Mei Kusakabe is a 5 year old girl who lives in rural Japan with her father and sister Satsuki. Her mother has tuberculosis and is confined to a nearby hospital. Mei has an innocent nature and is bold and adventurous, but at the same time very vunerable. When the family first moves into their new home she spots soot sprites and immediately chases them down trying to catch them. Mei also discovers Totoro when she chases his small companions through the thickets outside of their house. Tumbling into the hollow of an enormous Camphor tree, she lands directly on Totoro's belly. Rather than acting scared of the giant creature she wakes it from its slumber and initates a playful shouting match. The family at first doesn't believe her tale, but eventually Satsuki sees him as well. The sisters assist Totoro in a cermonial dance that helps some seeds to sprout and takes them flying through the spirit world.Mei seems to the suffer the most from her mother's absence and reflects a lot of her maternal needs on Satsuki. When a planned visit from their mother is cancelled due to declining health, Satsuki takes it out on Mei. Upset, Mei takes it upon herself to make their mom better and attempts to bring her some healthy food. Taking an ear of corn, she sets off on foot alone to visit their mother, but gets lost on the way. As the entire village searches for her they begin to fear for the worst. Satsuki beseeches Totoro for help and using the spirit Catbus they locate her crying alongside the road. Totoro takes the sisters to the hospital and they leave the ear of corn on the window sill in secret for their mother to discover. Show less «