Benelic is set to release a new collection based on Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away at the end of this month at all Donguri Kyowaku stores and official online shop Sora no Ue in Japan.

The collection features six items based on the adorable Makkuro Kurosuke dust bunnies and includes piercings, earrings, bracelet, necklace, ring, and hairpin.  The necklace and bracelet are fitted with adjusters, and all the accessories are fitted with cute and colourful stars inspired by the Japanese konpeito sugar candy.

Spirited Away Konpeito Series

Piercing | ¥1,760

Earring | ¥1,760

Necklace | ¥1,540 

Ring | ¥1,320

Bracelet | ¥2,200 

Hairpin Set | ¥1,100

Fujimoto Lake Biwa Resort is set to welcome the new Peter Rabbit™ English Garden in Spring 2022 which will be themed entirely around English writer Beatrix Potter’s fictional animal character Peter Rabbit.

The garden will open as the biggest English-style garden in Japan. Fujimoto Lake Biwa Resort is located right beside Mount Fuji and is known for the Fuji Shibazakura Festival, an annual springtime cherry blossom event. This means the garden will be opening during the perfect season at the site. It will bring to life a magical recreation of the Lake District where the Peter Rabbit stories are set. There will be lots of photo opportunities, a menu themed on the characters, a museum, a shop selling original merchandise, and more. British garden designer Mark Chapman is helping to create this English-style garden.

Not only can visitors enjoy the spring and summer flowers when the garden opens, but the gorgeous hues of autumn too, and all with Mount Fuji in the background.

A pop-up shops has opened at SOGO Omiya Store in Saitama centred on the Italian-American children’s book author Leo Lionni. Another pop-up shop based on the children’s book 11 Piki no Neko by Noboru Baba also opened alongside it.

Leo Lionni’s Friends Merchandise

Frederick Plush Toy | ¥2,200 (Tax Included) | Only 30 available

Swimmy Mini Letter Set | ¥440 (Tax Included) | Only 30 available

Time Wall Clock | ¥7,480 (Tax Included) | Only 10 available

Original bonus tote bag

11 Piki no Neko Merchandise

Blue Plush Toy (Large Size) | ¥4,400 (Tax Included) | Only 16 available

Toraneko Plush Toy | ¥1,650 (Tax Included) | | Only 32 available

Three Piece Lunch Box | ¥1,430 (Tax Included) | Only 30 available

Bonus pins

Leo Lionni’s works are loved the world over and have been translated into many different languages. Fans can get their hands on a range of items, and the first 300 people to spend over ¥5,500 will receive a free original tote bag. This goes for the 11 Piki no Neko shop too – the first 150 to spend over ¥2,000 will receive a free pin.

With just a small bit of ingenuity, turn everyday food into something cute using Kaori’s Easy Recipe! With a few simple ideas, an ordinary recipe magically transforms into a cute dish.

Today, I’ll teach you how to make Baymax mushi-pan steamed bread.

Ingredients

This recipe makes 5 portions

140g strong flour

20g granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

3g dry yeast

3g baking powder

5g vegetable oil

85ml-90ml milk (room temperature)

1

Mix everything together in a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can also knead the ingredients well by hand.

2

Ferment at 40℃ for 40 minutes. If you don’t have a fermentation machine, leave in a warm environment.

3

Once the dough has doubled in size, divide into five portions and put into separate cups. If using paper cups, rub a little bit of oil inside.

4

Bake in the oven at 40℃ for 20-25 minutes.

5

After baking, steam in a steamer for 12-13 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer, put into a frying pan or large pot with a little bit of water and cover.

6

Once cooled, use some nori seaweed to make Baymax’s face and you’re done!

Benelic are releasing four new mug planters at Donguri Kyowakoku and online at Sora no Ue, both official Studio Ghibli merchandise shops in Japan, this month.

The porcelain planters include designs for My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away, each capturing the wonderful world of the beloved animated movies. They make for the perfect plant pots for around your home.

The designs up close

My Neighbor Totoro | ¥3,960 (Tax Included)

Kiki’s Delivery Service | ¥3,960 (Tax Included)

Laputa: Castle in the Sky | ¥3,960 (Tax Included)

Spirited Away | ¥3,960 (Tax Included)

Matsuya Ginza is set to host the “Animage & Ghibli Exhibition” which will run from April 15 to May 5. The event will pay homage to Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga which was serialised in Animage by showcasing a range of never-before-seen cell artwork, as well Mamoru Oshii’s OVA art film Angel’s Egg, and much more.

With two weeks until it begins, the exhibition has revealed some of the exciting original and exclusive merchandise anime fans can expect to get their hands on. Tickets for the event were released on Saturday.

Teto Plush Toy ¥11,000 (Tax Included) / Ohmu Plush Toy ¥14,300 (Tax Included)

Bath Towel ¥8.800 (Tax Included)

Tapestry ¥16,500 (Tax Included)

Multipurpose Cases ¥3,300 Each (Tax Included)

Notebook ¥495 (Tax Included)

Square Pins ¥440 Each (Tax Included)

Animage Logo Pins ¥330 Each (Tax Included)

Wooden Brooches ¥1,320 Each (Tax Included)

Stainless Steel Bottles ¥3,520 Each (Tax Included)

Handkerchiefs ¥1,650 Each (Tax Included)

The exhibition is a nostalgia fest and celebration of animation during the 70’s and 80’s, a time when ‘anime’ was yet to be widespread in the vocabulary of ordinary Japanese people. It wills how how the anime boom really set off after the release of Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979 which was lauded for its animation quality, as well as how Toshio Suzuki, a producer at Studio Ghibli, approached Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata during his time as an editor at Animage. The exhibition will also feature the works produced by Suzuki and much more. Over 200 materials will be showcased for the duration of the exhibition.

Around 150 pieces of original merchandise will also be sold at the event, including gorgeous must-grabs for fans of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind that capture its wonderful world, such as a tapestry featuring the design taken from the film’s opening credits.

A special exhibit will also take place entitled ALL ABOUT TOSHIO SUZUKI which covers everything about Studio Ghibli’s famous producer. Other things to look forward to include books and merch for the upcoming animated film Earwig and the Witch directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro Miyazaki, merch for the internationally beloved animated hit Spirited Away which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and more.

© 1984 Studio Ghibli – H© 1986 Studio Ghibli© 1988 Studio Ghibli© 1989 Eiko Kadono – Studio Ghibli – N

Japanese company Familiar will release a new collection of bags based on the classic Studio Ghibli animated feature film My Neighbor Totoro on March 16 via their online shop. The bags will be released by Studio Ghibli no Ano Fuku (“Those Studio Ghibli Clothes”), a fashion brand created by Ano Fuku and Studio Ghibli.

The two bags feature the iconic movie scene of Mei, Satsuki, Totoro, and the little Totoros sat upon a tree branch.

Denim Bag – ¥19,800 / Sub Bag ¥16,500 (Tax Included)

This is the third and final bag collection to be released in this bag series. The first collection was inspired by the bus stop scene from My Neighbor Totoro as well as Ponyo running along the water in Ponyo. The second collection was the classic scene of Kiki flying over the town with Jiji on her broomstick from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Restocks of these two collections are now available too.

1st Collection

Ponyo Denim Bag ¥19,800 / Ponyo Sub Bag ¥16,500 / Totoro Bus Stop Denim Bag ¥19,800 / Totoro Bus Stop Sub Bag ¥16,500 (Tax Included)

2nd Collection

Kiki’s Delivery Service Denim Bag ¥19,800 / Kiki’s Delivery Service Sub Bag ¥16,500 (Tax Included)

Matsuya Ginza is set to host the “Animage & Ghibli Exhibition” which will run from April 15 to May 5. The event will pay homage to Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind manga which was serialised in Animage by showcasing a range of never-before-seen cell artwork, as well Mamoru Oshii’s OVA art film Angel’s Egg, and much more. Over 200 materials will be showcased for the duration of the exhibition.

An Excerpt of the Exhibits

Animage was Japan’s first magazine devoted to comics and animation to be aimed at the general public

Mobile Suit Gundam original movie poster (Animage, April 1981)

Original advertising posters used on trains back during each respective release

Original magazine inserts

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind movie poster © 1984 Studio Ghibli・H

The exhibition is a nostalgia fest and celebration of animation during the 70’s and 80’s, a time when ‘anime’ was yet to be widespread in the vocabulary of ordinary Japanese people. It wills how how the anime boom really set off after the release of Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979 which was lauded for its animation quality, as well as how Toshio Suzuki, a producer at Studio Ghibli, approached Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata during his time as an editor at Animage. The exhibition will also feature the works produced by Suzuki and much more.

Fans of Studio Ghibli won’t want to miss out on a look at the studio’s history with Animage at this special exhibition.

A new collection of 22 bags inspired by Studio Ghibli’s beloved animated feature film My Neighbor Totoro will be released on the animation studio’s character merchandise website Sora no Ue and their official store Donguri Kyowakoku on March 10.

The collection is made by American handbag brand LeSportsac. The designs are inspired by children’s’ ability to discover things when they look at something that adults cannot and feature Totoro, Satsuki, Mei, and other familiar faces. The cute bags’ vivid colourings capture the magical world of My Neighbor Totoro.

The Line-Up Excerpt

Totoro botanical DELUXE EVERYDAY BAG | ¥17,500 (Before Tax)

Totoro gray EMERALD TOTE | ¥9,000 (Before Tax)

Totoro botanical HARPER BAG | ¥18,000 (Before Tax)

Totoro gray RECTANGULAR COSMETIC | ¥3,200 (Before Tax)

 It wasn′t a dream SQUARE COSMETIC | ¥3,500 (Before Tax)

Japanese apparel company Familiar has is releasing a series of limited-edition items in collaboration with Studio Ghibli Anofuku, a fashion brand created by Anofuku and Studio Ghibli in 2018.

Kiki’s Delivery Service Sub Bag ¥16,500 | Kiki’s Delivery Service Denim Bag ¥19,800 (Prices Include Tax)

The second entries to the series are two bags based on the beloved Studio Ghibli anime film classic Kiki’s Delivery Service. The bag designs feature Kiki on her broom with Jiji as they fly over the seaside town of Koriko where the movie is set. It’s a direct reference to the same scene in the film itself.

The 1st entries were Ponyo and Totoro denim bags

Ponyo Denim Bag ¥19,800 | Ponyo Sub Bag ¥16,500 | My Neighbor Totoro Bus Stop Denim Bag ¥19,800 | My Neighbor Totoro Bus Stop Denim Sub Bag ¥16,500 (Prices Include Tax)

The first entries to the line-up were a collection of denim bags based on two other Studio Ghibli fan favourites: My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo. The Ponyo bag is still available at the time this article was written, but the Totoro one is unfortunately sold out.

Information on a third collection is scheduled for release in March, so stay tuned.

With just a small bit of ingenuity, turn everyday food into something cute using Kaori’s Easy Recipe! With a few simple ideas, an ordinary recipe magically transforms into a cute dish.

Today, I’ll be showing you a simple recipe for Valentine’s Day made with ingredients bought entirely from the 100 yen store Seria. I call it the “Rilakkuma Hot Chocolate Stick.”

Ingredients

Square mould from Seria (makes six sticks)
1 bag of milk chocolates

1 bag of white chocolates

1 bag of dark chocolates

Toppings of your choice (I used caramel chocolate chips and walnuts)

1

Melt all the chocolates separately over a bain-marie.

2

Create layers with each chocolate type. Pick your first choice and pour into the mould and wait for it to set lightly before adding the next chocolate. For this recipe, I went ahead and added the chocolate a little before layers had finished setting to create a marbling effect.

✩I also added some strawberry chocolate I had left over from my Rilakkuma chocolates.

3

Once all your chocolate is in the mould, stick in some lollipops and add toppings of your choice making sure they don’t overflow. This will ensure they set together with the chocolate.

4

Allow to set overnight and your chocolate stick is ready.

5

I made Rilakkuma chocolates from scratch and added those to the sticks to finish.

Kaori invites you into her world of character-themed food dishes in her recipe series. Be sure to check out her Instagram where she has uploaded many pictures of her character dishes!

If you’re a collector of all things Studio Ghibli, then Donguri Closet has the latest must-grab item for fans of the animated film studio. Donguri Closet is a brand of the official Studio Ghibli merchandise shop Donguri Kyowakoku which is managed by Benelic. It offers a variety of merchandise, ornaments, cosmetics, and more all based around Studio Ghibli.

The brand has revealed two cute new hanging wreaths featuring the beloved Jiji from Studio Ghibli’s hit animated feature film Kiki’s Delivery Service. The wreaths were released exclusively at the Lazona Kawasaki Plaza branch of Donguri Closet at the end of January.

The wreaths are arranged with dried flowers and come with different scented floral sprays.

Pop Wreath Yellow – BERRY | ¥3,500 (Before Tax)

A vivid springtime yellow wreath coupled with a sweet berry fragrance spray.

Pop Wreath Yellow – GREEN | ¥3,500 (Before Tax)

A forest of green flowers coupled with a fresh scented floral spray.