Young Women & Nature
An essay by Colin Paterson
'TONARI NO TOTORO  (My Neighbor Totoro)
Story and Animation by Hayao Miyazaki
Additional reading: `The Worlds of Japanese Popular Culture  
  (Ch 5: The Four Faces of The Young Female)’ by S. Napier

Totoro provides an escape that although has dark episodes, Mei running away, Mother's sickness, the movie comes to fairly happy ending for all. It mixes the non-traditional, buses, working in the city, with the traditional rice fields, and Shinto shrines, camphor trees with paper ropes, providing a nice middle ground that seems to be harmonious with nature. Calming or soothing to adults that see concrete, steel and glass most of the time.

There are many conections in the film My neighbor Totoro to nature, from the acorns, rice steps, Camphor trees, forests and Shinto symbolism. The girls in the film, Satsuki, a girl just entering her teens, probably around 12 years old and Mei her younger sister around 4 or 5 years old..  Have both just moved into this natural world from there home in the city.

This connection to nature of the female, is how Satsuki, Mei and the old women were able to see the soot. The old woman remembered it form when she was small. Possible how Satsuki's mother was able to see them. The obvious is that Mei, the youngest and thusly most innocent was the first to see Totoro, the forest spirit and did not doubt the reality of it, as did her father an older male and her sister, who was unsure. The father played along with Mei's idea, and Satsuki wanted to see the Totoro if it existed. Totoro appears to Satsuki only when she is out late with Mei in the rain. She gives Totoro the umbrella, a sacrifice of self one of the traits Napier brings up, “they are consistently used for common good” Satsuki also uses her power, to see Totoro and talk to him, when Mei is lost. This is similar to  Nausicaa's ability to talk to animals and insects as mentioned by Napier.

Sources:

Since writing this Disney has released a quality version of Totoro on DVD, with the original Japanese and new a new English dub. This is far better than the FOX English only edition. The new English dub is fine although I prefer to read this movie.