Spirited Away: Japanese Tea Cup Arubaya

“Spirited Away” is one of the most famous anime films Studio Ghibli ever made: a fairy tale about a girl stranded in a world of spirits who has to fight her way back out. The film won the Oscar for best animated feature in 2003 and has shaped generations of viewers since. Anyone who knows it recognizes its cast out of the corner of an eye.

That is exactly what the original Japanese tea cup Arubaya lives on. Around 21 characters and motifs from the film crowd across the porcelain - from Kaonashi, the faceless No-Face, through the bathhouse mistress Yubaba, who takes Chihiro’s name from her, to the little soot sprites in the boiler room. The labels are set in Latin letters, so you know who you are looking at - and the cup quietly becomes a hidden object picture while you drink your tea.

It is imported directly from Japan and officially licensed. At 400 ml it holds considerably more than a small tea bowl - enough for a generous round of sencha or genmaicha, and just as good for morning coffee. At 7.9 × 7.9 × 11.5 cm it stays slim enough for a normal cupboard shelf and stands securely on a desk.

For everyone who loves Hayao Miyazaki’s piece of magic it is a gift that arrives in daily life: not a collector’s item gathering dust, but tableware that gives the tea a little magic every morning. Fitting for a birthday, for Christmas or as a present for Ghibli enthusiasts who have seen the film three times and still spot new details each time.

Material: Porcelain
Capacity: 400 ml
Dimensions: 7.9 × 7.9 × 11.5 cm
Motif: around 21 characters and motifs, labeled in Latin letters
Origin: imported directly from Japan, officially licensed