Japanese survey reveals the studio’s most popular anime houses, and why people want to live there in real life.
Studio Ghibli has a wonderful way of drawing us into their movies, creating scenes and settings so idyllic that viewers end up wishing they could step into the animated worlds in real life.
So what if you could step into one of the character’s homes? Which one would you choose to live in and why?
These are the questions Japan Trend Research and housing specialists Logos Home sought to answer recently, by conducting a survey amongst 1,000 people nationwide. While a lot of the studio’s most popular movies are represented in the results, there are still a few surprises, so let’s count down the top ten Ghibli houses that most people would like to live in, along with some of the reasons why they’d like to live there.
10. Shizuku’s House from Whisper of the Heart (19 votes)
Reasons for wanting to live there:
- I get the impression that it’s a cute place so I like it.
- Because it seems to be the most ordinary house, making it easy to live in.
9. Haru’s house from The Cat Returns (23 votes)
- Because I have a cat.
- It’s a common old-fashioned house, so it has a calm, relaxed vibe.
8. Sophie’s house from Howl’s Moving Castle (28 votes)
- It’s right in the middle of town so it’d be very convenient.
- Because the scenery from the window looks very beautiful.
7. Sosuke and Ponyo’s house from Ponyo (44 votes)
- It’s got a special feeling about it as it’s on a cliff.
- It looks like a real house so it’d be easy to live in, and because it’s on a hill surrounded by the sea, I’d be able to go down to the beach every day.
6. Arrietty’s house from The Secret World of Arrietty (54 votes)
- I’d love to live surrounded by forests.
- I love the old Western-style architecture.
5. Pazu’s house from Laputa: Castle in the Sky (71 votes)
- Because the construction of the house is interesting.
- I feel attracted to the idea of living in a house on a hill.
- The view is good and the morning sun is beautiful.
4. The Bathhouse where Chihiro lives from Spirited Away (81 votes)
- Because I want to enjoy the world of the bathhouse.
- It’d be fun to explore inside.
- I’d love to have a bath there!
3. Kiki’s house from Kiki’s Delivery Service (108 votes)
- I love how it has such a foreign air about it.
- The city where Kiki lives looks wonderful and I’d love to help out in the bakery downstairs and eat bread whenever I want!
- I love the calm feel of the attic, I’d wake up there feeling happy in the morning.
2. Howl’s Castle from Howl’s Moving Castle (206 votes)
- I’d love to travel around while inside a house!
- I like that you can change the interior whenever you want.
- I can’t say that it looks like it’d be comfortable to live in, but can you imagine how cool it would be to live in a moving castle?
- I’d love to live with Calcifer!
1. Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbour Totoro (296 votes)
- Because it looks comfortable to live in and the area is rich in nature.
- I’d love to live quietly in the forest.
- I want to immerse myself in the countryside on a large plot of land where I can set out on adventures.
- It’d be amazing to live with Soot Sprites and meet Totoro!
So there you have it — like a similar survey conducted by Japan Trend Research last year, the Ghibli house that most people want to live in is the countryside home from My Neighbour Totoro. That’s good news for fans, because you can actually visit Mei and Satsuki’s house in real-life at the Ghibli theme park in Aichi Prefecture.
Interestingly, though, the homes from When Marnie Was There didn’t even get a mention this year, despite ranking in last year’s results. It just goes to show that while home trends might change year by year, some ideal home goals may never change. After buying a home in the country ourselves, we know firsthand how beautiful life in countryside Japan can be — it’s not always easy, but on those quiet days when we’re bathing by the river, it’s absolute bliss.
Sources: Japan Trend Research, Logos Home Co., Ltd., PR Times
Featured image: Studio Ghibli
Insert images: Studio Ghibli (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, https://www.ghibli.jp/works/majo/#&gid=1&pid=48, 9, 10)
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