Studio Ghibli releases new My Neighbour Totoro furoshiki bag for Mother’s Day in Japan

Putting an anime twist on Japanese tradition.

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, Studio Ghibli is stepping in with a gift option that fans will find hard to resist. Called the My Neighbour Totoro Dandelion Azuma Bag, this item is both beautiful and functional, with a number of features that make it different to most other bags on the market.

The first thing to catch the eye is the patchwork-like design, with pale blue material on one half of the bag and a cute dandelion pattern on the other.

On the bottom corner is a beautifully embroidered Totoro, peeking out from the dandelions in a setting reminiscent of the countryside garden belonging to the Kusakabe Family at the centre of the film.

Another unique feature is the detachable strap, which can be removed to give the bag a totally different look.

All-cloth bags have long been popular in Japan, where large squares of material known as “furoshiki” have been used to carry items since the Edo period (1603-1868). After the introduction of paper and plastic shopping bags and Western-style handbags, these furoshiki wraps, and the bags made out of them by tying the ends together, fell out of favour. However, with more and more people looking for environmentally friendly shopping bags and vegan options, furoshiki bags are making a comeback, and this new version shows the timeless appeal of the design.

Unlike Western-style handbags, furoshiki bags don’t have a zip, but this one does have a clasp so you won’t have to worry about anything falling out.

And if you feel like reattaching the faux leather strap, all you have to do is feed the ends of the cloth through the attached rings and you’re good to go.

While the main body of the bag measures 48 x 48 centimetres (18.9 x 18.9 inches), it’s super compact, rolling up nicely into a small package for gift-giving.

The bag is perfectly sized for local shopping trips or short sojourns in the great outdoors. The pale blue colourway is perfectly matched to pair with Ghibli’s other Mother’s Day gift of a zip case in an ear of corn, and it can be purchased at Donguri Kyowakoku stores and online for 4,620 yen (US$32.45) while stocks last.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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