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Miyazaki-Designed Park Opens at 'Totoro's Home'
posted on by Gia Manry
A Tokyo parcel of land, popularly known as "Totoro's home" due to its appearance in Hayao Miyazaki's book Totoro no Sumi Ie ("The Homes that Totoro Lives In"), re-opened on July 25 as a park designed by Miyazaki himself.
In his book, Miyazaki said that the place was a "home that Totoro would have enjoyed living in dearly." On February 14, 2009, the house offered to design a new park. Occupying 840 square meters (slightly over &frac1-2; square mile), the park features over a hundred varieties of plants and a restroom building made using components from the original house. According to Kyodo News, the building was modeled after Totoro's home.
Miyazaki is an avowed environmentalist, and was held a charity to help preserve another forested area in the Sayama Hills that inspired Totoro.
Sources: Japan Times, 47 News, Jiji Press
Image © Kyodo Photo
