In Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo, on what kind of object does Sosuke live?

In Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo, Sosuke lives in a house on a cliff above the sea.

Sosuke’s home is perched on a steep coastal hillside, giving him a direct view of the water where he finds the goldfish who becomes Ponyo. His mother, Lisa, drives to work at a nearby senior-care center, while his father, Koichi, works at sea. The house’s elevated position becomes especially important when Ponyo’s magic causes the ocean to rise.

Ponyo was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released in Japan in 2008. Its Japanese title is Gake no Ue no Ponyo, commonly translated as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. The film draws on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid but replaces the original tale’s tragic tone with a bright story about friendship, family, and balance.

Sosuke’s home is sometimes mistaken for a lighthouse because of its coastal location, but it is specifically a private house on a cliff.