Professora, a name that simply means teacher and applied to the same character known as Miss Hara in other versions, is the schoolteacher in the rural area where the Kusakabe family lives. She is a supporting character who appears in the sequences set at the local school, where she teaches the children of the village in a single classroom.

Her background is that of a teacher at a small countryside school. She instructs all of the students in the area, which indicates that the school is modest in size and depends on one teacher to lead the children through their lessons. In one classroom scene, Mei sits drawing a picture of Totoro while seated between Satsuki and a classmate named Michiko during the lesson, and the teacher supervises the class through such everyday moments.

Her motivation is tied to her profession: she provides the children with daily instruction and a stable school routine. She functions as a steady adult presence outside the family home, and the school scenes show the sisters taking part in the ordinary activities of village life.

Her main relationship is with her students, particularly Satsuki, whose teacher she is, and the younger Mei, who also attends the school. She also appears alongside the other pupils in the classroom. The character does not undergo development during the story, since her appearances are brief and consistent. Her notable ability is the handling of her class, as she manages a room of young children and keeps the lessons moving while remaining aware of what her students are doing.