Latest news with #Chihiro
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
300-Year-Old Hot Spring Inn Conjures Spirit of Anime; Traditional Onsen Culture Endures in Mountains of Gunma Pref.
The Yomiuri Shimbun The exterior of Sekizenkan is reminiscent of the bathhouse in the movie 'Spirited Away.' NAKANOJO, Gunma — Sekizenkan is an old ryokan inn in Nakanojo, Gunma Prefecture, that is believed to have inspired the bathhouse in the acclaimed anime film 'Spirited Away,' and it is still visited by many fans. About 330 years have passed since Sekizenkan was founded in 1694. The ryokan, located in a historical hot spring area called Shima Onsen hot spa, allows guests to experience a journey back in time. Guests cross a red bridge, the symbol of the ryokan, before reaching the entrance while listening to the gentle babbling of a river. The inn's Honkan main building, Japan's oldest existing wooden bathhouse, was built in the Edo period (1603-1867). It was a two-story building at first, but another story was added in the Meiji era (1868-1912). 'We can observe the architectural changes since the Edo period,' Yurie Kurosawa, 44, the ryokan's 21st president, said proudly. Until about 60 years ago, most of the guests visited the ryokan to cure an illness or heal wounds, and they stayed for more than two weeks. They brought futons for themselves and hung their laundry along the outer corridor. In the main building, guests still prepare their futons in modestly furnished Japanese-style rooms like in the old days. The 'Roman no Tunnel' at the end of the main building is reminiscent of the tunnel in the anime through which the heroine Chihiro and other characters pass. I went up in a nearby elevator to a wooden ryokan building called Sansou, which was built in 1936 because the number of guests increased mainly due to advances in transportation. The techniques of traditional craftsmen can be seen in the rooms, such as the intricate craftwork of kumiko shoji sliding doors and tokonoma alcoves. Then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo stayed in Sansou in 1942. Going further up the elevator, I reached Kashoutei, a ryokan building that has modern guest rooms. The bath is named 'Genroku no Yu' and is located beside the main building. There are five bathtubs in the tiled floor, and the windows are arch-shaped in the Taisho Romanesque style. The changing room and the baths are combined in an unusual style, and that structure remains as it was when it was constructed in 1930. The ryokan offers guests a tour of the buildings three times a week. On a busy day, the tour has as many as about 30 guests. 'I felt the long history of the ryokan during the tour. I was also impressed by the low ceilings and old glass,' said a man, 60, who participated in a tour in late April. 'I want to maintain the therapeutic style of the inn,' Kurosawa said. Sekizenkan will continue to convey traditional Japanese hot spring culture. Sekizenkan The Yomiuri Shimbun Address: 4236 Shima-Kabuto, Nakanojo, Gunma Prefecture Access: Take a bus from JR Nakanojo Station to Shima Onsen. It is about a 50-minute drive from the Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange of the Kanetsu Expressway by car. Memo: Visitors can use the bath without staying overnight from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for ¥1,500 for adults.
Japan Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Official 'Spirited Away' cookbook teaches how to make food from the Ghibli anime classic
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 Mouthwateringly detailed depictions of food have become as much a symbol of Studio Ghibli anime as fanciful flight sequences and plucky heroines. Food takes on the most narrative and thematic significance, though, in "Spirited Away," where different dishes are used to symbolize greed, compassion, or sacrifice, serving as edible milestones on the characters' arcs. So it was a reasonable expectation that the official Ghibli anime cookbook series would eventually get around to "Spirited Away," and now it finally has. Like the other books in the line, "Ghibli's Table: Spirited Away" is a collection of recipes that recreate food seen within the Hayao Miyazaki-directed classic, and also mix in a few new creations inspired by the setting and characters. Publisher Shufu no Tomo says that the 64-page volume contains instructions for how to make the onigiri rice ball Haku gives to Chihiro, the tempura rice ball devoured by the spider-like Kamaji, a non-bitter version of the bitter dumpling Chihiro receives as a sign of thanks from the river god, charred newt-shaped cookies, and 'the chicken eaten by Chihiro's mother.' ▼ You can spot Zeniba's cake on the book's cover too, so it feels like a safe bet that there'll be a recipe for it too. Like all of the Ghibli cookbooks, the "Spirited Away" volume is meant to be simple enough for adults or kids to follow along with. The ingredients used are all things that can be found in a typical Japanese grocery store, so even if you're outside of Japan, odds are you'll be able to source what you need as long as you've got an Asian market nearby or an online ingredient source. The series also tends to have detailed photos of the cooking process, and the descriptions, though in Japanese, are written to be easy for kids and inexperienced home chefs to understand, so they shouldn't be too hard to decipher for non-natives with some basic Japanese language proficiency. ▼ For example, here's a page from Shufu no Tomo's "Castle in the Sky" cookbook, showing photos for the recipe steps and including phonetic readings for the kanji characters. "Ghibli's Table: Spirited Away" is priced at 1,760 yen and goes on sale July 31, but can be preordered now through Amazon Japan here. Source: Shufu no Tomo via Ghibli no Sekai Insert images: Amazon Japan, Studio Ghibli, PR Times Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Studio Ghibli answers Spirited Away fan questions, reveals exciting facts and trivia behind the film -- Studio Ghibli cookbook teaches how to make beautiful, super-easy Laputa Levistone candies【Recipe】 -- Spirited Away posters for first theatrical release in China are stunningly beautiful External Link © SoraNews24
Observer
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Observer
Studio Ghibli's top five films
Japan's Oscar-winning anime house Studio Ghibli turns 40 this month. Here are the studio's top five films that have delighted fans over the decades: 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind' (1984) - 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind' (1984) - Studio Ghibli was founded in 1985, but this post-apocalyptic story featuring a young, independent princess curious about giant insects is considered its first film. It was based on a comic-strip series that Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki wrote for a magazine targeted at anime fans. Set 1,000 years after a war that destroyed human civilisation, the story takes place in a valley protected from toxic air emitted from poisonous forests. Miyazaki won critical acclaim and a cult following for the film about Nausicaa, who discovers the forests' secrets after getting embroiled in conflicts between countries trying to revive a lethal "giant warrior". 'My Neighbour Totoro' (1988) - 'My Neighbour Totoro' (1988) - This beloved Ghibli classic is set in the 1950s Japanese countryside where two young sisters with a sick mother move from the city. They encounter the cuddly yet mysterious forest spirit Totoro and Catbus, a 12-legged grinning cat with a hollow body in the form of a bus -- two characters who have become the Studio Ghibli mascots. The film was turned into a play for the first time by Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company in 2022. 'Princess Mononoke' (1997) - 'Princess Mononoke' (1997) - The tale of a girl raised by a wolf goddess in a forest threatened by humans was a smash hit in Japan and raised Miyazaki's profile internationally. A young prince on a journey to find a cure for his curse meets San, also known as Princess Mononoke -- meaning a spirit or monster in Japanese. The prince sets out to find ways to avoid wars between destructive humans and animal gods, centred around the ultimate god which is nature itself. Ghibli expert and Tufts University professor Susan Napier described "Princess Mononoke" to AFP as "serious, dark and violent". 'Spirited Away' (2001) - 'Spirited Away' (2001) - Miyazaki won his first Oscar with this film about a girl who gets lost in a mystical world of gods and spirits where she tries to save her parents, who are turned into pigs. In order to survive, 10-year-old Chihiro is told by a mysterious boy to get a job at an enormous Japanese bathhouse run by a witch. In a story infused with Japanese beliefs and traditions, Chihiro gains confidence through her work and solves the boy's curse before rescuing her parents. 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023 - 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023) - Miyazaki's second Oscar-winning film -- and likely the 84-year-old's last feature -- follows a boy struggling to accept his new life after his mother dies in the haunting fire-bombing of Tokyo during World War II. Everything changes when he meets a talking heron and embarks on a journey to an alternate universe, shared by the living and the dead, to find his missing stepmother. In a documentary, Miyazaki, visibly affected by the 2018 death of Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, said the pair had had a "love-hate relationship" and that he had based the character of the grand-uncle on him. —AFP
SoraNews24
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Official Spirited Away cookbook teaches how to make food from the Ghibli anime classic
From Haku's rice ball to cursed chicken and charred newt cookies, this book will show you how to make Spirited Away's fantastic fantasy fare. Mouthwateringly detailed depictions of food have become as much a symbol of Studio Ghibli anime as fanciful flight sequences and plucky heroines. Food takes on the most narrative and thematic significance, though, in Spirited Away, where different dishes are used to symbolize greed, compassion, or sacrifice, serving as edible milestones on the characters' arcs. So it was a reasonable expectation that the official Ghibli anime cookbook series would eventually get around to Spirited Away , and now it finally has. Like the other books in the line, Ghibli's Table: Spirited Away is a collection of recipes that recreate food seen within the Hayao Miyazaki-directed classic, and also mix in a few new creations inspired by the setting and characters. Publisher Shufu no Tomo says that the 64-page volume contains instructions for how to make the onigiri rice ball Haku gives to Chihiro, the tempura rice ball devoured by the spider-like Kamaji, a non-bitter version of the bitter dumpling Chihiro receives as a sign of thanks from the river god, charred newt-shaped cookies, and 'the chicken eaten by Chihiro's mother.' ▼ You can spot Zeniba's cake on the book's cover too, so it feels like a safe bet that there'll be a recipe for it too. Like all of the Ghibli cookbooks, the Spirited Away volume is meant to be simple enough for adults or kids to follow along with. The ingredients used are all things that can be found in a typical Japanese grocery store, so even if you're outside of Japan, odds are you'll be able to source what you need as long as you've got an Asian market nearby or an online ingredient source. The series also tends to have detailed photos of the cooking process, and the descriptions, though in Japanese, are written to be easy for kids and inexperienced home chefs to understand, so they shouldn't be too hard to decipher for non-natives with some basic Japanese language proficiency. ▼ For example, here's a page from Shufu no Tomo's Castle in the Sky cookbook, showing photos for the recipe steps and including phonetic readings for the kanji characters. Ghibli's Table: Spirited Away is priced at 1,760 yen (US$12) and goes on sale July 31, but can be preordered now through Amazon Japan here. Source: Shufu no Tomo via Ghibli no Sekai Top image: Studio Ghibli Insert images: Amazon Japan, Studio Ghibli, PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Pink Villa
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Kagurabachi Chapter 83: Will Chihiro Be Able To Convince Samura? Recap, Release Date, Where To Read And More
In ' Enten Vs. Tobimune,' Chihiro questions Samura at the Kyoto Massacre Hotel. As Rou observes the scene, Samura reveals that the Hishaku sorcerer had fled. Chihiro suspects his own revival was deliberate and recalls his intent to eliminate threats to the Shinuchi. Uruha's revival is also explained: Samura used Suzaku's flames to save him, severing Uruha's Life Contract. However, Samura cannot save himself the same way. Chihiro pleads to join his mission, but is rejected. The chapter ends as their blades clash using the Lai White Purity Style. Expected plot in Kagurabachi Chapter 83 Kagurabachi Chapter 83 will likely continue Chihiro and Samura's battle. Chihiro must prove his growth and resolve through combat, since Samura has dismissed his words. Samura, determined to bear the burden of ending the Malediction alone, aims to defeat Chihiro swiftly. However, the Enten user is prepared, likely mirroring Samura's techniques. The chapter may focus heavily on their clash, revealing whether Chihiro's strength and conviction can shift Samura's belief that only sacrifice can resolve the crisis threatening the world. Kagurabachi Chapter 83: Release date and where to read Kagurabachi Chapter 83 is scheduled for release on Monday, June 23, 2025, at 12 am JST. For international audiences, this means it will be available during the day on Sunday, June 22, with exact timings varying by time zone. Fans can find Kagurabachi Chapter 83 on several Shueisha platforms, including the MANGAPlus website and app, the Shonen Jump+ app, and VIZ Media's official site. Additionally, a physical version will be released in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 29. For more updates from the Kagurabachi manga, stay tuned to Pinkvilla.
