miyazakibus

But don’t worry — this isn’t a career change for the famed director!

Getting Hayao Miyazaki involved with any project is pretty much a major coup. Just his name alone is enough to drive fans wild and get the attention of pretty much anyone who’s ever heard of Japan. So with that much name value and star power, you’d expect Miyazaki to be very picky about the work he does. And yet, he’s actually designed a logo for a bus in Okinawa!

But it turns this isn’t an attempt to start a new career as a bus logo designer.

▼ Though if he did, he’d be one hell of a designer!

As you may recall, a while back, Miyazaki got involved with a special nature preserve project. It’s no secret that he’s quite fond of keeping the planet green, and the project involves establishing a nature retreat on the Okinawan island Kumejima for children to appreciate and discover a deeper connection with the natural world.

Apparently, Tomihiro Horino, a friend of Miyazaki and the director of the project, requested the director’s help in creating the bus logo. Though the image is appearing most noticeably on the bus pictured below to begin with, it will also be used as a logo for Kumejima in PR efforts.

As you can see in the tweets above, the logo depicts a turtle with Earth resting on its back. The kanji for “Kume” (久米) is written over the planet in large yellow lettering. As far a logos go, this is certainly one of the prettiest we’ve ever seen!

Finally, a quick reminder for all you Studio Ghibli fans, the Ghibli Museum will be closed for two months starting this May. So be sure to plan accordingly if you’re looking forward to visiting!

Sources: Studio Ghibli Unofficial Fansite, Okinawa Times,
Featured image: Twitter/@okinawa58