Whether you feel like a spot of tea or a nibble of sweets this sakura season, Totoro is right there with you.
When cherry blossom season comes around in Japan, it’s not just the trees that sakura return to. Sakura-themed desserts, art installations, and more all reemerge too, and that includes beautiful sakura drink and tableware.
Of course, one of the few motifs as universally popular as cherry blossoms is Totoro, so why not have both on your teacup?
Studio Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku has announced a restock for its My Neighbor Totoro cherry blossom-pattern ceramics line, arriving just as everyone is in a sakura sort of mood. Until recently the teacup, pictured above, and the equally important teapot were both sold out, but they’re once again available so that you can pour yourself a comforting drink and get all nice and cozy as you admire either the surrounding scenery or the flowering flora on the drinkware.
▼ My Neighbor Totoro is written on the bottom of the pieces in phonetic hiragana script.
Though it’s a character merchandise shop, Donguri Kyowakoku prides itself on the quality of its items, and these are no exception. The Totoro sakura drink and tableware is made of Mino-yaki/Mino ware ceramic, crafted by artisans in Gifu Prefecture, where the regional pottery heritage began over 1,000 years ago.
If you’re of the sensible mindset that if you’re having tea, you should be having sweets too, then you’ll be happy to know that Donguri Kyowakoku is also currently stocked with a trio of sakura Totoro plates.
▼ The smallest is 13.2 centimeters (5.2 inches) in diameter.
▼ The 16.3-centimeter plate
▼ At 21.3 centimeters across, some might say the largest dish is too big for dessert, but we say it’s the perfect size for many desserts at once.
▼ My Neighbor Totoro on the bottom
An especially cute piece, even by these standards, is this rice bowl with Totoro running excitedly around it.
▼ And yes, you absolutely could use this as an ice cream bowl too.
And finally, bringing us back to beverages, there’s also a Western-style coffee cup with a handle.
All of the pieces are priced between 2,200 and 2,970 yen (US$14.75 and US$19.95), with the exception of the teapot, which is 6,270 yen. The entire lineup can be ordered thought the Donguri Kyowakoku online store here, and should your specific Ghibli anime tastes lean more towards Kiki’s Delivery Service, they’ve got some teatime companions for you from that film too.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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