My Neighbor Totoro is one of my favorite films, it’s the most touching story of the innocence and beauty of childhood and how magical life can be. I love the way the food looked in the film and wanted to recreate the bento that Satsuki makes for Mei.
Satsuki fills an oval bento box with rice and tops it with grilled Shishamo, Umeboshi, Edamame and Sakura Denbu (order here). Sakura Denbu is cooked and dried codfish flakes that’s colored pink, it’s slightly sweet and salty. You can find any of these ingredients at your local Japanese market or you can order Japanese ingredients and groceries from Weee!, they delivery directly to your house. 
Grilled Shishamo or Smelt can be eaten whole, the bones are very soft, so it’s a good source of calcium 
