (“New Year’s greetings”)

As a nice bit of consideration by the designers, the illustrations don’t mention a specific year, such as “2025” or Year of the Snake motifs, meaning that they can be used not just for the upcoming New Year’s season but for any year to come, and the sakura stamp is really one that can be used all year-round, since it’s not strictly New Year’s related and cherry blossoms have become arguably just about as representative of Japan itself as they are of spring.

The entire line is available through Donguri Kyowakoku’s online shop, with the small stamps (here, here, and here) priced at 737 yen (US$4.90), the medium one (here) at 1,100, and the two large ones (here and here) at 1,650. And if you’re looking for pointers on how to draw Totoro yourself, we’ve got you covered on that too.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Japanese communities giving their skylines a spring clean and saying goodbye to power lines

The quest to let Japan’s historical sites shine bright continues on.

From stunning cherry blossom trees lining rivers to breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji standing dominantly on the horizon, Japan’s scenery inspires endless fantasies. However, take a step off the plane, with camera in hand, and your much-anticipated holiday snaps may reveal an unexpected and unwelcome guest: overhead power lines. Crisscrossing through the streets, these cables seem to take every chance to join you on your journey.

Tourists cry out in dismay as they battle with these urban vines—twisting and tilting their cameras, desperate to capture those perfect memories. However, there are good reasons why Japan has lagged behind other countries in removing overhead cables. Cost will always be a major reason, but other factors, like ease of repairs in times of disaster, also play a part.

That’s not to say that all hope is lost. Efforts to preserve historical charm in traditional spots, particularly those beloved by tourists, like Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, have been ongoing for years and have included relocating power lines to underground, opening up great social media opportunities for eager photographers.

▼ A web of wires on Yasaka Street, Kyoto

▼ Yasaka Street after the power line removal in 2010

Back in 2017, as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s movement for scenic urban renewal, the city of Tamba-Sasayama in Hyogo Prefecture was selected to be a model district and work was begun to remove the unsightly electrical cables that disrupted the traditional atmosphere of the castle town area.

By 2021, all of the utility poles along Kawaramachi Street had been removed, restoring its historical charm and beauty, creating a sense of having traveled through time when you gaze past the houses.

Strolling through the Kawaramachi Tsumairi Merchant District nowadays, visitors will find a seamless mix of old and new. Long-established pottery shops and newly-opened,  stylish cafes stand side-by-side, all mostly housed in traditional tsumairi-style buildings featuring the distinctive characteristics of a narrow front when viewed from the street and a surprisingly deep interior. This unique architecture has persisted since the area’s original development around 1612, following the construction of the nearby Sasayama Castle in 1609.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the area’s recognition as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings by the Japanese Government.

Though Tokyo’s transformation into a wire-free city, along with rest of Japan, may still be a long way off, there is progress being made. In the meantime, Kawaramachi Tsumairi Merchant District offers a sneak peek into what’s in store for other historical areas. So, next time you find yourself despairing at Japan’s electrical canopy, pop over to Kawaramachi or the equally attractive Kawagoe in Saitama.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Kyoto City Official Website, PR Times (2)
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We try carving a Halloween pumpkin… to eat【SoraKitchen】

It’s the great pumpkin, P.K. Sanjun!

It’s Halloween once again in Japan, which means… Well, it’s still not really clear what Halloween means in Japan. Sure, there are a lot of decorations and other merchandise for sale, but as far as an agreed-upon set of customs, it’s a little foggy here. The closest we had was probably the big street party in Shibuya, but that seems to have gotten out of hand and is now being clamped down on.

So, we all must find our own Halloween spirit for now and come up with ideas on what to do. Fortunately, our boss Yoshio is an eternal spring of ideas, but unfortunately, only about one in ten are remotely good ideas.

▼ Past ideas include plastering his car.

So, when Yoshio approached our writer P.K. Sanjun with a fun Halloween experiment, P.K. was hesitant, to say the least.

▼ Yoshio: “Hey, P.K., I got a great idea!”

▼ P.K.: “…”

▼ Yoshio: “…”

▼ P.K.: “…”

▼ Yoshio: “…”

▼ P.K.: “…”

▼ Yoshio: “I said I got…”

▼  P.K.: “Ugh, what is it?”

▼  Yoshio: “I saw an ornamental Halloween pumpkin for sale at the flower shop just now! It’s only 2,500 yen (US$16)! Why don’t you try eating it?”

Bearing in mind that most Japanese people have no experience carving jack-o-lanterns, this idea didn’t seem so crazy to P.K. After all, pumpkins are quite a common fixture in Japanese meals, and a Halloween pumpkin didn’t seem all that different from the kind he’s often eaten in the past.

P.K. found himself curious about what it might taste like, so he headed over to the flower shop to buy it. While there he asked the staff if they’ve ever eaten a Halloween pumpkin but they just looked at him strangely.

The Japanese word for pumpkin is “kabocha” which, like the English word “pumpkin,” actually very loosely covers a wide variety of winter squashes. Even the pumpkins used for making jack-o-lanterns can vary quite a bit such as Howden, Connecticut Fields, and Autumn Golds. Meanwhile, in Japan the typical kabocha is the Cucurbita maxima, a small, green gourd with a delightfully sweet taste… or so I’m told. I’ve been so traumatized from the stench of jack-o-lantern innards that I can’t go near the stuff.

▼ A cut of kabocha

P.K.’s own Halloween trauma, however, had yet to happen and he eagerly got to work preparing his pumpkin for consumption. For all he knew, it might even be better than a kabocha. It certainly was both a lot bigger and a lot harder than he expected.

After applying a lot of elbow grease, he managed to saw his way through the pumpkin, directly down the middle much like one would to a kabocha.

He then diced the firm flesh of the pumpkin much like one would with a kabocha. A common was of serving kabocha in Japan is to dice it and let it stew in some flavorful seasonings like mirin, sugar, and soy sauce.

Finding a kabocha recipe online, P.K. first microwaved his pumpkin cubes to make them more tender.

He then let them simmer in a pot of various tasty liquids to lock in loads of flavor.

It was surprisingly simple and P.K. felt very proud of how motherly his cooking looked.

The only visual difference was that the outer layer was orange instead of kabocha’s characteristically green outside.

▼ For comparison, here is some kabocha, cooked in a similar way. Notice the green tinges.

Our writer was looking forward to trying it out. After all, the bar was set pretty low, even if it was decent but not quite as good as kabocha, this would still be a relative success. But, if it turned out to be better, than this could be a culinary discovery on par with putting an ice cream cone in ramen.

P.K. popped a morsel in his mouth and immediately handed down his verdict…

▼ P.K.: “Oh, this sucks.”

The first disappointment came when he bit into the grainy, fibrously crunchy texture of the pumpkin that was nothing like the hot-potato-like fluffiness of kabocha. The texture was so unforgivingly entrenched in the pumpkin flesh that he had to tolerate it right up until he could swallow it.

The taste could best be described as “non-existent” aside from the sugary taste that he injected into it. If it weren’t for that, this would probably have been inedible for him. P.K. would best sum up pumpkin as “an object that is able to be ingested” rather than a food.

There was also a very uncomfortable bitterness in the aftertaste, which contained just a hint of kabocha essence in it. P.K. was able to cling to that ethereal thread of tastiness that linked pumpkins and kabocha.

P.K. was now certain that Halloween pumpkins are not meant to be eaten unless he ended up in a Mad-Max-style post-apocalyptic world where food was extremely scarce. He felt the only thing left to do was to inflict this very same agony on his boss Yoshio since it was all his idea.

▼ Yoshio: “Hmm… Mm… So… What, is this like a melon or something?”

▼ P.K.: “It’s a Halloween pumpkin! This whole stupid thing was your idea! REMEMBER?!”
Yoshio: “You… made me drop my melon!”

And so ends another Halloween in Japan. We’ll figure out something worthwhile to do one of these years.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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What’s it like in Shibuya on Halloween this year?

A vibe check of the neighbourhood reveals countermeasures might be necessary.

Today is 31 October in Japan, which means all eyes are firmly placed on Shibuya to see whether or not Halloween revellers will wreak havoc in the area, despite the head of the ward telling the public, “Shibuya is closed for Halloween“.

Our reporter Seiji Nakazawa took a walk through the area earlier today for a vibe check, and he was surprised at the measures being taken by so many local businesses, at the request of Shibuya City, to clamp down on the event in an effort to curtail bad behaviour on Halloween.

Starting at the entrance to Center Gai, the shopping street just off the scramble crossing, he could see “No Drinking on the Street” banners plastered everywhere.

The Center Gai branch of Burger King cleverly jumped on the bandwagon with Shibuya’s drinking ban notices, creating posters of its own that read “No Burger King“, in reference to the fact that it will be closed the entire day (and night) of Halloween.

▼ It’ll reopen on 1 November, though, with the new Kyoto Whopper on the menu.

▼ Another store to close on Halloween is shoe retailer ABC-Mart.

▼ Ikea Shibuya shortened its business hours to 4 p.m. on 31 October.

The Taiseido bookstore (left, below) was also closed, and Tsutaya (right, below) shortened its business hours to 8:00 p.m.

Over at the front of Shibuya Station, there were more signs, this time alerting passersby to the fact that the area around the Hachiko statue would be blocked off from 30 October to 1 November.

With so many signs and countermeasures being put in place by the government and businesses, it’s hoped that people won’t flout the rules here, but then again this was Halloween in the day, and not at night, when the problems tend to occur. For the past few nights, in fact, Seiji has seen an increased police presence in the neighbourhood.

Last night, a partition had been erected in the middle of the Center Gai entrance to control the flow of people, and it looked as if police were practicing for the following evening.

Despite the serious, controlled atmosphere, there were still quite a few people, both Japanese and foreigners, wearing costumes, and some kind of photo session was being held in front of the shuttered ABC-Mart.

With people gathering in costume on the eve of Halloween, it seems likely there’ll be more people arriving on the actual night of 31 October. Whether or not they will cause any trouble remains yet to be seen, but as a new resident of Shibuya, Seiji hopes he’ll be able to return safe from work tonight and that no problems or incidents will occur in the area.

Photos©SoraNews24
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