On 16 April, the world of Totoro turns another year older: My Neighbor Totoro premiered in Japan on 16 April 1988.
That makes this a quietly perfect moment to look again at one of cinema’s gentlest miracles. Totoro has never belonged to spectacle alone. He belongs to rain, waiting, trees, childhood courage — and to that rare kind of wonder that never needs to raise its voice.
That is also why this date feels so close to our Hayao Miyazaki’s Dreams concerts. In the Red Events programme, the musical world of Miyazaki returns through the scores of Joe Hisaishi, and My Neighbor Totoro remains one of the titles woven into that journey.
So today we celebrate not only a beloved character, but a mood, a memory, a way of seeing. Happy birthday, Totoro — and thank you for continuing to walk beside our concerts with your quiet, unmistakable magic.
