Hiking in the Totoro Forest, and visiting Kurosuke's House

To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.

Sayama Hills is the most well-known name for the area around Lake Sayama, a man-made reservoir on the border of Tokyo and Saitama. However, Ghibli fans may well know it better as the Homeland of Totoro or the Totoro Forest. (Also referred to as the Totoro Foundation or the Totoro no Furusato Foundation).

The area has a number of natural habitats and cultural assets that are under protection to preserve not only the nature and wildlife of the area, but also real life scenes that were the inspiration for the animated movie “Tonari no Totoro” or My Neighbour Totoro.

Many places around Japan claim to have been the inspiration for the movie, and several of them possibly played a part, but the difference with Sayama Hills is that Ghibli co-founder and My Neighbour Totoro creator Hayao Miyazaki himself, contributed to the inauguration of the Totoro Foundation in Sayama Hills, Tokorozawa

◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark Sensei via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Totoro's Forest - 28th June] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.

◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマーク先生にLINEしてください。
例:[Totoro's Forest - 28th June] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。

We will meet at Seibu Kyūjōmae station BEFORE 11.20am. Please kindly ensure you arrive punctually.

The red line on the map (in the attached photos) indicates a popular walking trail that will take you through many beautiful attractions before eventually arriving at the Totoro Forest. On the way you might see the Lily Garden of Tokorozawa, Buddhist temples such as the Fudoji Temple and the Sayama Lake located in the Sayama Prefectural Nature Park.

## The Forest Where Totoro Lives

Leaving the lake behind, we will head to the woodland, which is home to many wild plants and animals. Once you enter the forest, it won't be difficult to see why it's considered “the hometown of Totoro”.

Except for some narrow hiking trails across the area, most of the nature in this area is untouched. This forest resembles the landscape depicted in, especially during the summer, when everything is green and it often rains.

Totoro's Forest” is a real treasure trove of nature. In this vast area, lush greenery and thousands of beautiful creatures are dwelling together in harmony.

## Kurosuke's House

In the foyer of the building they sell Totoro and Ghibli goods in this area. A life-size Totoro is in one of the tatami rooms on this floor. Upstairs is a small museum of sorts with information about the Totoro Fund, the Totoro forests and some images from Ghibli movies. On the ground there is also a tea factory and a old store house which displays a diorama from Tonari No Totoro.

A reservation is required to enter the house - see below.

Additional fees (approximate):
Kurosuke's house tour ¥500 - please make a reservation for Saturday 28th June, 1pm. Spots are limited to please apply early.

Event fee:
¥800 - early discount if you pay by 18th June (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1250 if you pay between 19th-27th June early evening (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (28th June) - please bring the correct money (see the NOTE below).

NOTE: requesting to pay on the day of the event is upon the understanding that you will either attend the event OR arrange for the event fee to be paid via PayPay within 24 hours. Failure to do so may result in your removal from the group. See the cancellation policy below.

If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).

Cancellation policy:

• 50% refund given if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 24 hours before the event start time.
• Cancellation within 24 hours of the event start time or no-showing requires full payment of the event fee.

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After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:

1. I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on intensive internet research.
2. Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
3. We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
4. We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
5. The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
6. The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.

How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).