poster for the upcoming Ghibli Museum food exhibition

There’s lots to love in the animated films of Studio Ghibli, like the meticulous attention to detail when it comes to portraying everyday life. And some of the most memorable scenes are the meals, which are often simple – it’s likely that most viewers have eaten them before. But it’s those everyday meals that give so much depth to the characters and allow us to empathize with them.

scene from Laputa: Castle in the Sky

If you’ve never been to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka, out in the Western suburbs of Tokyo, now would be a good time to plan your trip. The museum is planning an upcoming, year-long special exhibition that will focus on the many food-related scenes from all of Studio Ghibli films.

Meals and food play an incredibly important role in almost every Studio Ghibli film. In Laputa, Pazu splits his egg on bread in half and shares it with Sheeta. By doing so, the two become closer. In Spirited Away, Chihiro eats an onigiri and gains the courage to face her uphill struggle. In Howl’s Moving Castle, the characters become like family when they surround a dinner table over a meal of eggs and bacon.

Taberu wo kaku (which roughly translates to Drawing Eating) begins May 27, 2017 and will be on view through May 2018 so you’ll have plenty of time to see it. The exhibition will be largely separated into 2 sections – one on eating and one on cooking – and will detail the many ways Studio Ghibli animators brought their foods to life.

scene from Spirited Away

scene from Howl’s Moving Castle

Spoonful is a category of news on Spoon & Tamago that provides short, brief stories on Japanese art, design and culture.