It's officially Ponyo time as Ghibli character appears as new anime accessory line and clock【Pics】
With summer here, it's the perfect time to head to the beach. Or, alternatively, it's the perfect time to say 'Yeah, it's way too hot to be outside' and enjoy some marine-themed anime in your air-conditioned home.
But while only you can decide which of those times it is, Ponyo can tell you what time it is on the clock.
Studio Ghibli's spunky fish girl, star of the anime movie of the same name, is swimming into specialty shop Donguri Kyowakoku with a new lineup of summery merch, including a Ponyo Jellyfish Clock, with elegant glass beads instead of numbers serving as markers on the clockface.
Donguri Kyowakoku is known for their attention to detail, and whereas some designers might have been tempted to only model the part of Ponyo that sticks up over the top of the jellyfish, the character is represented in full.
The material for the jellyfish itself even has a translucent effect to it, making it seem even more realistic.
Arriving at the same time as the clock is a selection of Ponyo accessories. The ring once again features Ponyo and a jellyfish, but this time she's crawled inside for a nap.
With pierced ears not being quite as prevalent among Japanese women as they are in some other countries, and especially less so among teens and kids, Donguri Kyowakoku often releases its earrings in two styles, one for pierced ears and the other as clips, and that's the case for the Ponyo earrings.
No jellyfish here, but Ponyo won't be lonely, because she's got some of her sisters with her!
Something to bear in mind here is that the sea glass-style accents at the end of the strands vary from piece to piece.
So if you're ordering the earrings online, you won't be able to choose the exact color you're getting, but you will still have something that's beautiful and somewhat unique.
And finally, even more of Ponyo's siblings show up to help form this bracelet.
Prices range from 2,420 yen (US$17) for the ring, 2,970 yen for the bracelet, 3,630 yen for the earrings of either type, and 8,580 yen for the clock. The whole lineup goes on sale July 5 and can be ordered through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store (clock here, accessories here), meaning they'll be available in time to wear for a summer trip to the real-life town that inspired the Ponyo anime.
Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Pokemon-Themed Facility to Open in Tokyo Next Spring
News from Japan Economy Guide to Japan Travel Jul 23, 2025 19:27 (JST) Tokyo, July 23 (Jiji Press)--Pokemon Co. has announced that it will open the first permanent facility for visitors to experience the world of popular Japanese game Pocket Monster, or Pokemon, in Tokyo next spring. The PokePark Kanto facility will be built at the Yomiuriland amusement park in Inagi in a suburb of the Japanese capital. Tickets will go on sale around this autumn. The 2.6-hectare outdoor facility, comprised of the 'forest' and 'town' areas, will allow guests to look for Pokemon characters and buy related goods as well as enjoy parades. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Asahi Shimbun
9 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Snufkin shows the freedom found in solitude and simplicity
'One can never be truly free, if one admires someone else too much.' Such counsel could only come from someone like Snufkin—a philosophical wanderer, poet at heart, who values freedom, independence and solitude above all else. It's the kind of advice he might offer to those who idolize him, gently warning against the dangers of attachment. A beloved figure in the Moomin series, Snufkin follows a ritual all his own: He departs on solitary travels before winter sets in and faithfully returns to Moominvalley with the coming of spring. At "Tove Jansson and the Moomins," an exhibition currently on view in Tokyo celebrating the artistic world of the Finnish creator behind the beloved literary family, Snufkin stands out as a crowd favorite. Every illustration and sketch of the free-spirited wanderer draws a cluster of admirers. With his trademark wide-brimmed pointed hat pulled low and a harmonica in hand, he is often depicted fishing beside his close friend Moomin. His enduring appeal seems rooted in his steadfast devotion to freedom. Author Tove Jansson (1914–2001) once reflected on Snufkin's personality and his inner contradictions. As cited in 'Tove Jansson' by Mayumi Tomihara (1954–2025), a Japanese scholar of French philosophy and Swedish literature, Jansson described the nomadic vagabond as someone who, alongside his longing for freedom, is inevitably drawn to solitude. This disposition, she noted, contains 'a self-centered weakness.' Jansson, a Finnish national, was born into a minority Swedish-speaking family. During World War II, as Finland found itself precariously positioned between two powerful and hostile forces—the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany—she began creating the Moomin characters as a means of escaping the turmoil of those dark and uncertain times. As a longtime reader, I've always been drawn to Snufkin's philosophical yet unpretentious words. In one scene from the Moomin books, he advises his friends to leave behind the gemstones they find in the valley, keeping them instead as memories. 'It's much more fun to keep things in your head than in a suitcase,' the contemplative wanderer says. I've come to believe that Snufkin is a restless traveler because he can only compose poetry and songs when tested by harsh environments. That's why he sets off each year before winter, leaving behind a sorrowful Moomin. He brushes aside sentimentality and embraces solitude with quiet dignity, carrying his ego without apology. There's something profoundly moving in that image. —The Asahi Shimbun, July 23 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
SoraNews24
10 hours ago
- SoraNews24
Video game spending is less attractive for a lover than gambling, Japanese survey says, but why?
Gambling regularly tops lists of unattractive behaviors in Japan, so how did one of the country's most notable hobbies surpass it? You can't buy love, but that doesn't mean there's no connection between financial matter and matters of the heart. If a relationship is going to progress and two lovers are going to link their lifestyles, one person's attitude regarding money will eventually start to affect the other, and to get a closer look at the situation Japanese staffing service Biz Hits conducted a survey asking respondents asking what sort of spending habits make a romantic partner less attractive. The poll collected responses from 505 participants (363 women and 142 men), with 23.3 percent between the ages of 20 and 29, 41.7 percent in their 30s, 23 percent in the 40s, 11.7 percent 50 or older, and 0.4 percent under 20. When asked if a romantic partner's spending and saving habits influence how they feel about a relationship, 63.7 percent said they have a major effect, and another 31.9 percent say they have a moderate one. Just 3.8 percent said the effect is only minor, and a negligible 0.6 percent said they don't affect the atmosphere of a relationship at all. So what kind of spending makes someone look unattractive? The number-one response, chosen by 13.3 percent of respondents as their biggest turnoff, is 'spending money on video games.' That might be kind of surprising, since while there are still niche genres and specific titles, video games in general have become a pretty mainstream entertainment option in Japan nowadays. Even more startling is that respondents who said spending money on video games makes a romantic partner unattractive outnumbered those who had that complaint about gambling, which was the number-two response, from 9.1 percent of survey participants, followed by a non-specific 'spending beyond their means' (6.7 percent). Gambling has long ranked at the top of survey results in Japan for behavior of any kind that's considered unappealing in a prospective romantic partner, not just within the field of spending habits. So how video game spending end up at the top of this list, and by a considerable margin? Possibly because of changes in recent years within the video gaming and gambling industries in Japan. Starting with gambling, Japan has venues where you can bet on horse, bicycle, motorcycle, and motorboat racing. However, in terms of the number of gambling facilities, pachinko is by far the most common type, and also the one most people have the easiest geographic access to. Yet while it's still relatively easy to find pachinko parlors, they're having a harder and harder time pulling customers in, and it's especially losing popularity among younger demographics, so it's becoming less likely to be on the deal-breaker radar than it used to be. Meanwhile, video games are no longer limited to their original format in which you paid a set price for a complete game. The hobby now includes a vast array of free-to-play games, including many such mobile game titles. As anyone who's dipped their toes into that model can attest, though, free-to-play games are generally designed in such a way that you have to spend money to access to the actually enjoyable parts of their content, and that content is usually unlocked through randomized gacha/loot box mechanics. In other words, 'spending money on video games' now also encompasses paying money for a non-guaranteed return, with the option to keep paying to try again if the player is unhappy with the initial result…which are all descriptions that fit gambling too. ▼ 'Argghhhhh! I can't believe I got stuck with the SS-Y rank Shampoo Girl! I was sure I was gonna get the SS-Z Pantene-chan this time!' It's true that there are difference between gacha games and gambling, the most important being that with gacha games the player is at least guaranteed to receive something in exchange for their payment, even if it's in-game content that's neither useful nor desirable. However, that might make such spending even harder for a romantic partner to accept. Without specific knowledge of a certain game, it's difficult for non-fans to grasp why a gacha player would be dissatisfied with a particular drop, or why they'd feel like the expense/risk is worth it to chase after a rare one. At least with traditional gambling, it's pretty easy to grasp the desire (money), and so see why a losing bet wouldn't be a satisfying finish to a session, even if you don't agree with the choice to keep at it. Biz Hits didn't numerically break the responses down by gender, but a selection of respondent comments suggests that game spending was seen as unattractive by both men and women, with a woman in her 20s recalling 'I loaned my boyfriend money because he said he was having trouble making ends meet, but then he spent it on in-game purchases,' while a 30-something man said 'I felt like maybe I needed to rethink things a little when I saw my girlfriend spending more than 10,000 yen [US$69] at one time on in-game purchases.' ▼ It's an often-forgotten corollary that what's not good for the goose often isn't all that great for the gander either. Now, as is always the case with surveys like this, it's important to remember that ultimately what matters is whether the two people in the relationship see eye-to-eye and can accept each other's lifestyle choices. It's also worth pointing out that the survey respondents weren't necessarily calling for their romantic partners to rein in spending across the board, with their number-five, six and seven complaints being a partner who's too insistent on splitting all costs 50/50, someone who gives low-priced presents, and someone who's overly focused on saving money and cutting expenses. Still, if you're playing the percentages while looking for love, it might be best to keep your game spending on the moderate side, or maybe to play up your old-school gamer ethos by telling your date that you're only into titles with extra content that can be unlocked through in-game progression and challenges. Source: PR Times Related: Biz Hits Top image: P akutaso Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Feel free to follow Casey on Twitter, where yes, he did unlock all the alternate characters and costumes for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, but be aware that he's already spoken for.
