MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO - Plum Blossom - Imabari Towel 34x80cm

Add a touch of Studio Ghibli-inspired charm to your bathroom with this ‘Plum Blossom’ towel, dedicated to My Neighbour Totoro. Made by Marushin from 100% cotton, it measures 34 x 80 cm, making it ideal as a face towel or small washcloth. 

The design unfolds against a salmon-pink background and combines several depictions of Totoro with delicate branches covered in red and pink plum blossoms. Small blue and white Totoros complete the motif, creating a floral pattern that repeats along the entire length. The combination of the character with Japanese flowers gives the design a soft, traditional aesthetic, distinct from the licence’s more classic illustrations.

The towel features a cotton gauze weave on one side, providing a light feel and quick-drying properties, whilst the other side retains a more absorbent texture. The Imabari label requires, in particular, an absorption test based on the ‘five-second test’: only towels that meet these criteria may bear this designation.

Thanks to its medium size, this model is suitable for everyday use on hands, the face or short hair, whilst also serving as a collectable textile item for fans of My Neighbour Totoro.

Technical specifications

– Manufacturer: Marushin Co., Ltd.
– Manufacturer listed on BEM’S: Benelic
– Collection: Imabari Gauze Series
– Licence: Studio Ghibli
– Sub-licence: My Neighbour Totoro
– Character(s): Totoro and Totoro spirits
– Design: Plum Blossom
– Type: face towel / small hand towel
– Material: 100% cotton
– Weave: cotton gauze on one side
– Dimensions: approx. 34 x 80 cm
– Main colour: salmon pink
– Special feature: Imabari textile craftsmanship
– EAN: 4992272533170

Origin and background of the character (Lore)

My Neighbour Totoro is an animated film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. Released in Japan on 16 April 1988, the feature film follows the young sisters Satsuki and Mei as they move with their father to a house in the countryside.

As they explore their new surroundings, the two children discover that the nearby woods are home to strange creatures invisible to adults. Among them is Totoro, a huge, peaceful forest spirit, who takes them on several fantastical adventures and introduces them to the famous Catbus.

Nature plays a central role in the film, from the forests and trees to the plants surrounding the family home. The plum blossom motif chosen for this towel extends this connection between Totoro and the plant world, whilst linking it to traditional Japanese aesthetics. Totoro has, moreover, become so representative of the studio that Studio Ghibli subsequently adopted the character as the company’s emblem.