In the short film Mei and the Kitten Bus (Mei to Koneko no Bus), the sequel to Totoro that's shown at the Ghibli Museum, Mei befriends a young catbus by giving it one of these delicious caramels. A great item for collectors of 'dagashi' traditional Japanese sweets from the Showa Period.

To make some caramels, prepare the following: milk (50 cc/1/5 of a cup), fresh cream (the same amount), granulated sugar (20 grams), a cup measure, a scale for measuring weight, a rubber spatula, a knife, wax paper, and a microwave running at 500 or 600 watts. (If using a 1000 watt microwave, please use a lower power setting.)

In the included red pot, add the milk, sugar and fresh cream, then attach the large lid and L-shaped red stirring arm so that the contents of the bowl will be mixed around when you rotate the lid. Heat for 2 minutes, then take it out, using the handles to avoid burning yourself. Turn the lid ten times so that the contents are stirred by the L-shaped red arm underneath. Next, heat for 3 minutes. Again, take the bowl out and turn the lid ten rotations, stirring the contents. Heat a final time for 1 minute, then remove. Carefully look at the caramel mix to see if it's the proper caramel color; if too light, heat again, but be careful to avoid burning it.

When the caramel mix is semi-liquified and can be spread with a rubber spatula, spread it inside a tray with wax paper inserted to keep it from sticking to the pan. Let cool for ten minutes, then put it in the freezer for an hour to harden.

There are several other fun kinds of caramels you can make, like green tea caramels by adding matcha powder or cocoa powder. It's fun to make with your kids, too!

One of our cutest Totoro soft toys -- kawaii!