And it’s located conveniently close to the Studio Ghibli theme park.
Donan Norin Suisanbu is a chain of izakaya (Japanese pubs) whose name translates to “Southern Hokkaido Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Department.” As you can guess from the name, their menu focuses on things Hokkaido is famous for, like salmon roe and other types of seafood.
What you probably wouldn’t be able to guess, though, is that all of Donan Norin Suisanbu’s branches are in Aichi Prefecture, about halfway across the country from Hokkaido. But while you might not expect an Aichi chain to specialize in Hokkaido cuisine, Donan Norin Suisanbu’s newest menu items come from somewhere even more surprising the anime films of Studio Ghibli.
If you’re an anime fan, seeing the words “Ghibli” and “Aichi” in the same sentence no doubt have you thinking of Ghibli Park, the theme park set to open in the Aichi town of Nagakute on November 1. The park’s opening is a big deal, not just because of the popularity of Ghibli anime, but also because Aichi, located halfway between Tokyo and Osaka, generally doesn’t get much time in the pop cultural spotlight.
So Ghibli is a lot of people’s minds in Aichi these days. Donan Norin Suisanbu’s staff is no exception, and the result is Ghibli Food Recreation menu seen here in a tweet from Japanese Twitter user @ghiblimamire, which the restaurant began serving on October 11.
It’s an impressively thorough lineup, and even includes a dish from The Castle of Cagliostro, the Lupin III movie that’s not technically a Studio Ghibli movie but was directed by Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki and contains many Ghibli-like visual and storytelling elements.
▼ The official Donan Norin Suisanbu Instagram account has also been sharing close-up photos, like this shot of the ramen from Ponyo.
The special dining options for hungry Ghibli fans, sorted by source material, consist of:
● Castle of Cagliostro: Meatball spaghetti eaten by Lupin
● Ponyo: Ham ramen
● Spirited Away: The mysterious food eaten by Chihiro’s dad
● Howl’s Moving Castle: Bacon and eggs cooked by fire spirit Calcifer
● My Neighbor Totoro: Bento boxed lunch made by Satsuki
● Princess Mononoke: Ojiya (rice gruel) eaten by Ashitaka
● Castle in the Sky: Fried egg bread eaten by Pazu and Sheeta
● The Wind Rises: Siberia cake eaten by Jiro
● Kiki’s Delivery Service: Pumpkin herring pie delivered by Kiki
▼ The exact identity of the jiggly food eaten by Chihiro’s dad is a source of long-running debate, and Donan Norin Suisanbu is similarly coy, though they have admitted that it’s made with bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and mincemeat.
Pre-tax prices are 390 yen (US$2.70) for the Siberia and Castle in the Sky Toast, 490 for the Spirited Away mystery food, 690 for the ramen, bento, and ojiya, 790 for the Calcifer skillet, 990 for Lupin’s spaghetti, and 1,490 for the Kiki pie, all of which seem pretty reasonable by izakaya standards, especially given the great presentation of each dish.
As mentioned above, Donan Norin Suisanbu’s five branches are all in Aichi, with five of them in Nagoya, which is likely to be the city where most travelers headed to Ghibli Park will be staying the night. If a trip to Aichi isn’t in your immediate future, though, you can always try making your own Ghibli meals with the help of this cookbook.
Related: Donan Norin Suisanbu official website
Sources: Instagram/dounan_official, Tokai TV
Top image: Studio Ghibli
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