Cherry blossom Totoro tableware, interior decoration line arrives for Ghibli-style sakura spring

Cherry blossom Totoro tableware, interior decoration line arrives for Ghibli-style sakura spring

by Home Decoration

Anime’s cutest forest spirit works his magic with Japan’s most beautiful flower.

We’re half-way through February now, and with spring just around the corner. Pretty much everyone in Japan is starting to look ahead to cherry blossom season — little kids, working adults, senior citizens enjoying their retirement, and, yes, even Totoro.

It actually makes a lot of sense for Totoro to be a hanami (cherry blossom-viewing) fan. He’s a forest spirit, after all, and there’s no tree Japan loves more than the sakura. The plushie pictured above is part of Studio Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku’s Sakura 2023 Spring lineup, and he’s accompanied by a Soot Sprite riding on the cherry blossom bough Totoro is carrying.

The plushie’s size makes it viable for both hugging and displaying, but it’s far from the only way to beautify your home the sakura Totoro way. Also available is this lovely tenugui.

Tenugui were originally hand towels, from the days before Japan had terrycloth textiles. In the modern era, though, they’re more commonly used as decorative tapestries, covers, or wrapping cloths, This 90-centimeter (35.4-inch) long one features both the large and medium Totoros, plus more Soot Sprites.

Where things start to get really classy, though, is with the sakura Totoro tableware.

The rustically elegant earthenware dishes are graced with stylized Totoros relaxing among the sakura, with a subtle artistic nod to the fact that depending on the exact species of flower, cherry blossoms can be anywhere from a vibrant pink to almost white.

Aside from the flat dish, there’s a Japanese-style handle-less tea cup, a Western-style coffee cup, a tonsui (small bowl traditionally used for taking a portion of food from a communal pot of food), and a spoon. Note that they’re not microwave safe, so you’ll want to heat up your food or drinks in some other container, then transfer them in order to prevent a tragic Totoro shattering.

Need utensils other than a spoon? Sakura Totoro chopsticks will do the trick.

On the other hand, if you’re heading out and want to take Totoro with you, a compact hand towel or handkerchief is just the thing.

And rounding out the collection of items currently on offer is a second tenugui with Totoro happily scattering cherry blossom petals from a sakura sack.

▼ We should point out that this isn’t something that’s commonly done at cherry blossom parties in Japan, but who’s going to argue with Totoro?

Prices for the tableware range from 550 yen (US$4.25) for the spoon to 2,750 yen for the coffee cup, and from 385 to 660 yen for the hand towels. As for the tenugui, the one where Totoro is tossing flower petals is 2,200 yen and the other 2,640, and the plushie, at 2,860 yen, is the most expensive item of the bunch.

They’re all available through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store here. And if you’re already thinking about what you’re going to drink from your sakura Totoro cup, the new Totoro tea seems like the best possible choice.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., to return in person March 20

National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., to return in person March 20

by Home Decoration

The Park Company predicted peak bloom to come about in between March 22 and 25. The Washington Post’s Capital Temperature Gang has predicted peak bloom for March 24, or within just a five-working day window of March 22 and 26.

The festival is a single of Washington’s most cherished traditions as the pink flowers sign the changeover to spring and mark the get started of the city’s tourism time. The competition — like other significant gatherings all over the world — was shuttered by the pandemic and compelled to uncover alternative approaches to celebrate.

But as coronavirus instances in the Washington region development down and leaders elevate limitations, the competition will be again this yr with the topic “Rediscover Spring” and dozens of occasions and performances, including the opening ceremony, kite competition and parade.

Organizers and leaders collected Tuesday early morning in the sky lounge of an apartment elaborate overlooking the Tidal Basin, some dressed in vivid pink attire and enjoying refreshments — like cherry blossom-flavored glowing water — to announce the peak blossom dates and festival ideas.

“This year’s pageant is about uniting the neighborhood as effectively as rediscovering well-beloved traditions and exploring new approaches to celebrate springtime through Washington, D.C., and the bordering spots,” Diana Mayhew, president of the Nationwide Cherry Blossom Festival, stated.

The region’s leaders have been seeking to return the region’s tourism, foodstuff and amusement industries back again to ordinary following about two years of the pandemic. Last month, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) introduced that the city’s proof-of-vaccination requirement and mask mandate would be lifted, citing declining coronavirus instances in the metropolis. And past 7 days the Facilities for Disorder Command and Prevention eased indoor masking steering for much of the place.

“One matter I know about our vacation spot,” Bowser mentioned, “is that persons will be flocking again to it. So allow me say without equivocation, that D.C. is open.”

The city marked a file 12 months in tourism that yr, with 24.6 million guests making $896 million in tax income, according to the city’s tourism arm, Desired destination DC. In 2020, with shutdowns, dread and minimal travel, these numbers plummeted, chopping the variety of domestic site visitors practically in 50 {d4d1dfc03659490934346f23c59135b993ced5bc8cc26281e129c43fe68630c9}.

This year the city is ready to welcome the crowds again with entire programming. Activities will involve traditions such as the Countrywide Cherry Blossom Pageant Parade that runs for operates for 10 blocks along Structure Avenue Northwest the Blossom Kite Pageant, which captivated a lot more than 50,000 attendees on the Countrywide Shopping mall in 2019 and Petalpalooza, a dwell audio pageant along the financial institutions of the Anacostia River.

Other features that started out through the pandemic are also again, like Petal Porches, a home decoration competitors, and the BloomCam that will allow flower enthusiasts to look at the blooming from anywhere.

“We’re thrilled to welcome so quite a few of these occasions in this article nowadays. I now sensed these a big difference driving to operate now, there was website traffic, and people were being honking. It reminded me of 2019 times,” D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto (D-Ward 2) said. “People are again to do the job and ready to celebrate.”