The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) (2020) - full transcript

Until the moment you're dead,

you can still hear.

- No!

- Yeah, yeah.

Even if your eyes are closed and your

heart's stopped, you can still hear.

How do you know?

When I died...

You're lying...

Ah, you are lying.

Me, Ma-chan, Koshiga, and Kuge-san,

we all had anesthetic,

so we've all died before.

Mine wasn't a general anesthetic.

- No, it was a general anesthetic.

- No!

- No need for a general anesthetic.

- I see.

- Only the lower part.

- The lower part?

That's dangerous!

- Freedom!

- Freedom!

You should be anesthetized

all the time.

Don't you know that story?

Is that when he got

injured from motorcross?

No, no, no, no.

He did a bad thing.

His penis became white.

He is famous for the white penis incident.

That story of the girl.

She told him how white his penis was.

It should be black, not white.

- Come on!

- You can't say that!

First, black. Second, hawk.

Third, eggplant.

First, Mt. Fuji. Second, hawk.

Third, eggplant.

What a mess.

Why are you being so crude?

- I don't know if you're educated or not.

- I don't think he is.

First, black. Second, hawk?

That's a stupid joke.

- White is no good.

- He said it went totally white.

It was so sudden, in the morning,

just totally white.

I thought it was face paint.

You guys are a bunch of morons.

In the past,

you just straddled a rope.

- Straw rope, straw rope.

- A rope.

- A rope made of straw.

- Yes, yes, yes.

- France didn't even have toilets.

- What?

France had no toilets...

No way!

They'd just poop on the street.

They'd shit outdoors?

- Which era is it?

- Not so long ago.

That can't be true

if it's not so long ago.

No way!

That doesn't seem possible.

That's why high heels

were invented.

So they don't step on shit?

Wait,

they'd still step on shit with heels.

But not so much.

- I wonder if men wore them.

- In Medieval times...

Medieval times? Medieval!

You said it was recently.

- So then were men stepping on shit?

- That's so long ago.

Okay, with high heels,

you'll step on shit, but...

So, submarines already

existed in 1933?

There were submarines.

- That's impressive.

- I wasn't alive then.

There were ones that sink

but not ones that could rise up.

It's under water forever.

I wonder how many sank.

It's under water for sure.

We all heyoo a yellow submarine!

Many went under water

and still haven't come back.

- I'm off.

- Take care. Thank you.

That's why it doesn't feel like

there is any improvement.

But there's also a lot of data

from the mining industry,

and if you look closely, you'll see that

inventories have been reorganized.

And as of October, internal controls

were put into effect.

With that in mind...

That should have a positive impact

on profit estimates.

..and that, in turn, should push the

market upward over the next two years.

That sounds like it'll have a big impact

on the Japanese economy.

The American Federal Reserve Board

will also be convening next week.

Looking at the numbers,

many people think that the conditions

for changing the zero percent

interest rate policy have been fulfilled.

It's hard to imagine the current

American inflation rate of 2%

will remain stable...

On the other hand

considering the goal of

reducing unemployment,

a closer analysis of the unemployment

data... American...5%...

Seeing all of those factors at play,

now it's even more important to...

Grandma!

- Huh?- Don't you need them?

No. I don't.

And it will be heavy

if you use that box.

You can hold them by the leaves

and take a few daikons up there.

- This is the last?

- Yeah.

These, Mai-chan, like this one,

- This bunch. Can you clean them?

- Yes.

Here we go.

When I was small...

we celebrated New Year together.

Also with all the neighbors.

- Is that right?

- Uh-huh.

- How about this year?

- You are doing well.

Next year, does everyone

come next year?

These days we don't celebrate

with neighbors much anymore.

The neighbors used to

visit each other.

We don't do that anymore.

I see.

It was fun.

Hmm.

Going to someone else's house,

and seeing their New Year decorations.

Hm.

People would let everyone sit

at the kotasu heater.

And all of us could warm our feet

under the quilt.

And we ate mandarins.

Then we would go to

the temple over there.

And hit the bell.

And then we would feel

the New Year had arrived.

By hitting the bell, "gooong."

- Are we doing it this year again?

- Yes, yes, yes.

It's next year, isn't

it? It is next year.

Next year, yes.

This daikon is also big!

Isn't it?

Yeah! It is.

Oh, if you put daikons

and their leaves together,

they'll get muddy,

can you just put the leaves in first?

Oh,

so I just have to take the daikons out?

Yes, take them out.

Before New Year's Day,

well, we'd get...

new underwear, shirts,

and socks, you know?

And on New Year's morning

we would change into them,

which made me happy.

We would change into them,

and there's the shrine you know?

We would visit there and pray.

- Mai-chan?

- Yes.

These green onions,

I'll also cook them.

These are delicious so...

Wait a minute. There is dirt so,

I'll give them a quick wash.

Have you finished?

Yes. Finished, finished.

- Thanks.

- Thank you, Mai-chan!

Thanks, thanks!

So fast. If I was alone...

Cloudy, then sunny.

A morning in Yamaga.

Before lunch, Junji-san and I

went shopping at Aspa grocery store.

Yesterday, we couldn't

harvest vegetables,

so I bought a round daikon,

a fish, tofu, vegetable, ramen, and so on.

I brought some beer to Hiromi-chan.

And I bought some beer

for Junji-san and Hiroharu-san too.

Hisa-chan gave me a big, long daikon,

so I cooked it.

Kazumi-san slipped and cut his head

while delivering the mail.

He was taken to the hospital

by an emergency taxi.

His injury wasn't bad,

but it was a scary thing.

Wow.

Incredible, incredible, incredible.

Oh, it's cold!

- It leaked!

- I thought so.

This one, this one here got wet.

Here we go.

- How about here?

- Here we go.

The weeds are growing.

- It's quite dirty!

- Quite bad, isn't it?

Thank goodness

there aren't many weeds today.

Here we go.

These stupas, we can

take them away, can't we?

I heard a monk

saying something like this.

After a few memorial services,

they normally do.

Hello!

Yes?

Oh, Takashi-san!

Long time no see. Well...

Eh, there's only half,

and I'm sorry but...

Not at all. Pretty! Sit down.

Sit down, please.

Wow, great!

They are big!

Well, I found them at a good price.

- I was hoping you were home.

- Oh! I love them. Thank you!

I also gave some to Hiro-chan.

Aha!

By the way, the other day,

we visited you about 7:30,

but it was too late, wasn't it?

- 7:30? I didn't notice.

- I see.

- I wonder what happened.

- The lights were on.

Did you ring the bell?

I did. Ding-dong,

ding-dong. I rang a few times.

I wonder what happened.

Where the washing machine is

and the entrance hall. That was locked.

Sorry, sorry. I couldn't

come in daytime.

I see.

Yes. Thank you. Really.

Tomorrow evening I'll be home.

I see. Was I outside of the house?

I wonder.

It doesn't matter.

I just wanted to see you.

Oh! There are two bells.

Did you ring both?

Yes.

Where the washing machine is.

- The one at the entrance hall.

- I rang that one once.

You don't say. When was it?

Three or four days ago?

Around that time.

It was still in November.

It was November, you know.

- Oh, November!

- November.

I see.

- It hadn't turned December yet.

- I didn't hear.

No. It's okay! Not at all.

I'm just really happy

you are well.

Well, I'm going now.

She might come back.

- Ah, of course! Sorry!

- I'm going home by car.

- By car. Are you?

- By car.

I will go there right now. You go ahead.

I'll catch up in a minute.

What?

Oh no, where have I left it?

Wait a minute.

Here I come. Here I come.

Wait a minute, Takashi-san.

Sorry.

You've done very well, Tayo-chan!

- Sorry?

- You've done very well with daikon.

Daikon!

And how about the Chinese cabbage?

They grew so big this year.

I don't know what to do.

- Everything grew big this year, huh?

- Yes!

Big. Huge daikons. This big.

Yes. Ours are monsters also.

The daikons.

Bigger than my legs.

- Yes, yes, yes.

- Do you see bowls for natto?

- Ryo too.

- There are green onions.

There they are.

- Here's your crushed natto.

- Ah, thank you.

- You prefer smaller pieces, don't you?

- This is fine...

Don't mind me.

We have a lot of food. Enjoy.

He hasn't changed much.

- He is wearing the same clothes.

- True!

I told you it was

over twenty years ago.

You are wearing

the same clothes as today.

So, I had to fight with my dad

three times, you know.

The first one was, my dad had decided

my job after high school.

The same path he took.

The same way of thinking.

But I absolutely, well,

what can I say?

I told him I wanted to go to university

and didn't listen to him.

And, well, he gave in.

But I don't like studying by nature.

It was a difficult time.

So I started studying

in my final year at the university,

but of course, I didn't pass

the accountant exam. Not easy.

I wanted three more years, that was

when I had a second fight with my dad.

So I asked him to let me study

for three more tries. Three years.

My dad and mom reluctantly

allowed me. But I had no money.

So I decided to come back here.

Zero rent and zero cost for food.

I only had to study

hard. I thought I could

get a part-time job

for the textbook fees.

So I did that.

But I got two failed marks.

One after another, and, I felt...

I can't go on like this any more.

I had to pass the exam, you know.

I had already failed twice.

So I went to Tokyo. This is the third try.

Dad said I should give up.

And it went like that. But I had said

I was going to try three times only.

I had promised.

So,

I did that. I told them I would look

after myself financially

if they let me go.

I looked for a job opening

at a newspaper delivery agency.

I hoped to find a job and something

which would let me

have a lot of spare time.

I had to study, you know.

Well, I was already twenty-five.

Oh, sorry, sorry.

I was already twenty-four.

When I saw a job for newspaper delivery,

I rang, and they said sure.

Ah! Freezing!

Close the doors!

I decided to give it

one last try.

A friend advised me that

I should go to Tokyo,

he said I'd never pass even if

I studied for 10 years in the countryside.

He was from Osaka. I thanked him.

So I decided to take a chance.

I decided to have another go.

So I went to Tokyo.

Well, I thought Kyoto was

a big city, but, really,

you can't compare it with Tokyo.

My eyes goggled! Even when I got on a

train, I thought, "What? Is this a train?"

The Chuo Line was incredible.

The newspaper shop was in Nishiogikubo.

I always went to Kanda

to study by the Chuo Line.

I was gobsmacked.

I felt what an incredible place it was!

Really.

But anyway, I had to pass the exam,

and I worked my tail-end off.

I went there just when Mishima Yukio

committed hara-kiri.

Mom, come here for a second.

No, everyone come! Now!

The thunder

is waking up the snow.

Did it hit the ground?

It didn't, right?

I'll take it off, OK?

- Forget about it.

- I'm coming, I'm coming.

And then really by chance,

by the merest margin...

I passed. I did it.

I was utterly surprised.

I had failed twice, you know.

And I thought it wasn't possible.

But luckily a good notice arrived.

Didn't think I would pass,

so on the announcement day,

if you ask me where I was,

I was in Tokyo

planning to pack up

and go back to my hometown.

But in my lodging, on the front door,

there was a note.

It said two out of ten from

the study group had passed.

Me and one other called Suwa.

The house was empty.

Nobody was there.

Others from the group had been

celebrating at Suwa's house.

I got back right before midnight,

so I took a taxi.

His place was quite far.

Kami...what was it called?

Where is Sha, Shakujii?

Ah, I see.

It's not so far?

- I don't know.

- Not far from Nishiogi. Somewhere nearby.

When I got there, everyone shouted,

'Where have you been?'

Normally I worked and then

drank every night.

Well, Tokyo, I was going to stay

for only one year.

I thought I should enjoy it.

I didn't think I would pass.

So that's what happened.

I was surprised.

One of the guys took care of me,

because I was just a country bumpkin.

I didn't know how to study.

He taught me how.

That man is in Hakata. Even still,

we went drinking two years ago.

And he came to

my wedding too, so that -

Curtis-san, Curtis-san, as I thought.

Thunder, thunder.

Mhm. Mhm.

That made my life, well,

completely drastically change.

So I still remember,

before going to Suwa's place,

I rushed to a public phone

to call my family.

Of course, everyone was asleep.

I didn't know how many times it rang.

Finally, someone answered.

It was my mother.

I'm getting teary.

I said, 'I passed.'

My mother...

was very happy.

And that made me happy.

My parents and I had to fight so much.

I feel down thinking about it.

I, who had thought

I was no good, no good,

and even started thinking

of taking a different path.

I could've continued this path here,

well, I spent three years studying

for the exam.

Somehow, you know.

I was finally on track.

But then I had to start at the bottom

and learn the ropes.

I didn't study much before that

and hadn't taken anything seriously.

So, there might be no need

to tell you about what happened

afterwards, but until then,

I was twenty-six...

Is there any tissue? No?

I'll go and get some.

Ah! It's there. Over there,

there! Behind you.

Oh!

Until then, my life was just like,

well, life can be divided in three.

Such way of thinking

is very straightforward.

Humans, from when they are born and

until they die, we can divide it in three.

From zero years-old

until about twenty-five,

we know nothing so we live through

receiving education and, well,

being helped by many people.

But when one turns twenty-five,

mentally and physically, in various ways,

is one stage of life.

And for the next twenty-five years,

until fifty years-old, here one learns

about society, experiences it,

and gains more knowledge

in many ways.

That's the stage.

And about when one turns fifty,

there is a person, a form is shaped.

So after being taken care of,

one gives back to society.

This kind of life in three.

I really like it because

it's very easy to understand.

Mind you, you don't have to divide

it like this. I don't think you must.

But, to me, if I didn't,

physically and mentally

such things, in many ways,

would not last, you know.

I, on purpose,

in my case, you know

lead my life

with this way of thinking.

So I'm not saying

this is good or bad,

but in my case

this is the way it is.

So, now I go back to the story of

my father, the strongest memory was

that I was against him all the time.

I was.

And your mother

did everything obediently.

So I couldn't thank her enough.

But I was selfish. A lot.

She was better at school than me.

But she kept it quiet.

It's incredible, really.

It might have been one way.

But if my mom insisted on

what she wanted...

Yes!

- ..she might have been able to do it.

- I wanted her to do that.

But too late now. So I don't want to

talk about it anymore.

Never again. That's it.

That's why you, Yoshiko-chan,

and your sister, you two

asserted to your parents what you wanted

to do. And I think it was very good.

I am very happy.

You both did very well.

I respect you. I do. Really.

Can I smoke? Is it ok?

Good morning.

This is the morning news.

The Ai Center Steering Committee

will present a film.

Starring Shibasaki Ko,

Maki Yoko, and Terashima Shinobu.

The film is

Su-chan, Mai-chan, Sawako-san.

It will be on Sunday,

January 25th, at 1:30pm

at the Auditorium, IT Building,

Nishibaramachi 1-chome.

Child care will be offered

for babies over six months old.

Please apply

by January 16th at 5pm.

Please inquire at 42-1101.

This announcement

is from Ai Center.

This is the end of the news.

Today is extremely cold.

The pipes are frozen, even in the house.

Around 10am., we called Shigaraji

Appliance Store, and they came to fix it.

Eventually it got fixed around lunchtime,

so I could do some washing.

In the afternoon,

the snow started to melt.

I shoved snow to the center

of the streets around the house.

That's right.

Oh my. I've gotten drunk.

Excuse me.

Ah, it's going to be

an exciting top competition.

And tomorrow will be

the kite flying competition.

- Oh.

- That's right. It'll be tough.

Ryo-kun, tomorrow,

let's go to Amanohashidate.

Hey, don't make him go that far.

- What?

- That's too much for him.

- But that's...

- Well, you...

- ..one of Japan's three famous views.

- ..you wouldn't drive that far.

- Of course I'll drive.

- You're kidding. Then you can't.

- But,

- No. Out of the question.

- It's fine.

- No. I won't allow it. If you drive…

No, no. I'll bring someone

who can drive back.

I'll only drive there.

On the way back we can eat

at this great place.

It's the drinks.

The drinks are good.

Yep. They have

really great seafood too.

- It'll be my treat.

- Thank you.

- Is it tomorrow?

- Tomorrow.

Tomorrow? Do you not have time?

You're stuck now, Ryo-kun.

Do you really not have time?

Us seniors are a

troubling bunch. Really.

Wait, why?

I can't help myself.

You're in trouble now!

Please tell him for me,

Fumiko-san.

You really are stuck. Oh,

us seniors are just...

Leave! Disappear!

I'm so drunk. I'm drunk.

Oh, no, no.

- He doesn't get it.

- No, no.

Oh, I've gotten drunk.

- What?

- I'm going out for a smoke.

Just go with him.

It's fine. Smoke with him.

Not here. Not here. Just go. Go.

Oh, just be quiet.

Yeah, I'm annoying. I'm drunk,

so I'm annoying.

Loudly, loudly,

loudly, loudly, go!

- With a loud speaker?- With a loud speaker.

'Hello neighbors,

now we are going to...'

Just like that.

- 'We are going to start, this and that.'- It definitely suits you!

It's a perfect fit.

The Fire Precautions patrol

that just passed by. I'll join them.

Right away, they will!

'Please come.'

'Ladies and gentlemen

in the Yamaga area!'

'Please be precautious

against fire.'

Could you speak

more quietly please?

No, no, no. Big, loud voice.

It has to be.

Yes, I'll get a job there.

We're often away, so I'll see

if I can work once a month.

Now in Ayabe, there is

an all-female fire brigade.

If you apply, they will

employ you straight away.

But don't I have to run?

Or carry a hose?

- No, there are many roles.

- It's too hard.

I'll have to run.

All you have to do is this,

'Waaaa!'

- Will I be okay at public relations?

- As long as you speak loudly.

Okay. Trust my loud voice.

Fine, fine.

Having a loud voice is

the one good thing about me.

You will be fine, Fumiko-san.

What? What, what?

Anywhere you go, in each place,

you adapt. You'll be fine.

Well, my big voice...

Oh, yeah!

Lately, I was at the movies.

The person next to me shouted, 'Aaaah!'

I wondered who it was.

I looked over...and it's my wife!

Who'd have thought?

I was in shock.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay!

Enough, enough, enough!

And this road wasn't asphalt yet.

It was gravel.

So when a car passed,

a lot of grit flew up.

The tatami mats, even in this room

sometimes, were sandy.

I'd sweep all of it.

We had no vacuum, so I swept,

and this corridor was like this,

but we didn't have doors outside.

In those days, it was all open.

We would open in the morning

and close in the evening.

I would sweep it all clean

and prepare for dinner.

I'd wait until my parents

would come home.

Then, when they came home,

they used to be very happy.

Every day, 'What is it today?'

For dinner, you know.

'What did you cook today?'

And, 'Oh, the bath is ready!'

Because I would clean

so thoroughly,

the elderly neighbors

used to come to see it

and say, 'It's so clean!'

So I wanted to see

my parents' happy faces.

Since I was about nine,

I gradually began to feel this way.

When I was still in primary school,

your great-grandpa,

my father, said,

'Once you graduate

from high school,

you should go to a trade school

for Japanese dressmaking,

in order to become

a kimono-making expert.'

Mhm.

I didn't know whether I would

like it or not. I said, 'Well, that's ok.'

Pretty carelessly, actually.

So I agreed to go.

But when I moved on

to junior high school,

school life was so much fun!

I made friends and did new things.

It was fun.

Music was particularly special to me,

trying choir and other things.

I especially liked piano

and wanted to pursue it professionally.

But in order to

go down that path,

I would need to go to

a music conservatory.

So I went home and told them,

but the answer was 'no'.

Ever since I was little,

seeing my parents' smiling faces

made me feel happy.

I'd always been thinking that way.

So when my family

opposed me that much,

I didn't have the courage to insist.

And, well, as I was told,

I took the path my parents suggested,

but I didn't like it very much.

Then Hiroharu-san said,

'No, I want to do this.'

And he went to university.

Really, I was envious,

I felt so.

But my parents thought

girls didn't need to go to university.

Things like being able to

sew kimono or cook, that is enough.

It seems that was their opinion,

well, so,

I was angry, well, angry at myself.

Why didn't I keep my will

and tell them?

I've regretted it.

But, Hiroharu-san

went to university that way,

and I was very envious, yes.

I went to Nisseki Hospital

for Junji-san's check up.

We left home at 9am

for a 10:30 appointment.

He had a blood test

and a medical examination.

His results haven't improved,

so I was a little disappointed.

But the body is honest.

He was eating too many rice crackers,

bananas, and cookies,

and I think that's why he got this result.

We have to be careful.

On the way home, I went to Otesuji shop

and bought some vegetables and so on.

Where has yesterday's warm weather gone?

It's very cold.

It's my grandmother's

death anniversary.

In the morning,

I visited her grave in the rain.

Haruna-chan called to let me know

that she received the parcel.

I got to hear Noriyuki and Shin-chan's

voices. They were happy about the parcel.

Hiromi-san called around 3pm.,

and Junji-san

visited him with

a beer in his hand.

I cleaned the house

while he was gone.

Later in the afternoon, Sawako-san called

and also invited me over,

but Hiroharu-san might come home,

so I declined the offer.

I thought about picking up

Junji-san around 9pm.,

but Sawako-san gave him a lift.

I was annoyed that he still can't

make his own decisions.

It seemed to be good weather this morning.

It made me happy.

Hiroharu-san took the bus at 8am.

Misue-chan dropped by at 8:10.

Now what?

HOUSE

HORSE

Since I was a child, I always

liked the smell of the fridge.

- Really?

- Of this house.

Some rain in the morning.

It was my shift for the garbage.

I went to Hiromi-san's

and Hisa-chan's houses.

Hisa-chan's mother had become

much weaker.

It reminded me of my mother.

I teared up.

At night,

I was thinking about my mother

again,

and it was difficult to fall asleep.

I am Saito Shingo! Saito! Saito!

Vote for Saito from

the Japan Communist Party!

I woke up at 5:30am

and went to the

allotment around 6:00

to do some farm work.

I went home at 8am., and Sawako-san

came by to bring me the newsletter.

Junji-san woke up.

He went out to pick bamboo shoots.

There were a lot, so we dug up many.

We brought some

to Hisa-chan and Sawako-san.

In the afternoon, I sent bamboo shoots

to Noriyuki, Yoshiko, and Amino.

I went to Hiromi-chan's around 5:30pm

and got home around 8:30.

There is no taste to it.

Around December,

in the winter...

Yeah, that's best.

In mid-December.

- I see.

- Yeah.

What if you keep it

and eat it in the next year?

- If you keep 'em, it's no good.

- No?

Straight from nature is best.

I used to buy the big ones.

- Yeah.

- That's no good.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- So wild ones are best.

- That's right.

And to keep 'em,

you have to have such a big place.

To let 'em run loose, you've gotta have

a place that costs around ¥100 million.

- Good morning.

- Oh, good morning!

Did you sleep well last night?

Not so well.

- Shall we take it?

- Not at all.

Hold on a second.

- Here we go.

- Here we go.

It didn't stick in?

A bit too low.

A little bit higher, yeah.

This time it went in.

We did it!

- That was fast, right?

- Hmm, yeah.

White 12-14.

Black 12-13. Connection.

Same here.

It's slightly better to cut in this case.

Now, if he can't do anything,

it's the correct move to hold it here.

But he can still move,

so it's better that he attack right there.

White 5-9. Cut.

He can try atekomi,

if that's the level...

- Here, it's atekomi, and he could ascend.

- Black 2-8.

White 2-9.

- Black 1-8.

- 5, 6.

White 1-9.

- Black 1-7. Connection.

- 10 seconds...

White 7-10.

Black 7-9. Connection.

White 14-13 and...

Black 14-12.

- White 5-6.

- 3, 4.

Black 5-5.

White 4-5. Cut.

Black 11-5.

From here,

he should remain in command.

White 10-6.

Black 9-5. Connection.

White 9-7. Cut.

It was my mother's death anniversary,

so I woke up at 5:10am

and cooked barazushi.

I made a visit to the grave.

Yesterday, there were

many peonies blooming,

so I cut some for the altar

and the house entrance,

and I brought some to the grave.

After breakfast, Sawako-san brought

the newsletter. We talked for an hour.

In the morning, I went to

the bottom of the field and cut weeds.

Junji-san's been fatigued.

I was concerned, so he rested at home.

In the afternoon, we went to the field

and worked in the bamboo grove.

We cut bamboo,

carried them, and got tired.

I cut more than 10,

so my legs and back were very tired.

At night, I took a bath

and had a good rest.

I don't think it's possible.

But, you know...

At my office,

all the bank books are checked, so...

If unknown money

was taken out...well...

But we don't know

what people do.

That's true.

When someone has no money, they might

want to use it even when it's not theirs.

- The world is like that, isn't it?

- Yes, and...

When someone has money,

they'll behave. But when they don't...

- Someone might say he just borrowed it.

- That happens.

Anyway, as long as

it won't get to be a big problem.

I guess we all wipe

each other's asses.

Yeah, yeah.

Now, by listening to you,

now I'm worried.

I wonder if it's ok.

- I talked too much.

- No. I'll contact you soon.

I'll be in touch.

Okay then.

- Look after yourself.

- Eh, I'll try not to die.

Ha! You look well. You do.

When you die, Hiroharu, you'll have

a funeral with only your family left.

- Okay then. Thank you.

- Likewise. Take care.

- Sorry for bothering you.

- Not at all.

Junji-san's condition seemed pretty good.

He woke up at 6:30am.

Misue-chan came by at around 7:20am

and gave us tea and onions.

After breakfast, Shi-chan called me,

so I asked her about her health.

She had a strained back.

At 9:30am., Junji-san and I

went to the shops in Ayabe.

In the afternoon,

I sent rice and vegetables to

Hiroharu, Noriyuki, Yoshiko,

and Yamamoto-san.

Sawako-san came by to give us

some bean-jam cakes.

I heard it won't rain anymore.

I drank as I was told,

by his pointed glance.

When he squeezed me tight,

it felt right.

A meeting of chance,

became a clever dance.

I knew it wasn't right,

but it was love at first sight.

It's a soap opera.

Women's, women's lives.

One teaches you about the lie.

One loves you till you sigh.

Then that same love true,

messes around with you.

And another woman

is left alone and blue.

It's a soap opera.

Women's, women's lives.

I bloomed, withered,

and was thrown away.

I was met and was left,

and now dismay.

I held on compassionately.

And the compassion killed me.

It's a soap opera.

Women's, women's lives.

Thank you very much!

He'd already got a job,

but Dad was called up again in 1943.

- During the Second World War?

- Yes, yes.

So he had to go again.

He was sent to Iwo Jima.

I don't want to say

it's not fair, but...

I don't remember

how many regiments were sent.

My grandpa... he'd been to war...

and my mom and the neighbors,

they all tried to boost his spirits.

My father told me this.

He went to the south of China.

Then to the Pacific.

When he was there, he got a high fever.

It was malaria.

He was bedridden.

So then he wasn't able to fight.

He was suffering from such a fever

that he couldn't fight.

But then in a dream he was told,

'In the morning, you'll find an eggplant

flower. Go get that flower, and drink it.'

So he went out next day,

and sure enough he found it.

There it was.

I can't believe it.

He drank the flower in his tea

as he was told.

And his fever began to go down.

It made him well enough to live

but not well enough to fight.

He just couldn't recover

from it completely,

and the fighting on the front line

was getting worse and worse.

- The front line?

- Yes, yes, yes.

When they moved out to the line three

days later, my dad was still bedridden.

He was not well enough and was told,

'You cannot come along.'

So he didn't go.

He was lucky really.

He can't be thankful enough for that.

My father always said that.

'I am alive now because of

that eggplant flower.'

His return from the war

was hard.

The family thought he'd died.

But one day he just came walking

down the road in his uniform.

He wanted a happy greeting but learned

straight away that his dad had died.

- Before the end of the war?

- Yes.

So my dad unpacked his backpack

and decided to go to see his dad.

The neighbors welcomed him back,

and they went together to Grandad's grave.

Grandad was buried

in the graveyard.

- Was he in a coffin?

- Yes, yes.

What kind of coffin was it

in those days?

It was kind of a round shape.

My grandad was buried

in a sitting position in the earth.

Then people prepared

lanterns and...

- Hoes?

- Yeah, yeah.

Maybe it's called a hoe.

They got hoes to dig up the ground.

My dad wanted to

see his dad as soon as

possible,

so they dug up the ground together.

Wait, they dug him up?

Yeah! I was shocked.

I'd never heard such a story.

Me neither!

My dad found Grandad

sitting there.

My father told him,

'Dad, I came back from the war.'

Well, what can I say, they put the soil

back and covered up the body as before.

Had he passed away

a year before that?

Yes! He'd died

more than one year before.

Even so, they dug him up.

He told me that several times.

I wonder if he was clean.

Ah, yeah, everyone said

he must have waited for my dad.

Because the neighbors said

his body was in good condition.

The people who

dug him up said so.

Then my dad felt he was back home.

It was good fortune.

Unfortunately, Grandad's death

couldn't be helped.

So it was right when he got back

that he found out?

Yes.

My dad just couldn't accept

not saying goodbye.

It was great for my dad to tell Grandad,

'Dad,

I am back.' Even though

he was in the grave.

- It shows he really felt for his dad.

- Yeah, yes, yes.

My dad said so all the time.

- Wow, that's some story, isn't it?

- Well, thank you.

Even for me it's an incredible story.

If I can say so.

Really?

You grilled a lot.

Are they ready?

They're almost ready.

This is alright, isn't it?

Alright.

This one is grilled too much.

You grilled the head too,

didn't you?

I thought I would

eat this separately.

- It's unusual.

- Huh?

It's unusual for you

to eat the head.

- Yeah, sure I do.

- Oh really?

I'll put them separately.

Nobody will eat it.

Junji-san's an expert

with the heads.

Ah! One fell. What should I do?

It fell down there, only one.

Here.

It's hot, isn't it? It's hot.

No, no, it's fine.

Although...

It didn't fall!

Is that a picture of a fish?

- Seriously? No. It fell.

- It did? Oh. Anyway...

Should be hot.

And it took a whole day.

Fishing is really hard to do.

Did you get up

early in the morning?

You know,

there were no cars in those days.

- Ah.

- We had to walk to Yamaga Station.

Yamaga Station is the

nearest station, isn't it?

Yeah.

In those days, you know,

it was all coal.

Steam train?

We went on the steam

train and passed Maizuru.

- It sounded nice.

- Toward Fukui...

or changed line towards Miyazu.

We went to that area.

We'd prepare the bait in the morning

and leave the house before noon.

And it would be about 4pm

when we'd arrive.

Then we had

to prepare after that.

It took the whole day.

Then we went fishing at night.

- Fishing at night?

- Yeah, night fishing.

We started fishing

in the evening.

I'd feel sleepy,

so we'd sleep a bit.

Just a nap. And then we

started fishing early in the morning.

- We did that again and again.

- OK.

It was very, very hard. Rustic.

But one day,

we didn't get skunked,

but we got almost no fish.

- You and I had a similar day before.

- No! That was a literal skunking!

- Totally skunked.

- Yeah, yeah.

That was a shut out.

- That was bad.

- We didn't catch any fish.

That was really bad.

Anyway, if we were lucky,

we caught four or five times

as many fish as we could eat.

Well, we went home

with these fish.

- We came back here around noon.

- Oh, I see.

It took 4 or 5 hours

to come home.

Then we cooked all the fish.

And my dad started drinking sake.

I couldn't drink sake.

I just got sleepy.

And my dad would get dozy.

Our dinner would be

such delicious sea bream,

which was about this big,

quite a big size.

Black sea bream.

Do you know this fish?

I didn't listen to Okabayashi Nobuyasu

so much when I was a kid.

I listened to music like

Yoshida Takuro and Inoue Yosui.

Aha.

I remember the time

Okabayashi Nobuyasu was singing.

I don't remember

he was on TV often.

After being famous

as the 'God of Folk Music,'

he quit his career and started

living in the countryside.

He came to live

in my childhood village.

- Really?!

- Yes.

In Kanbayashi. Then...

How do you write Kanbayashi?

- Ue and hayashi.

- Kanbayashi...I took a bus today,

it was headed to Kanbayashi.

Yeah. Farther than that stop.

What is the last stop called?

Is it Sasao?

Well, it's farther than that.

- He lived there.

- He was there.

I heard he lived somewhere

in these mountains!

- This is the place!

- Yeah.

I can't remember which year.

But our primary school

was closed down,

and since he had lived nearby,

he came back

to hold a concert there.

Someone asked him,

'Okabayashi-san,

we will open a new school.

Could you write a song

for our new school?'

- And he wrote the school a song.

- Wow!

It's an amazing story.

Okabayashi Nobuyasu came

and wrote the school a song.

What I knew about him was

he moved somewhere

in the mountains in Kyoto.

Around that time.

I didn't know where he lived.

Somewhere in Kyoto Prefecture.

I just knew he lived

in a mountain area.

Oh, I see, I see.

- He lived in Kanbayashi.

- Kanbayashi, Kanbayashi.

He was our neighbor.

And then he wrote the song

for Misora Hibari.

Her last song,

or something like that.

Ah, I see. Wow.

And,

he wrote a song

about this place.

It was a funny song.

- Is he very famous around here?

- Yes, yes.

I see.

We talked about

Okabayashi Nobuyasu just now.

Did he live around here, right?

Yes, yes, yes. For a good while.

- Kagawa-san, I am quite drunk.

- Me too.

The bottle is empty.

How about pouring tea

in the empty Hakushu bottle?

I'll make it.

No. I don't need it. No,

no, no, no. No problem.

- I want to go pee anyway.

- Of course you can,

but I don't need to have tea.

Well, Kagawa-san

what do you think?

Shall we call it a night?

You are asking him?

I heard Curtis snoring.

You know, I've heard

the sound for a while.

I saw someone was

sleeping very well.

I wondered what the sound was.

Good weather. After breakfast,

I went to the mountain to cut grass.

There was only a little grass,

so the work finished early.

I took a long break after lunch.

Junji-san went to the mountain after lunch

to prune maple trees.

I was so pleased that

he could move around well.

I called Hisa-chan before dinner

and asked how her vegetables are doing.

At night, there was a volleyball game

against Peru. Japan won 3-0.

So...

Can you try to describe it,

this something you're feeling?

Recently, my heart beats fast

and not quite...I'm just not feeling well.

This is the photo

we took just now...

That's the spine.

Then there, that's swollen. See?

That's called an aneurysm.

It's a bulge on the aorta.

So, please.

And this is a very...

a frightening illness.

It's because suddenly, you know,

it bursts and causes

major bleeding.

And then usually

one loses one's life.

It's a frightening

illness like this.

So, well, fortunately

we found it in good time.

But then we still don't

clearly know the cause.

People say various things.

Inflammation of the blood vessels,

high blood pressure,

tension, but...

we don't know the clear cause.

So there's nothing preventative

we can do in our daily lives.

But...

this one may well

be cured completely.

Oh, is that right?

But still, I'll refer you to

an appropriate hospital.

And there, well, I think probably

you will have an operation.

You will be treated.

- So, I will write a reference letter.

- Thank you very much.

The Maizuru Kyousai Hospital is well-known

for treatment of the vascular system.

- Is that right?

- I've written a letter to them.

Yes.

- Please give this to the receptionist.

- Yes? Thank you very much.

Well, doctor,

if he has an operation...

Be assured, it will likely

be cured if you act on it now.

Thank you.

In that sense, it's a blessing in

disguise. I think it's been found in time.

Ah, yes.

So, mind you, don't hesitate.

Go and straight away.

- Even tomorrow you should go.

- I understand.

- Well then, take care.

- Yes. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you.

- Please take care.

Good weather, cold morning.

Flowers were delivered.

It was Mother's Day,

so Yoshiko's family

sent them from Tokyo.

I was happy.

We decided to eat out.

So we ate at Sakura Diner.

We walked back home slowly.

Junji-san's legs were not great,

so it was already 3pm when we got home.

Later in the afternoon, Tokyo Story

was playing on TV, so I watched it.

As I watched the film,

it made me feel that

it's sad to get old in any period of time.

At the end of the day, it's one's

own feelings that remain and matter.

But the heart becomes timid. And it

can't be helped that bodies get worn out.

I brought you a cup of tea, dear.

How are you doing?

Still not well, are you?

You should eat something.

I brought you tea.

- Would you like some?

- Thank you.

It's better if you could

eat something.

- Is there anything you'd like to eat?

- I don't need anything now.

- Have a good rest, please.

- Okay.

It hasn't rained at all.

Have you fished

since you were a kid?

Hm?

Have you fished

since you were a kid?

Well, you know, there was

nothing else to do here.

Either going into the mountains

or down to the river.

As you can see.

That's all we had. Or baseball.

Around here…today...

down that way.

I had grilled ayu.

Huh?

At the restaurant called

something like Yutori.

Near the river.

Yurari?

Ah, it might be Yurari. Yurari!

- Yurari, isn't it? On the river.

- Yeah.

- I see. So you went there. Yesterday?

- All of us went there today.

- Oh, for lunch?

- Yes.

I see.

So I thought you could

catch ayu around here.

Yeah, well, there was a lot of

quite good fishing.

Is there?

It's a nationally

famous ayu place.

This river is also well-known.

This is called

the Kanbayashi River.

For ayu?

Yes, that's right.

It was nationally famous.

Though there's no ayu anymore.

Because of the environment now.

- Ah.

- We used to catch ayu a lot.

Are there any if I go upstream?

It's...how do I say?

Destruction of the ecosystem.

Ayu eats algae, you know.

Which sticks to rocks.

Ayu eats that.

So if the algae doesn't live...

No matter how many ayu

you release into the river,

there's no food for them,

you know?

They went to the upper stream

because there was still good stuff to eat.

But now there are none.

- None?

- Are there?

- Hm.

- There aren't, are there?

- No.

- None.

Therefore...

Well, even in this village

there was this man

who caught a lot of ayu

and sold them to nice restaurants.

He says he doesn't do that anymore.

There's no point in trying.

It's a delicate thing like that.

Living creatures.

The ones in the supermarket said

they were caught in Tokushima Prefecture.

Yep.

Is it those you use?

Well...those fishing rods

there are for beginners.

For aji, we catch it

with a sabiki hook like this.

Small aji. Like this.

- And also kisu.

- I see.

To catch kisu, you'd cast a line

with a long leader.

And also...

I think trout must be coming.

That's about it.

Well, if you want to go,

I will take you.

- Sure.

- But let's check the weather first.

...don't you miss work?

Well, I wanted to retire at sixty-five,

so not at all. I'm fine.

No problem.

But it's a pity. It's been already a year

since my junior took over my post, but…

- Yeah?

- ..what I thought back then,

was to play golf more,

for example.

But for the past year,

I wasn't up to it.

Is that right?

- Do you play golf?

- No, I don't.

I've lost all my interest in golf.

You know?

Then what are you

interested in nowadays?

Well, hm.

It might sound rather serious, but

you know, I used to read a lot, randomly.

- Oh really?

- I have books that I want to re-read.

- For example who?

- Seicho, my favorite.

Is that right?

- His books are great.

- Mhm.

- And Shiba Ryotaro, among others.

- Ah.

Seicho is number one.

I went to see a lot of his films.

- The other day...

- Hi, sorry...

- Would you mind?

- Oh.

- Is it ok?

- Fine, fine.

- Okay? Thank you.

- Health... Just your health.

I don't have anything else to do

tonight, do I? Just eat and sleep?

- Well, nothing really.

- If there was anything, I'd say no.

'No, sorry.'

A while back,

I was recommended to read

Seicho's

The Legend of the Ogura-Diary.

Really? He was in Kyushu.

When he was a journalist.

- That's right.

- In Hakata.

- Kokura-Diary. Isn't it?

- Ah, Kokura.

Well, I read the Kokura-Diary.

It was quite fun to read.

Well…

- He was, how should I say?

- For you, young man.

He was quite a socialist,

wasn't he?

- Yes, and that is also...

- Though he often hid it.

He coolly and thoroughly

researched.

It is about the diary

which Mori Ogai wrote

when he lived in Kokura.

But Seicho says that

no evidence remains.

So it's not like

his detective stories.

- I see.

- Even so it was fun.

There's, you know,

no way, in the end.

- In the end...I think so.

- I didn't know that.

That's right. Honestly.

Yeah.

- We can't see the top of the mountain.

- Yeah.

- So, covered like mist. Right?

- Yes, yes.

- It's because it's hot.

- Oh yeah?

Look!

Yeah.

- Once a baby is born, you know.

- Yes.

Then it naturally brings the baby

back to the mountain.

Wow!

I woke up at 5:20am.

So I got up to do some laundry.

We called a taxi

to pick us up at 9:10.

We went to Nisseki Hospital

for Junji-san's appointment.

It finished around 12pm.

The result was unexpectedly good.

The levels have gone down.

The doctor said that was good news,

so I was relieved.

You weren't meant to be working

this time. I'm so sorry.

- No problem.

- I should've told them not to bother you.

It was a lot last year too.

You shouldn't do both jobs.

You have to take

care of yourself.

- Thank you so much.

- Both jobs...

She and I can handle it.

- Well, that elderly lady is also tough.

- Yes, she is doing well.

Was this road always this wide?

No, it was narrower.

But the monk bought a car,

so they widened it.

Yes.

They're eating this moss

that we've been sitting on.

- The algae.

- The algae.

What?

Oh, they all have... don't look!

When you were small...

Huh?

When you were small,

did you swim a lot?

Back then, I was fearless.

So I jumped from these rocks.

But when she was little,

she was fearless.

She was like, yeah.

I would have done it.

I would float back up and then

go straight back up on the rock.

Yeah.

Floating and everything.

Yeah. Don't drink it!

- Are you taking that?

- Yep!

What is it?

I'm making a boat.

You're making a boat?

Yep.

No! No!

You'll need to have a mast.

Yeah.

What about now?

I don't know anything about

what they do here.

Yeah, sometimes they leave early

in the morning and come back late.

- Can I borrow that?

- Here you are.

One sec.

That's my special lighter.

- It's the latest lighter.

- I see.

The latest lighter!

You can use it

even when it's windy.

- I see.

- I see.

I've only seen these in Kyoto.

Very very good.

At Goro Bridge,

over there, you know,

under there,

in the early evening and at dawn,

it's shallow water

with pebbles underneath.

Carp are gathering there.

To eat.

Slowly swimming. They don't go quickly.

Really slowly.

Someone said he saw

quite a big one about this size.

Something from the bridge,

something very big.

- It's either a bee carp or a heaven carp.

- Hmm…

- One meter. Is there such a carp?

- There is.

- Is there? Do you know there is?

- There is.

- Carp are quite big.

- Nobody catches them.

I see.

Once, around this time of year,

Junichi-san was watching from his house,

and there was a carp.

He got changed and went in after it.

He said, 'Ugh!'

So I said, 'What?'

He said he got a carp.

In the dark.

He asked me to gut it,

so I asked, 'What for?'

He was going to eat it.

Impossible. There weren't enough people.

So he said he was going to

bring some to Yamasaki-san.

So you boil it.

- I see.

- If not, it's too smelly to eat.

He was gonna eat it.

- If it was dead, then no way.

- No way.

Yeah. If it's alive,

you put it in water for a week

and get rid of the mud.

- Oh, I see, like that.

- If not…

Of course.

If not, what can you do?

- It's big.

- Big, yes.

Its bones are thicker

than one centimeter.

Nails, like nails.

That's right. That long.

They are all linked.

He deep-fries it

and eats it with beer.

- It's European-style.

- I see.

He let me try some once.

He'd be nice to you, Hiroharu-san.

By serving beer.

You can catch a carp and tell him,

'I'll give you the bones.'

I'll eat the meat

and give you the skin.

Miso soup with carp

might be okay.

Hello, Grandma.

How are you? I'm fine.

Yeah.

Yes, really well!

Well, I actually only

watched one this time.

I hadn't slept that much before,

so I slept almost the whole way.

Yeah, almost too hot.

You wouldn't be able

to say that here.

It's about 16 celsius here,

so it's not warm at all.

Elin and Marcus are walking

with me to the jetty.

Yes. Really a lot.

It's been raining

so much that you're...

One could say...

Not so. But...

Yes, it is.

That's nice.

Yes.

But in that case,

I don't want to disturb you.

Yes, let's do that.

Send my love to everyone.

Yes, you too.

So long.

Bye.

It's not so hot.

Ah, it fell!

- All done.

- All done.

It was my garbage shift. It took

longer than usual, so I finished at 10am.

Then I got ready

for a visit to the grave in Ayabe.

But Junji-san's condition was not good,

so we went to a private hospital in Ayabe.

His stomach was bloated.

It had accumulated urine.

A tube was inserted

to let the urine out.

We were told to see the doctor

at Nisseki Hospital.

Good morning!

- Pardon the intrusion!

- Oh, thank you!

I've brought rice.

It's so kind of you.

Thank you very much.

- Here you are.

- Five kilos. Two bags.

Enjoy.

- I put them in bags. Nylon ones.

- Thank you very much. Thanks.

You eat boar meat

with edamame, right?

Would you like some?

That person bitten by the viper,

was he okay?

Well, the other day he left.

- He was in the hospital for one month.

- One month!

Maybe just under a month.

He was there a long time

and was just discharged.

- I see.

- His leg is still swollen.

Is that right?

I heard from him later that

the poison went around his body.

So he has to be checked

for at least one year.

Vipers are frightening,

aren't they?

- For one year!

- He said one year.

Well, he probably had to have serum.

That's right.

He lives mostly in Nagoya.

In Nagoya, he has a wife

and a daughter who's married.

She might have children.

I wonder if he has grandchildren now.

When he told them

he couldn't come home for a while,

they said it was okay.

He wasn't sure whether

to be happy or sad.

He said so.

He was told, 'It's alright.'

The Tohoku accent was thick,

and in order to fix that,

the Yoshiwara dialect

became popular.

But you can't really

understand it straight away.

Back then, for people like me,

if you couldn't do

the big three things...

drink, gamble, and buy sex...

you were useless.

Of course,

there's no one doing that now.

We all did that

after graduating from college.

This one's my favorite.

I like this horse.

I do too.

So, Nils-kun, you know,

in the past, houses had open doorways.

Open the door.

So the birds came in freely.

But all the swallows

including the baby ones

would go round and round

in the center of the room.

So the tatami mats got dirty.

So at one point

my old man put a stop to it

and said to let them

nest outside.

This is the story.

Even so, they still came.

The swallows from the past,

they remembered.

They tried to come in,

and 'bang',

they hit the glass.

He felt sorry

and cut the corner of the glass.

- So they could fly through.

- Oh, I see. So the glass...

Yes, he cut the glass.

Cut.

It rained since morning.

I think it'll help ease our bodies a bit.

Lots of laundry to do.

I also need to go shopping,

but my body isn't working as I want.

Junji-san isn't well.

I think it's partly because of anemia,

though I'm also concerned that

he hasn't got his usual appetite.

Remember we'd cook persimmons

soaked in shochu? They were so tasty.

I learned it from those neighbors,

so I'd do that.

And we planted a lot of flowers too.

We had more land back then.

It started so happily,

surrounded by nature.

Yes, it did.

Truth be told,

we did also fight sometimes.

Thinking back, sometimes

I'm not even sure why I was so angry.

But it felt serious for us then.

We were also young

and would get angry at each other.

Once you slept in the garage

because you were angry.

- Didn't you?

- Yeah, I sure did.

We've been through a lot

together.

Those days were… well…

Thinking back,

they were the hardest. I feel.

Looking back on it,

but then, we were young too,

there was a lot

that we didn't know.

We were groping in the dark.

And then the girls grew,

and…well…

both of us worked very hard.

Didn't we?

- I made you worry. Hm?

- Yes, it's true, but...

Really, really.

You did your best.

You did a lot of work.

It was good. Really.

I'm filled with gratitude.

When we just got married, as we

were brought up in different families,

I didn't understand your feelings.

Everything was different.

Both of us were stubborn.

So I questioned a lot.

But after having spent

a long time together,

I feel that I was destined

to marry you.

You've always been

a man of few words,

or rather you were quiet,

you are quiet…

but little by little

I understood your feelings…

the warmth you have.

I really felt so.

You are like a samurai.

You don't say much.

But I understand you very well.

You've often thanked us.

But I'm always

grateful to you too.

But here...

You wanted to come here, to Tenryuji,

I'm glad we did today.

Since you so like the gardens,

I'm glad you could see them,

really.

Thank you. I'm glad too.

It looks like

the trees are speaking.

It really does.

Dear?

My dear?

Are you not feeling well?

You are sleeping well.

It's been very hot today. Very.

Everyday it's hot.

It's good that you sleep well.

Tayoko?

Tayoko?

Tayoko?

Ah, yes, that's hollow, isn't it?

White 10-4. Black 9-6.

There were a lot of white moved here, and

based off this, white will probably win.

White 13-19.

I also think white generally had

the better formation in the beginning.

- I see.

- Where is...

Black 15-16. White 13-1.

After 246 moves, Terayama Rei 4-dan,

playing black, wins by 0.5 points.

What time are you leaving?

Well, can I still take

the 7:56 bus?

- Yeah? The bus?

- The bus.

It's about half past, isn't it?

- It's already 34.

- Around that, isn't it?

- Yeah.

- I think I can.

- Without eating breakfast?

- Oh, I don't need any.

Yeah?

People kept the old trees

planted around the 17th century.

Those ones are centuries old.

We don't have such old ones.

- Wow, 300 years old.

- 300 years is long.

The diameter is about one meter.

Then it's categorized as

a fine tree, and it sells well.

Trees in the mountains

take many years.

But vegetable and rice fields

grow well in several months.

You can't do that in forestry.

But after cutting,

you have to plant again, don't you?

Suppose we cut

all the trees in this mountain,

we would have to plant again.

Then you have to look after them

for 30 to 50 years.

Trimming, rescuing from snow.

Trimming takes 5 to 10 years.

Supporting branches

and thinning out.

You have to keep doing that.

It takes a lot of trouble.

So you're not planting

them yourself anymore?

Not anymore.

I'd also need to make charcoal.

- Too much work. So I don't do it anymore.

- I see.

If you do, around there...

If you cut living ones,

the buds come out,

- but the dried ones won't bud anymore.

- No?

They live 50 or 60 years.

They die from natural causes.

- Is that right?

- Only if they cut them earlier,

I wish they did.

Once they die,

they won't come back.

Then the mountains will die.

Of course they will.

Today I worked hard

to get at least mine.

And I cut some small ones too.

I made charcoal

and used the fibers.

If one doesn't care for them,

the mountains will come down.

Tayo-chan!

Tayo-chan!

- Oh!

- Good afternoon!

Hello.

- We don't see this often.

- Eh?

- I want you to eat it.

- Oh, thank you!

I'm happy to.

- Please. Please.

- Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- Not at all.

- You went to pick them, didn't you?

- Yes.

- Really…

- So here you are.

- Thank you.

- Please try it, please.

- Thank you very much.

- Goodbye.

Thank you always.

- Thank you very much. Goodbye.

- Thank you very much.

I couldn't sleep well last night.

Maybe because I took a long nap.

Sorry. One second.

We went back to Kyoto

and went to the hospital in the afternoon.

Apparently Junji-san's kidney

is getting poor.

The doctor let urine out again

using a tube.

We went home and made a bed for Junji-san.

He had some rest.

- It won't be too bad if these are taken.

- Yes.

- White is safely connected.

- So if he plays here...

while keeping the initiative, and slides

in here, that'd be the normal approach.

That's right.

- He's attacking again.

- White 11-12. Cut.

- That's the most forceful move.

- Definitely. He's not letting up.

Exactly.

And if black escapes,

he'll just hit it on the head again.

- Yes.

- It's like...

That's really aggressive.

Black will have to retreat again.

- 3, 4, 5.

- Ah, I see. That's a really harsh move.

Black 10-12.

- Will he escape? He may leave it.

- Twenty seconds.

With this formation,

he could hit it on the head.

And move in from the outside.

- He should try to join up.

- Or leave it as is.

10 seconds.

I'd like to see them

make something happen here.

Yep.

Foul.

Tokaidai Sagami High School

has been consistent.

They've had too many

go down swinging.

But they've been good at

turning grounders into hits.

It's a high fly ball...

to right field!

Right! Bouncing off the wall!

He's got it!

The captain, Sasaki Touya!

A great catch!

One-out. Nobody on.

- What a great catch!

- Number 1. Pitcher. Ogasawara.

If it didn't swerve,

it could've been a long hit.

That's true.

- The pitcher's grateful for that play.

- Yeah. It was a great catch.

They got rid of the leadoff hitter.

They can smile about that. Sato...

If there're no more questions,

I'll be ending today's meeting.

Thanks for your time,

everyone. Good job.

Thank you.

By the way,

another person was bitten by a viper.

Be careful, always.

- Okuno-san was the one who got bitten.

- Who?

- Sadao-san.

- Sadao! Ah?! My gosh.

Right when he was

getting out of his car.

I can't believe it.

- Right there?

- Yeah, in that wide space.

They come out at

night in this neighborhood.

That's scary. I was

surprised to hear it.

It seems like they're

all over the place these days.

You have to conceal your heat. When

they see something warm, they jump out.

You'll get bitten!

There was a person who

got bitten through his rain boots.

- Through the boots?

- Yeah.

When Sadao-san went,

all five of them had

boots. Of course he's

the one to get bitten.

Can't do anything about it.

- Sadao-chan went alone.

- To the hospital?

He drove himself.

- He was fine.

- No, he said it was very hard.

Even if it was hard,

he was fine.

Of course he could do it.

He was desperate.

It mostly settles down

within 24 hours.

- Really?

- If you treat it quickly.

Is that so?

Well, at least that's

what I heard. I don't know.

Shall we dismiss then?

- Thank you, everyone, for coming.

- Thank you.

- Your life can end while working.

- Yes, it's really frightening.

Oh, thank you, thank you.

After you.

Today is good weather again.

Every day, I've been drying

the futon and sheets in the sun.

Thank goodness the tube

was finally removed from Junji-san.

His blood pressure was better, but

I think his energy level is a bit lower.

- Good afternoon.

- Hello.

- Here. I brought some vegetables.

- Wow! Thank you as always.

- Here you go.

- Thank you, thank you! This looks great!

- Thank you so much.

- There are cucumbers on the bottom.

Is that so? Thanks again.

One sec. One sec.

Fumiko-san brought

kinshi squash for me to try.

Oh, they grew some?

- Oh, potatoes.

- That's right. Potatoes.

- You might want some, so I brought them.

- Thank you.

- These are some beautiful cucumbers.

- The season's almost over.

Thank you,

I'll give this back to you.

Thanks a lot.

Please try some.

Sorry for just receiving.

I'll give to you soon.

- No, no. Not at all.

- Thank you so much.

- Ok, then.

- Thank you, thank you.

It's such good weather.

Sunny. Feels good too.

Yes, it's wonderful.

It was delicious. Everyone asked for it.

And it was icy cold too!

- Was it red?

- It was red.

- Yeah? I'm glad.

- It was delicious. Very sweet.

The one I cut yesterday

wasn't red, so...

I see. It was delicious. Really.

- Everyone was happy. It was good.

- Is that right?

- It was good.

- Good.

- The chilled one is delicious, isn't it?

- Yes.

I put that one in the fridge.

- For about three to four days.

- Is that right?

The weather was hot,

so it was delicious.

- Is it the season?

- It is the season.

Thank you very much.

Sorry to always bother you.

- No, no, no, no.

- I'm sorry.

- It's nothing.

- No, no. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, Nakano-san.

Here is tonight's evening news.

Tonight, the City Hall

Health Promotion Division

would like to notify you

about a food poisoning warning.

On August 18th at 10am.,

a food poisoning warning was announced

in northern Kyoto Prefecture.

We are entering weather conditions that

can cause a food poisoning outbreak.

Please be careful.

There are three key ways

to avoid food poisoning.

In order to prevent

the spread of food poisoning bacteria,

please wash your hands well,

and sanitize kitchen or cooking tools

to manage hygiene.

If you cook with heat,

make sure to cook things well.

Yeah, that's the way it was

in those days.

My grandad was a drinker and…

and, well, we had

a bathroom in the house,

but my grandad wanted

to go to a public bath everyday.

He would take me

on the back of his bike.

Back then, we always had

standing pegs.

After a bath,

he'd start drinking there first,

and after coming home

he kept drinking whisky.

- Fancy!

- And then…

- Your grandad?

- My grandad.

In about one month,

there was a mountain of empty bottles,

piled up in the garden.

And in the end, we don't hear

this word these days,

so-called 'chuki'.

Trembling hands.

So at lunchtime, there were

always clattering sounds.

But when he drank it stopped.

I've heard it. I know.

The other day, Fukukita

told me his hands tremble,

so I told him

it won't stop soon.

He also said

it stops when he drinks.

And in calligraphy,

one has to stop and brush quickly.

Oh, I see.

So he drinks and writes.

- So he keeps his drinks next to him.

- That's right.

You can control the trembling.

He says he's fine to die anytime.

He'd rather die than stop drinking.

- Such people still exist.

- Yes. Right.

Drinking gives

people various things.

For example, I went to see

a documentary about Go.

I play Go a little.

I'm not good at it.

I see.

The Yasuo-san we saw today,

he is one of the best five players

in Ayabe.

- Really? Fukui Yasuo-san?

- That's right. Top class.

I became interested,

particularly the past ten years.

I got interested in

professional Go players.

There was a player called

Fujisawa Shuko,

who died two years ago.

He had a very sharp mind.

But the only problem was

- he did a lot of this…

- I see.

Like Master Masuda.

That's right.

He appeared on TV,

and once he was drunk.

And he was banned

from that network.

He was infamous for it.

They cancelled the deliberation over

Article 9 seventy-seven times!

They adjourned the meeting!

Ladies and gentlemen,

why do you think this happened?

Article 9 of the Constitution...

They worked very hard on

the breeding to improve them.

Finally they did it well,

and those were exported to America.

At first, the trading company

was called Tsukina in America.

- Tsukina.

- The silk trading company.

- Sorry I haven't looked after your drink.

- Thank you very much.

- May I smoke tobacco here?

- It's fine.

You don't need to worry about

smoking here now.

- You are right.

- You cannot enjoy smoking these days.

It's true, isn't it?

Around here, it's fine even if

you pee outside. No big deal.

You don't need to have an ashtray.

Just drop it here.

Oh, it is a nice breeze.

There is a valley here,

called Shiotani.

The wind is coming

from the valley.

Why do so many places

have Shio in their names here?

I think salt used to be

found here.

- Maybe rock salt?

- Salt was precious in the old days.

- When you watch animals...

- They lick rocks.

They lick them.

People might have found rock salt

around here, I guess.

- There still could be some.

- Yeah, could be.

So, it's called Shiotani.

Wind blows up from

the valley naturally.

It's really cold

at the bottom of the valley.

He worked hard to

revive the village economy.

Yes, he did.

He was running

a chestnut garden, too.

- He had chestnuts and a poultry farm.

- Yes, he did.

There are lots of wild boars,

so he is really tired of them.

- They have to be culled.

- Yeah.

If you kill wild boars in the summer

though, they aren't tasty at all.

- Oh, is that true?

- Deer are tasty even in the summer.

- They are tasty in the summer.

- Are they tasty?

They are.

Around Yatsugatake

everyone has game recently.

Cooking game, deer and boar.

We've started

doing the same thing.

- Deer steaks.

- Deer and wild boars are tastier.

Yes, well, they are cheaper.

They are cheap, that's why.

And better, I think.

Anyway, what I can say,

including that, well,

people who hunt and kill them themselves,

and give them away to the neighborhood,

and cook them

at home themselves.

There aren't many people left

who are doing this.

- Not many people know how to do that.

- They don't know how.

Also people

don't like doing that.

People prefer

being clean for everything.

There are fewer people

who'd go for tough work.

That work goes to foreign workers

and machines.

I think things like butchering,

will be automated in the future.

I suppose so.

In fact,

people should butcher things themselves,

so we understand life.

When I was small,

for Obon and New Year,

we'd kill our chickens and

cook them for the feast.

We'd hang them upside down

on a pole to drain the blood,

pluck them,

then cook them as sukiyaki.

I didn't do it myself,

- but I watched what the adults did.

- In my generation, we never see that.

So the meat in front of us…

We don't know who produced it

or how it was done,

only where it came from.

People don't know about

the proccess nowadays.

We just see meat

shaped like this now.

So for example, a watermelon.

It's sold in thirds or quarters

in the shop.

So small children believe that

watermelons come from the field

in that shape.

From this point of view,

people should learn about

what's happening on site.

I went to a slaughterhouse

as a school trip.

Ah, did you?

Even though

we went to a slaughterhouse,

we never saw

slaughtered animals.

- Just they showed us around.

- And told you what they were doing.

They explained to us

how they used their hands to slaughter

and produce and sell meats.

Well,

I dissected frogs

when I was at school.

If you're taught lots of things

when you are small,

your life is much more

determined for some reason.

Very important to grow up

in an environment

where you can learn

empathy and morals.

- It's a huge difference.

- It's related to family relationships,

like brothers, sisters, and parents,

also with neighbors.

That's really important.

It's kind of like,

'A change of pasture makes fat calves.'

Children's character is formed

by their environment,

including their relationships

with other people.

Compared to the old times,

the education environment is

much worse nowadays.

You know.

So, kids now are acting

more cunning and brash.

And they're worried

about the future.

These coddled kids are told

they are so clever and genius.

They will just get worse gradually,

before you know,

- They need...

- as they grow up.

What can we do?

It's hard.

Well, they have to

have more free time.

Better not to make them

nervous and upset

about grades and the things

right in front of them.

Human beings have

a power to grow naturally.

It's better to do what they want.

Whenever I teach at university,

I just tell students that all the time.

Follow your nose.

I told you before I always write postcards

to people. I always write by hand.

People take a long time

to write a postcard maybe.

Of course it takes time.

Now I only need one minute.

It means you've been

writing for a long time.

I can write easily.

It gets rid of my stress.

When I travel somewhere

and get to a ryokan,

I can write ten postcards at once

even though I am tired.

I write a lot.

But I'm not tired of writing at all.

A different system

will work for me.

It's important to

get used to doing something.

- To keep doing things is important.

- Yes.

My calligraphy teacher says

you need to express yourself

with your hands.

So I write postcards by hand.

When you think of the good life,

natural gas must come to mind.

The gas stoves are both

safe and easy to clean.

The water heaters

are economical.

Clothes dryers can soften

and dry in no time at all.

Cooking is very safe

and makes food delicious.

Please enjoy the Thank You Sale

from Tsubame Gas!

Our annual Thank You Sale takes place

on October 24th and 25th.

Yes, hello? Can't you hear?

Yes, yes.

I can hear. I can hear.

How is Ulla-san doing?

Oh! I see.

I see.

I see. I see. That's hard.

Not at all?

She can't speak anymore?

Oh, I see, I see.

But well, hm, yeah, yeah.

Hm. I see.

Mhm. Really? I see. I see.

Then please do that.

Well, look after her well. Yes.

Whatever. You just say, 'Yes.'

Look after her.

It's the last time.

Yes. Well, then everyone...

well, it's hard but...

Yes.

Now, let's go wake up Piyo-chan!

He ended up not doing anything.

Sunny.

It was the day for Junji-san

to go to Nisseki Hospital.

It was 8:30am when we got there.

I was surprised

there were so many people.

Junji-san had a CAT scan, an EKG,

an X-ray, and a blood test.

The results were mostly okay,

but the bulge is getting bigger.

I'm worried.

My dear, I'm here.

How are you?

Did you sleep well last night?

They gave you a drip.

Once you finish with the drip,

you will feel better.

Hang in there, my dear.

I know it's tough for you,

but hang in there.

Everyone wants you

to get better.

They are waiting for you.

When you get better...

let's go wherever

you want to go.

Now a lot of flowers

are blooming.

You love flowers.

It will be lovely...

if we go to see flowers

and eat what you like. Won't it?

This year the flowers

really bloomed.

Bloomed, my dear.

They blossom every year,

but they really

bloomed this year.

They finished,

but they were beautiful.

You've always looked after them.

White and yellow ones too.

Hang in there. Hang in there.

So that you will leave the hospital.

Hang in there.

You divided the roots

for the orchids so well

and they blossomed beautifully.

The cacti, cacti and orchids

blossomed beautifully.

They are waiting for you

to come home. The flowers.

So hang in there.

You know the Christmas cherry,

they got red berries

and many branches.

They are pretty.

You took good care of

the flowers.

You must get better

and come home

and look after them.

You worked so hard.

Very, very hard.

You've done a lot of things.

You can rest now,

but when you get better,

let's go to a lot of places.

So hang in there.

Hang in there. Get well.

Let's make small trips.

Let's go to a lot of places.

Junji-san woke up late.

It was another hospital

appointment day,

so we went there by taxi.

I was concerned

as his condition isn't good.

He received a medical check with

an EKG, blood test, and X-ray.

The doctor told us that,

given the poor results,

there would no longer be

a reason to do more tests.

Junji-san was in great shock.

His shock...

his shock was still great

when we got home.

He couldn't accept

any consoling words I gave him.

I was very sad too.

I felt angry towards the doctor.

Tayo-chan? Hey!

I remembered the taste and that

you liked it, so I brought some for you.

You have to eat it

while it's hot.

- Are you okay?

- Yeah, it's so kind of you.

- His brother is visiting.

- Is that right?

I worked on the farm.

Today was annoying weather,

but at least it didn't rain.

In the morning,

I visited the neighbors.

Then I paid a visit to

the grave and prayed.

I did some shopping,

then arrived home around 3pm.

Hiromi-san came around,

so we talked about many things.

Hiroharu-san called late afternoon

to let me know that he was coming back.

He came back around

6:30pm. Until about 9pm.,

the three of us talked

about many things.

Hiroharu-san went to bed, and

Junji-san also went to bed right after.

You know the Senior Citizen's Society?

Ours is gone.

- What? Is it gone?

- Yes.

- In Yamagawa?

- No, our neighborhood association.

There's no one

to take up a role.

There aren't enough youngsters, so

the same people have to fill many roles.

- Well...

- No one to take up a role, so...

- Yeah, there's no one.

- It's getting scarce.

- How are you?

- Meh.

- Tiring, isn't it?

- Yeah.

This, well, it's good to take,

and...

- Yeah.

- Can you sit up and take it?

Yeah, yeah.

- Slowly.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Have you taken?

- Yeah. Thank...thank you.

- Have a good rest.

- Okay.

This morning was slightly warmer,

so it was easier.

Junji-san's sputum was bad,

and he didn't have an appetite.

I was worried.

Junji-san's condition

suddenly changed.

He seemed...

seemed no longer

aware of anything.

Junji-san...

passed away around 6:55pm.

I called Hiroharu-san

immediately.

He and Fumiko-san

came straight away.

Until then,

Junji-san was cleaned up,

and could rest peacefully.

Yoshiko had been rushing from Tokyo,

but it was too late.

Yoshiko...

had her sad meeting

with her father.

And...

after about 1 hour, his body had to

go to the mortuary, so he was taken there.

'On behalf of the family,

I would like to say a few words.'

'I'd like to say a few words.

I was the deceased's...'

No. I don't have to say this, do I?

What can I say next?

'Junji's life was about

jazz and drinks.'

Is this enough?

But I can't forget

his happy face when he ate.

At home, in his early life,

he was fed poorly. Did you know that?

He felt I looked after

him well. I could see

it,

so it made a strong impression on me.

I knew that, so I felt

I had to look after him well.

Looking after him, at least good meals,

I always thought I should do that.

Shall I say something like that?

I'll say that and then

I'll mention the operations.

He had an operation in 2009 and...

Such a thing, of course,

they should know, shouldn't they?

And that, you know,

well…mind you…

Huh? I did. I did. I told him.

I did, but he started saying,

'Ouch, ouch!'

Okay. I get it.

Is it okay to say it?

- Is it?

- Good, good.

- Good morning.

- Good morning. Pleased to meet you again.

Thank you for letting us stay.

Everyone was pleased and…

- Of course.

- Thank you very much.

Please let us be in touch.

Please let us too.

You've been very kind.

If Sunday doesn't suit you,

then you can give us a ring, so...

- Then...

- Okay, okay. Yes.

I'm sorry, I didn't have the chance

to talk to you.

No, no. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

THE SHIOJIRI FAMILY

The family and the relatives of the

deceased will now offer incense to him.

The head of the ceremony,

Shiojiri Tayoko-san, please offer incense.

Now the family members and relatives,

please offer incense to the deceased.

- Not at all.

- It was good.

It was hard for me.

In front of lots of people.

It's hard.

You're used to it, Fumiko-san.

You shouldn't give

a speech smoothly.

The kind of speech

at a funeral or...

If you get used to speaking

in front of people, it would be fine.

- I never did that before.

- It's better not to be too good.

You think so?

It's better to show

your feelings at times.

Imagine, talking without

showing emotions. Strange.

Better finish off sobbing

without any words.

The monk told me,

- it's better to say what you feel.

- I agree.

I've been to funerals many times.

Funeral speeches

shouldn't be so fluent.

- The monk said the same.

- It's true.

Well, I felt so.

When I attended one funeral,

the speaker was a politician,

and he was giving a speech.

That wasn't great.

- Better to choke up with tears.

- Choke up?

My voice was really

choked up with tears.

It's good.

- I kept choking up with tears.

- The attendees appreciate that.

They feel it.

You put the long pause.

It was nice.

Longer pauses are even better.

There were

five red-light districts.

Do you know

the red-light districts?

There was one tea house there.

I hung out with a woman

who worked at the tea house.

When she left the tea house,

she gave these cups to me.

Nice.

Beautiful.

And interesting.

Amusing.

Too much smoking really.

- Curtis?

- Yes?

You are very, very nice.

I am drunk.

Dessert looks delicious.

Cheers!

- I think I've got a kink in my neck.

- Yeah, me too.

- You got a kink in your neck too?

- Yeah, for two, four days?

- You both had the same thing happen?

- Yeah.

- It's pretty strange.

- Maybe it's our destiny.

- Do you have any advice?

- How about I snap them back into place?

Everybody was kind to him.

He must've been very worried.

I think his days

were very anxious.

That's right.

Not possible to express.

Yes. When I felt he was feeling unwell,

I'd ask him.

He would say, 'Not a bit.'

He always said 'Nothing wrong.'

- He didn't want to worry you.

- I thought that.

He always said,

'Nothing wrong. Nothing wrong.'

But towards the end, well,

I was doing everything.

He told me he was

giving me a lot of trouble.

But I told him

everyone does that.

All families, everybody, I said.

Yes, that's right. I see.

In that case,

I will do that, well...

for now I would like to do so

as a policy.

Yes, please. Thank you.

Yes. Yes.

They cared only for

his older brother.

He was the second son so…

he said so.

He used to say so,

but to my surprise,

about a month before he died,

when we were talking about many things.

Until then, he resented that

his mother spoiled his brother,

even though

it wasn't like him to nag.

But then he said, in the end,

he was grateful to his mother.

He said so.

And I said that was nice.

Until then, he was like

her punching bag.

It seemed she took out

all her stress on Junji-san.

Well, so, I think

he was very patient.

He must have been.

I knew so. He said he had

different food from his brother.

Because I knew this,

I always thought of him first.

I don't know if it was

good or bad to do so.

So anyway, he said this

about his mother.

At the end, these sorts of words

just came out… It was nice.

Not in any extraordinary way.

Just plainly.

Nothing overly special.

One changes one's mind.

- We do as we get older.

- Yes, it's true.

We can say

he was released from it.

I think so. I really think so.

- I must pray extra hard today.

- Thank you.

- Sorry, Hiro-chan. Hello, Tayo-chan.

- Hi, Takashi-san!

- I'm sorry for your loss.

- Thank you!

When he recovered, we used to

really enjoy drinking and talking.

Thank you.

I wanted more time with him.

Thank you for being so kind

when he was alive.

He was too young.

But he suffered at the end.

I can imagine.

He caught pneumonia.

Is that so?

It was tough to see him suffering.

I felt sad for him.

I see.

Sorry, I went first.

Hiromi-chan,

shall I bring you a chair?

No, it's fine.

Excuse me.

I'm grateful that you came.

It's hard for you to

sit on the floor, isn't it? Still?

- A little better. I need to move more.

- Oh, I see.

- Are you sure you don't need a chair?

- No, thank you.

It's not good for your feet

to get cold.

Jun-chan, what was going through your mind

before you became like this?

I wanted to drink

a lot more with you.

You left us too soon.

For Tayo-chan who is left behind,

please protect her from heaven.

I'm counting on you.

Don't let me down.

- It's a real shame he's gone.

- Thank you very much.

I really appreciate how kind

you were to him. Please, take a seat.

Did you bring the offering?

Yeah?

Yes. It's here.

Don't worry about it.

You?

- There.

- Let's put them there.

Don't worry, Hiromi-chan

and Takashi-san.

I wanted to spend

more time with him.

We can just put them there.

Okay.

Some neighbors paid visits: Hiromi-san,

Takashi-san, Sawako-san, and so on.

- Good evening. Thank you as always.

- Oh, aha.

This isn't much,

but please enjoy it.

- Thank you as always. Thank you.

- Thank you.

Early in the morning,

Jinsaku-san called

and told me he would

deliver some fish.

I went to Ayabe for

some shopping before 9am.

I decided to prepare for

shabu shabu.

Around 11am.,

Jinsaku-san came and gave me

horse mackerel, yellowtail,

and Spanish mackerel.

As always, he gave me many fish.

He quickly got on

with the cooking.

Hisa-chan, Hiromi-chan, Hiromi-san,

Saka-chan, Yoshito-san, and so on…

I delivered the fish to

these neighbors.

We ate lunch slowly,

and we talked a lot.

I gave Jinsaku-san

some vegetables and rice,

and he left around 4pm.

I had a nice day.