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[/floatl]The popular film "My Neigbour Totoro", by Hayao Miyazaki, sparked a good deal of interest in the locales which inspired the animator. Miyazaki produced a book called "The House Where Totoro Lives" (left) which identified a particular western-style wooden bungalow in Asagaya, in Tokyo's Suginami-ku (pictured above). Fans of the film regularly visited the house to take photographs but, when the owner moved away, leaving it empty, it started to fall into disrepair. A petition was drawn up and, last year, the authorities agreed to take over the house and its surroundings to maintain its upkeep. However, on Saturday afternoon, around 2:20pm, flames were spotted coming out of the house by a neigbour who telephoned the emergency services. Around 16 fire engines raced to the scene but the recent dry weather meant the flames spread quickly and the whole structure soon burned down (below). The local fire brigade says there have been several suspicious incidents this year of piles of dry leaves being set alight, on one occasion causing damage to a community noticeboard. Residents say there was another small fire on Thursday so police are treating the case as a possible arson attack.
