Geocache Description
This is the Bonus Cache which highlights the works by Japanese filmmaker and artist Hayao Miyazaki, a co-founder of Studio Ghibli. He has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and as a maker of anime feature films and is widely regarded as one of the greatest animation filmmakers. This is a multi-stage cache that will take you on a nice little hike in the Totoro Forest where the Totoros big and small lives. The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates. Solve the puzzle in the attachment to find your way to the Totoro Forest. There's an FTF prize and some waterproof stickers for the first 10 finders.
NOTE: Each of the previous caches in this series contains a Keyword that is required to unlock this bonus cache. Use the Certitude geochecker below to unlock the trailhead coordinates and the attachment for this cache. Difficulty and terrain ratings is based on your journey to unlock the Bonus cache, not this individual cache.
Totoros
The Totoros are spirits that appear in Hayao Miyazaki’s anime film My Neighbor Totoro. Totoros are thought to be a mystical “rabbit-like” or “raccoon-like” creatures, who are spirits of the forest. They're a mixture of several animals: tanukis (the Japanese version of raccoons), cats (the pointed ears and the facial expressions), and owls (the chevron markings on their chests and the "ooo"-ing sound they make with their ocarinas at night). There is not only the one huge Totoro but there are medium and small-sized Totoros as well: Big Totoro (gray) Oh-Totoro, Medium Totoro (blue) Chuu-Totoro, and Little Totoro (white) Chibi-Totoro. "Oh" means "large" in Japanese, but Oh-Totoro has been translated as "King Totoro" in the U.S. "Chuu" and "Chibi" mean "medium" and "small", respectively. However, when people say "Totoro", they are usually referring to Oh-Totoro. In the film, the Totoros lives in a giant Camphor Tree, a sacred tree on the grounds of a Shinto shrine. The mystical camphor trees are considered to be holy since the Japanese believed that the Kami or spirits lived there.
To find this Bonus Cache, you will need to do the following:
a. Collect the keywords from the five other caches in the series including "Soot Sprites Delights", "The Kodama Tree", "Catnip Scramble", " Goldfish Princess", and "Bisonbot" (see links below).
b. Sort the keywords in alphabetical order, NO single space in between, and verify your solution with the geochecker, Certitude. An automated reply will provide you detailed information about the trailhead coordinates and an attachment required for the bonus cache.
c. Download the attachment and solve the puzzle to obtain the coordinates to the "Totoro Forest" Bonus Cache.
Alert: You are about to download files that contains further details needed to find this geocache. As the cache owner, I represent that these files are safe to download although they have not been checked by Groundspeak or by the reviewer for possible malicious content or venom. Download files at your own risk.
You can validate your KEYWORD solution with certitude.
You can validate your puzzle solution for coordinates to STAGE 1 with certitude.
Links to the series of caches. These caches can be found in any order.
Many thanks to all those in the NoVAGO community for their very helpful feedback and artistic tips in putting together this series! A big thanks to the reviewers for their helpful guidance on the cache placements!
For Best Kids Cache and For Best Theme/Series
NOTICE: This cache is hidden with written permission of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA). Geocachers must abide by all Park Authority rules, regulations and other restrictions. This specifically includes park access times. Unless posted otherwise, all Park Authority parks are open from Dawn to Dusk. Night Caching in Park Authority parks is expressly forbidden. Please note: There may be a fee to enter the park at certain times of the year for non-jurisdiction residents.
Source: Much of the information in this cache was sourced from the Ghibli Wiki and Wikipedia.