akiko higashimura’s princess jellyfish || 東村アキコの『海月姫』

dropping everything and moving to the countryside

a genre;

dropping everything and moving to the countryside

a genre;

Mokuyo-bi "The night of the hatchling"

木曜日「羽化の夜」

how to live life like a ghibli film

1. go out in nature more. every studio ghibli film has some aspect of nature intertwined with the storyline. sometimes its hard to get the energy to go outside, but just going out on your deck or opening the window in your room or taking a walk around the block is enough. if you feel like it, go for a hike! go into the woods and look at every flower, and every tree. look at the mushrooms and streams and notice the beauty of them. look at nature like you’ve never seen it before. wake up at 4 and watch the sunset. put plants around your room. realize how beautiful the world is around you. appreciate it. 

2. get a hobby! this step is certainly easier said than done, but its so worth it. struggling with mental illness makes it especially hard to get a hobby, but its very important that you don’t spend the majority of your time on social media. Start small. If you want to start drawing get a coloring book and fill in a picture with beautiful markers! If you want to write find a random prompt online, give yourself 30 minutes and see what you can come up with. Want to try baking? Start with an easy recipe, like chocolate chip cookies, and share them with your family or friends, or just yourself! Try out a bunch of hobbies, and see what you like best. Maybe you like making jewelry or writing poems or creating digital collages or making video edits or decorating your room or riding a bike or sewing or reading. The possibilities are endless, and getting a hobby you enjoy is very important, and fun.

3. start appreciating small things and noticing details. I don’t know how to explain this step, but in studio Ghibli films, small things always stick out. There are beautiful tiny details that make the story so much more magnificent. small details make the studio Ghibli films what they are. maybe on your way to school/work the sky was a really pretty color. Or the tea you made in the morning was perfectly steeped. appreciate small details of life that you don’t normally notice.

4. appreciate food. Pay attention to your food. If you can, try and make/bake your own food! But if you can’t, just be mindful of your food. Try not to eat while you’re on your phone. Dedicate times to just eating. Appreciating the food in front of you. Make yourself the ponyo drink with milk and honey, or ponyo ramen! Make yourself your own blend of tea like the Baron!

5. be kind and help others. Being kind doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it can be smiling and waving at a baby in a café, or helping your mom finish the dishes, or paying for a friend’s coffee. Small gestures not only put good out into the world, but they also make you feel better. When you can, help others. Try volunteering at an animal shelter, or babysit for your aunt without charging her, or just listen to your friend when they’re going through something and be there for them. In every Ghibli film, the main character is always helping others, and being kind. Try to be like kiki, when she returned the pacifier to the mother who forgot it, or like chizuru from the cat returns, who risks her life to save a cat. Kindness comes in all shapes and forms, so just try your best to do what you can!

6. be your most authentic self. Stay true to who you are. dress how you’d like. Cut your hair like you’ve always wanted to. Stay confident and true to yourself. We all feel insecure sometimes, but we need to remind ourselves that we are great. Don’t try and force yourself to be someone you aren’t. Kiki felt insecure in her abilities as a witch, but she stayed true to herself, and believed in herself, and it paid off. Love and appreciate yourself, just the way you are.

7. (not really a tip but a fun suggestion) start collecting something! This is just an extra step that I wanted to include because I think its nice. But start a collection of things that interest you. It could be anything! Candles, stamps, teacups, antique figurines, 19th century photos, lip balms, books, key chains, flowers, hats. The choices are endless.

Memórias de Ontem (おもひでぽろぽろ), dir. Isao Takahata (1991)

🌸 ✨ 💗  Studio Ghibli Ask Game ✨ 💗 🌸 

🔥  Howl’s Moving Castle: What is the favorite place you’ve ever traveled? And if you haven’t traveled much, where would you most like to go?

🥖  Kiki’s Delivery Service: What would be your desired witch companion? A cat, bird, etc?

🫖  The Secret World of Arrietty: What is one person or one thing that has left a deep impression on your heart?

🌱  My Neighbor Totoro: What is your favorite element? Or what is your favorite part of nature itself?

🪣  Ponyo: What is your favorite recipe/food to share with others?

📖🖋  Whisper of the heart: What is something you’ve always wanted to write? Would you like to share anything you’ve written with us?

🐱  The Cat Returns: If you could be any animal, fantasy or not, what would it be and for how long?

🚊 Only Yesterday: Write a letter to your younger self, or a letter from your younger self to who you are now. 

🚣🏼‍♀️  When Marnie Was There: Do you miss anyone? What’s something you’d like to be able to say to them? 

✈️  The Wind Rises: Have you ever created something? If not, what’s something you’ve always wanted the ability to make?

🌬  Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: What or who, do you believe is worth saving? 

🏰  Castle in the Sky: What’s an urban legend or myth you’ve always believed in? 

🚢 🏳️ From Up on Poppy Hill: How do you handle secrets? Do you have any you wish to share?

🐉  Tales from Earthsea: What is your favorite mythical creature? 

🐽  Porco Rosso: What’s a job or career you’ve always been passionate about? 

🌸  The Tale of Princess Kaguya: If you were tiny like a faerie for a day, what would you do?

🐺  Princess Mononoke: Do you have anything you’re very protective over? Anything you know you’d fight for? 

💗  My Neighbor the Yamadas: What does family mean to you? What do you love most about your family? 

🌊  Ocean Waves: What makes you feel the most nostalgic? What memory will you always hold onto? 

🌾  Grave of the Fireflies: Where have you felt loss before? Do you have any advice on how to heal from losing? 

🧙🏼‍♀️  Earwig and the Witch: If you could make a potion or cast a spell, what would it be? What would it look like? 

📚  Pom Poko: What is your favorite children’s story or song? 

🏯  Spirited Away: Write a love letter. It can be to anyone, even yourself. 

— Jeong Joon Hyung, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Honestly, my ultimate goal in life is to dress like I’m living as an Ai Yazawa character 24/7.

here it is… one of the best scenes of this entire show

Yeong Ja Jung - ‘Exposure on the Mirror’ (1980)

I would have gone through life half-awake, if only you’d had the decency to leave me alone.

— Maurice (1987) dir. James Ivory

Song Jia photographed by Leslie Zhang for T Magazine China June 2019.

Who am I kidding. I wanna be in love. I wanna be loved. I wanna be trusted and cared about.

i miss 2012 indie folk like there’s a huge thing to be said for music that makes you feel like you’re speeding past a redwood forest on a foggy road in the pacific northwest

small things to add to a hand written letter:

HOW to DISAPPEAR completely………….No.7