Totoro blends tradition with modern design so you can make the best rice you’ve ever tasted.

Studio Ghibli prides itself on taking an old-school approach to things, preferring hand-drawn animation processes over computer generated images and portraying a more traditional way of life in many of its films. In the movie My Neighbour Totoro, for instance, the charming house in the countryside features an old-school kitchen where the family makes its meals.

▼ Once upon a time, households in Japan used a kamado, a stove fuelled by wood or charcoal, with rice cooked in a heavy metal pot called a hagama (pictured on the right, below).

Image: Studio Ghibli

While scenes like the one above have us longing for the slow life, the My Neighbour Totoro-esque lifestyle remains a pipe dream for most of us, as our busy schedules get in the way of us spending time in the kitchen. However, Studio Ghibli has come up with a happy compromise to help us enjoy a taste of old-school Japan and a modern dash of anime charm, with the My Neighbour Totoro Bankoyaki collection.

Bankoyaki refers to a type of traditional Japanese pottery produced primarily in Yokkaichi City in Mie Prefecture. Recognised as a national traditional craft, this style of pottery is known for its high heat resistance, which guards against cracks, making it incredibly durable and ideal for items like earthenware pots, which is how Ghibli is using them in this collection.

The first product in the range is the “Gohan Nabe” (“Rice Claypot“), which comes in two sizes — a one go and a three go (rice is measured in units of “go” in Japan, with one go being equivalent to 150 grams [5.3 ounces] of rice grains).

▼ The one go size

▼ The three go size

The earthenware cooker provides even heat distribution while the heavy double lids help to seal in moisture, giving you the fluffiest, most delicious bowls of rice you’ve ever eaten.

▼ Way better than an electric rice cooker.

The smaller size weighs 1,485 grams, has a capacity of one litre (33.8 ounces) and measures 21.6 x 16.1 x 16.5 centimetres, (8.5 x 6.3 x 6.5 inches), which will give you around one-to-two servings of cooked rice.

The larger pot weighs 2,250 grams, has a capacity of two litres and measures 24.8 x 19.7 x 19 centimetres, and will give you around six servings of cooked rice.

▼ The lids on both pots come with a handle that you can easily slot your rice scoop into.

After making your exquisite rice in the earthenware rice cooker, you’ll want to store it beautifully too, and you can do that with the Bankoyaki Ohitsu.

Ohitsu are traditional containers for storing cooked rice, and they’re still commonly used to serve diners at high-end ryokan inns to this day. While they’re traditionally made from wood, which helps to absorb excess moisture from the rice when it’s hot and add moisture back to it when cooled, these earthenware pots provide the same effect while alleviating any concerns over mould, which can grow on wooden ohitsu, making them difficult to maintain.

Ohitsu are usually only used to store rice for a short period of time, and are most often used as as a type of serving pot from which to fill your rice bowl during a meal. These bowls will definitely make everyone smile at the dinner table with their sweet designs, and they’re available in two sizes, with the smaller one-go size featuring a Small and Medium Totoro with a couple of Soot Sprites…

▼ …and the larger three-go size depicting the sack-carrying scene from the movie, complete with falling acorns.

 

 

With the designs on the ohitsu matching the designs on the correspondingly sized rice claypots, we’re tempted to purchase them as a set for the ultimate in rice-eating enjoyment. It’ll be an investment, though, as the claypots are priced at 13,200 yen (US$88.74) and 23,100 yen, while the ohitsu will set you back 8,800 yen and 14,300 yen, but for those willing to splash out for Japanese earthenware, it’ll be worth it, and the items can be purchased now at Donguri Kyowakoku stores in Japan and online (links below) while stocks last.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4)
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