Studio Ghibli supplies the watercolor art, leaves the message up to you.

In Japan, most greeting cards don’t come with lengthy pre-written messages. Instead of preparing a declaration of laser-focused sentiment for you, like “Grandma is so proud that you’re graduating from middle school!”, Japanese greeting cards tend to keep things short and broad. They might have a simple “Happy birthday,” “Congratulations,” or “Thank you,” but generally the idea is that you’ll supply the message yourself, with the card being something to please the eye and set the mood while you express your feelings in your own words.

That brings us to this line of gorgeous Ghibli greeting cards. Each of them features a beautiful watercolor painting of characters or settings from the anime studio’s beloved films on the front, but is blank inside, leaving it to you to tell the person you’re sending it to why you chose this piece of artwork while thinking of them.

Totoro, no surprise, is featured multiple times in the line. The scene of him traipsing through the tall grass with a leafy parasol is a great pick if you’re following the Japanese custom of sending cards in summer to check in on friends and family and see how they’re handling the heat…

…as is the card depicting this nighttime ocarina concert.

The good-times-with-good-folks vibes of these paintings make them an apt choice for sending to old friends you’re looking forward to seeing again, even if you don’t have any concrete plans in the near future…

…and if you’re the type that likes to plan ahead, for a fellow fan this card is practically a Christmas gift in and of itself.

Since this Spirited Away card shows Chihiro’s parents still under the curse that’s transformed them into pigs, it’s hard to say whether or not your own mom and dad would appreciate it, or if it’s better to save it for a friend…

…but this illustration of the approach to the bathhouse of the gods is one any fan of the movie will enjoy (as evidenced by the fact that it’s the only design in the series that’s currently sold out).

We saw a peek of Princess Mononoke’s Ashitaka earlier…

…but he’s got a second card too…

…and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind strikes a similarly dramatic, determined pose.

Castle in the Sky/Laputa’s Pazu swooping in to rescue Sheeta works for both romantic gestures and friendly “I’m here if you need me” reminders…

…and finally, rounding things out is a much more relaxed aviation image, courtesy of Porco Rosso’s flying boat.

As an added bonus, the cards come with a special envelope bearing the Studio Ghibli logo with Totoro in profile, the same way he appears at the start of the studio’s movies.

And while technically these are all meant to be put in the mail or handed off to someone else, they also make excellent 24 x 15.8-centimeter (9.4 x 6.2-inch) mini posters that you can arrange in whatever array you want on your wall or on your desk.

The cards are priced at 550 yen (US$3.80) each and, with the exception of the Spirited Away bathhouse design, are all available now through the online shop of Ghibli specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku here thanks to a recent restock.

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