Before writing the score for a Studio Ghibli film, Joe Hisaishi used to record an 'image album', a set of pieces built on the director's sketches and notes to fix the mood of the world on screen. For Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro (1988) the image album became a collection of songs, released in 1987 with lyrics by Miyazaki and by the children's writer Rieko Nakagawa, author of 'Sanpo', the walking song that opens the film.

Eleven songs arranged, composed and produced by Hisaishi: the theme 'Tonari No Totoro' and 'Sanpo' sung by Azumi Inoue, the voice that made them famous in Japan, 'Kaze No Toorimichi' with the Suginami Children's Choir, 'Nekobasu' with Taku Kitahara, 'Fushigi Shiritori Uta' with Kumiko Mori, 'Maigo', 'Susuwatari', 'Okaasan', 'Dondoko Matsuri', Hisaishi himself singing 'Chiisana Shashin', and an instrumental version of 'Kaze No Toorimichi' to close. Several of these melodies went on to become the backbone of the film score.

Studio Ghibli Records reissue (TJJA-10014) in a tip-on jacket with obi strip and liner notes, with the illustrations of Miyazaki, Kazuo Oga and Michiyo Yasuda.