Nephew of Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki serves up Totoro Shaved Ice in Tokyo

Find out if these limited-edition sweets uphold the family reputation for quality and creativity.

If you’re a Studio Ghibli fan in Japan, one place you should definitely put on your list of places to visit is Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory .

Currently owned and run by the nephew of Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki , Shirohige’s has two stores in Tokyo – one in Kichijoji and one in Daita near Shimokitazawa – but the main Daita location is where fans are flocking to right now, because it’s the only place in Japan where you can get Totoro Shaved Ice . ▼ Only available for a very limited time, there are three varieties to choose from: Strawberry , Peach , and Matcha , priced at 2,000 yen (US$12.58) each.

We headed to the store to try the new desserts, and when we arrived at about 10:00 a.m., roughly half an hour before opening, there were already around 30 people in line ahead of us.

It was a hot day, but staff showed a great deal of care for everyone outside, providing customers with cups of cold water and tea.

Hayao Miyazaki’s younger brother, who ran the shop with his wife for many years before recently handing over the reins to son Yosuke, was also present, kindly handing out mosquito repellent to everyone in line, so the wait to enter the store didn’t seem too long at all. ▼ We placed our order inside, above the store’s signature Totoro cream puffs … ▼ …and were given two cards for our order – one peach and one matcha .

Artistic talent clearly runs in the Miyazaki family, as the menu and cards were beautifully illustrated.

Creative touches can be seen throughout the store, and even outside, where the banner marked with the kanji for “ice”, commonly hung outside stores that sell shaved ice desserts in Japan, had been personally embellished.

This sweet message, penned and drawn by Miyazaki’s brother , shows the Catbus from My Neighbour Totoro being carried by Spirited Away’s Yu-Bird in fly form .

Alongside it is the traditional summer greeting “ 暑中お見舞い申し上げます ” (“shochu omimai moshiagemasu”), which expresses well wishes for the hottest time of year .

After admiring all the little details, it didn’t take long for staff to call out our order numbers and hand over our delectable-looking Totoros, which looked even cuter in real-life than they did in the pictures.

Starting with the peach version, which also happens to be the staff favourite, we were immediately impressed by the freshness of the white peaches and the beautiful hue of the syrup, which is made by simmering nectarines and plums.

Each shaved ice dessert comes with a beautiful white Small Totoro on the side, which is designed to sit between the larger Totoro’s ears, on a mint leaf. ▼ The Small Totoro is made using the same traditional nerikiri technique used to create moulded wagashi sweets .