Totoro has arrived in Mami-okusama’s vegan deco bento! Perhaps Totoro and Mini Totoro are sitting side by side on tree stumps, waiting for Satsuki and Mei? No, they must have come out of the forest to visit Masaaki-sama and Mami-okusama’s children: Mei-sama, Miyu-sama, and Mikoto-sama! The highlight of this bento is the adorable tree stump the Totoros are sitting on. Believe it or not, it’s actually made from shimi daikon (freeze-dried daikon radish)! The shimi daikon was introduced in our February 5, 2025 post, and this year Mami-okusama once again cooked the shimi daikon that had been offered to Masaaki-sama. The simmered shimi daikon had a meltingly tender texture and a richly concentrated, exquisite flavor, and Masaaki-sama was said to be thoroughly pleased, savoring every bite. As Mami-okusama gazed at the shimi daikon, she found herself wondering, “Could I use this in a bento somehow?” Then it came to her: a tree stump. A tree stump brings to mind a forest, and a forest brings to mind…Totoro! And so, a bento inspired by Totoro in the forest came to life ✨ Mami-okusama shared that she prepared the bento with gratitude for the member’s offering. It must have been an unexpected joy for the member to see their offering appear in a Totoro bento! The children, who love Totoro, were overjoyed to see his smiling face, and their mealtime was filled with smiles and laughter. I, too, feel like dashing off into Totoro’s forest! ♪ 【Bento contents received from Mami-okusama】* 30 percent polished rice cooked in a clay pot (250g) 🍚Totoro's body was made by grinding freshly toasted black sesame seeds and mixing them into the rice. White rice was gently layered over the belly area, with nori used to create the belly markings, forming a soft, rounded tummy. The eyes were made from salt-boiled daikon radish and nori, the nose and mouth from nori, and homemade pickled red ginger was added to the cheeks. For the whiskers, oshaburi-kombu, a dried kombu seaweed snack loved by the children, was used. Mini Totoro was also shaped from rice, with nori for the eyes. The remaining rice was placed beneath the shimi daikon in the upper left and lower right corners of the bento box. * Miso soupIn addition to seasonal vegetables, I always include seaweed as well. * Simmered shimi daikonThe shimi daikon, offered by a member, was used as the tree stumps on which Totoro and Mini Totoro sit. Slowly infused with flavor, the shimi-daikon is meltingly tender, offering a taste that conveys the pure blessings of nature. Additional pieces are placed in the upper left and lower right, completing a forest-like scene. * Simmered flower-cut carrotsFlower-cut carrots are arranged like a wreath on top of the upper-left shimi daikon. A piece of salt-boiled carrot is placed in the center, allowing you to enjoy its brighter color together with the warm tones of the simmered carrots. * Salt-boiled rapeseed blossomsInspired by the world of Totoro, I used the greens and yellows of rapeseed blossoms to express the warmth of a spring forest. * OtherSalt-boiled daikon radish and carrot are placed atop the shimi daikon in the lower right. A collaboration of tenderness and Totoro! Mami-okusama’s super cute vegan bento, no. 35Likes, saves, and shares are most welcome✨ ***About Mami-okusama (Mami Okada)ma was born in Aichi Prefecture and was raised in a farming household. Also known as Japan’s Vegan Beauty, she is the wife of and Aide to Masaaki-sama (Masaaki Okada), World Church of Messiah’s Representative of Kyoshu. She is a vegan recipe developer focusing on the Japanese vegan diet. She is the first to establish the “vegan deco ben” (vegan decorative bento) and “vegan kyara ben” (vegan character bento) genres. Not only are they beautiful to the eye, these bento are created entirely from plant-based ingredients, in line with what Masaaki-sama teaches on the truth of food, that seasonal and local eating rooted in the climate and terrain of Japan is the most beneficial for health and well-being, that is, to eat what grows in one’s local region. Through these and also through the creation of her many original recipes, she seeks to spread the Christian vegan diet—the true healthy diet. She graduated from University of Tsukuba. During her studies there, she became actively involved in volunteer activities such as refugee support. She was also repeatedly asked to participate in the Miss Tsukuba Contest and was approached by many modeling agencies, but she declined all of these offers as she wanted to focus on refugee support activities. In recognition of her efforts in refugee support, she received the University of Tsukuba President’s Award in 2012. She holds a license to teach English to intermediate and high school students. After graduating from university, she began working for World Church of Messiah in 2013. In 2014, she married Masaaki-sama, the great-grandson of the founder of World Church of Messiah, Meishu-sama (Mokichi Okada 1882–1955), and the representative and successor of Kyoshu-sama. On May 24, 2026, on the day of Pentecost, she assumed the position of Aide to the Representative of Kyoshu. Currently, while raising three children, she is working tirelessly unlike anyone else in the practice and spread of the Christian vegan diet as taught in Masaaki-sama’s revolutionary message: “Jesus Christ was the last and ultimate sacrifice—so it is no longer necessary to eat a diet that comes with the suffering of animals.”