Otaku USA Magazine
Studio Ghibli Is a Fan of Unofficial Studio Ghibli Café in Nagoya
by Danica Davidson May 18, 2022

Japan has a ton of specialty cafés, and there’s one in Nagoya known as Osu no Mori no Café Kodama that’s all about Studio Ghibli. That starts with the name (Kodama, from the forest spirits in Princess Mononoke) and includes the decorations and even the food. What do I mean by this? Let’s take a look.

For starters, get a load of these soot sprite decorations.

https://twitter.com/moricafe_kodama/status/1523529621693931520

And here are some decorations with their namesake.

https://twitter.com/moricafe_kodama/status/1524979713869250560

Moving on to what the café serves, take a look at the fire demon bacon and egg set, which pays homage to Howl’s Moving Castle.

And here is a rice omelet based on Mei’s hat in My Neighbor Totoro.

The café is set up in an otaku neighborhood, where it fits right in. It also isn’t too far away from the upcoming Ghibli Park location. But here’s the thing about it: it’s not an official Studio Ghibli café. This is made by people who clearly love the studio and its movies, but they have nothing to do with the business.

Japan has been clamping down on counterfeits, but it seems there’s no need here. That’s because Studio Ghibli, the copyright holders, do not feel threatened by the café, and in fact have become fans of it.

In fact, Studio Ghibli tweeted about the café, noting, “Came here with Goro [Miyazaki].” So we don’t know if Hayao Miyazaki himself has been here, but we can confirm that his son Goro has.

Studio Ghibli further tweeted what they ordered at the café, both food and drinks. They got the “Reunion with the Kohaku River” drink, plus “force-fed jerky,” which is a nod toward the jerky in Princess Mononoke.

Would you be interested in visiting?

Source: SoraNews24

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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin. She is also the author of its upcoming sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.

 

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