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Aliah and Family's FotoPage
By: aliah jamal
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| Sunday, 12-Feb-2006 02:40 |
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Totoro
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Can occupied 2 person at one time
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Looks unwell
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With Mei chan
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Love to sing a popular totoro song
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Totoro bus
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Model
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Pertama kali menonton kartun totoro ni, 2 tahun lepas...selepas itu, kartun ini menjadi antara kartun kegemaran anak-anak. Seronok apabila tengok anak-anak ceria ke tempat ini biarpun penat menunggu kerana tempatnya yang agak jauh dan terpencil.
Tempat ini bukanlah lokasi sebenar seperti dalam cerita tonari no totoro. Ia diberi nama kampung totoro kerana ada cerita tersendiri...Cerita ini dipetik dari lama web Ume Town.
| Quote: | About 40 years ago, in the Totoro area of the Tabaru district of Ume, the locals had no bus stop in their immediate area, which was proving to be quite an inconvenience for the families sending their children to school every morning. It was time for something to be done, and the residents of Totoro took matters into their own hands. After lengthy negotiations with the local bus company, it was decided that the residents of Totoro could have their much needed bus stop - but with one condition. They must make the bus stop themselves. Not letting this faze them, the local families constructed a bus stop - small and humble as it was - for their children to use every morning and afternoon. The inside was so small that only two children could sit down at once, but that didn’t matter. It was rightfully the pride and joy of Totoro, a symbol of community spirit. And with that, 'Totoro' bus stop was born.
It wasn’t until many years later, after the success of director Miyazaki Hayao`s 'Tonari no Totoro' animated film (now considered a classic of the genre) that things started to 'change' around the Totoro bus stop. The film is set in a peaceful country town - not unlike Ume - and features an evening scene where two of the main characters are waiting at a bus stop in the rain. After a while the rain stops, and out of the darkness appears a fictional 'Totoro' (think of a cross between a large panda and cat) and 'Cat Bus'.
After watching this film, the children of the Totoro area in Ume were giddy with excitement. What if the 'real' Totoro arrives at our bus stop one day? Or even the Cat Bus? Waiting for the school bus every morning became an exciting event. And then, one day, the children’s fantasy became reality! A hand painted 'Totoro' appeared beside the bus stop! Not long after this mysterious Totoro appeared, the area was featured on a TV program, and then in a newspaper article. Suddenly, this quiet district in Ume became busy with people all wanting to discover 'Totoro' and its bus stop. People came from far and wide, and the small, winding mountain roads leading to Totoro became crowded with number plates from all over Japan - giving the locals quite a shock! Coming all this way for a glimpse of their beloved `Totoro`...
After a while, the children of Totoro started to wish for a place where all these people from far away places that were visiting their tiny area could leave some kind of message. After all, everyone that visited (as well as the locals) all shared the same love of Totoro! In the true community spirit of the Totoro area, hearing the children’s wish Mr. and Mrs. Yano, a local couple, decided to do something about it. 'Totoro`s forest' was created, a short 100 meter walk from the bus stop itself. In Totoro`s forest, there is a beautiful oak tree by a stream which is now decorated with hundreds of hand-made 'Totoro' figurines inscribed with messages from the many visitors of Totoro bus stop.
But the story doesn’t end there. Not long after Totoro`s forest was created, another mysterious happening occurred in Totoro. One morning, the local residents awoke to find that the 'Cat Bus' had finally arrived! The children were ecstatic! But, who made this massive wooden figure? Who hand painted it lovingly? And who brought it all the way here? Ask these questions to the locals of Totoro, and they will give you the slightest smile, a mischievous glint in the corner of their eye. But inevitably the only answer you will hear is: who knows?
The story of the 'Totoro' bus stop has become a local legend in Ume. For the local residents of Totoro, it has brought them more visitors then they ever could have imagined meeting, from more places than they could have ever possibly visited. 'All these people visiting makes me very happy!' says a local grandma with a smile. 'I’m going to have to live to be a hundred now!' When you visit Totoro, don’t expect to see any shops or the usual vending machines associated with popular tourist spots - there isn’t any. What you can expect however is warm hospitality from the locals, who will no doubt be very happy to share their version on the 'Totoro Bus Stop' legend with you, possibly over a hot cup of green tea.
The `Totoro Bus Stop` is located in the Totoro area of Tabaru district, in the western part of Ume. From National Highway 326, turn into Taburu on Route 6, and follow the signs (or the cat bus!). |
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