We bought a yatsuda, a rice paddy in the valley

Text/Li Jinghong

The children are all asleep. Waking from a dream, I thought I should write something down properly as a keepsake.

Yes, we bought a small piece of yatsu-da. So the children can run and jump around without having to watch other people's expressions, and also for the rich natural ecology that was originally here. When I heard that a small plot of land here was for sale, my wife resolutely decided to do this. I really have to thank her. Deep down I wanted to buy it too, but because I stay home caring for the children, my wife is the one who leads the family finances. I couldn't boldly shout "Buy it!" But the result of our discussion was: "As long as we can get a loan, we'll buy it."

Today, our whole family sat in the car, looking at this field lit by the slanting sunset. We told Xiao Xi: "Xiao Xi, we're going to be neighbors with the animals here." After playing all afternoon, Xiao Xi, thinking we were going to live here right now, said: "Then what about my neighbor friends in Taichung, China?"

We discussed in the car that we wanted to write a letter to Grandpa Hayao Miyazaki in Japan. Because his "My Neighbor Totoro" story is deeply rooted in the hearts of our family of four, and we have long been brainwashed by the spirit of the "Totoro Forest": "Buy a key piece of land, and build a children's Totoro forest." We want Xiao Xi to draw a card, and we will write the words, to thank him for using "Totoro" to influence our family far away to buy a small Totoro forest together, and to thank the power of "Totoro" for still influencing many people and many children even now, and we also hope he has a chance to come and see this place.