Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories (2016–…): Season 1, Episode 6 - Umeboshi and Plum Wine - full transcript
When people finish their day
and hurry home,
my day starts.
My diner opens from midnight
to seven in the morning.
They call it "Midnight Diner."
PORK MISO SOUP COMBO
BEER, SAKE, SHOCHU
That's all I have on my menu.
But I make whatever customers request
as long as I have ingredients for it.
That's my policy.
Do I even have customers?
More than you would expect.
MIDNIGHT DINER
-TOKYO STORIES-
SOUR PLUM & PLUM WINE
That's so annoying.
I love this.
-Dark beer?
-It's black cider.
A friend in Toyama sent it to me.
It has a flavor of soy sauce
with a hint of pepper. It's pretty good.
Thank you.
Can you really make a living
by selling these items?
Not so bad.
What do you do during the winter?
I sell some other stuff.
Are you okay, boss?
I'm okay. Thank you.
What was wrong with him?
He didn't look so sharp.
Welcome.
This is unusual.
Here on a week night?
I can't sleep.
Shochu on the rocks, please.
Anything to eat?
Just... sour plum.
Just one?
Two.
Here you go.
Thank you.
Mr. Hoshino owns a produce store
in this neighborhood.
All the vegetables I use here,
I buy from him.
It's just not right.
What are you talking about?
You bought this plum
from my store, didn't you?
Yes. It's Nankobai from Kishu.
Even if you use the same plums,
they're just not the same.
What's the matter?
My mother's sour plums finally ran out.
I ate all of them.
I see.
When did she...
pass away?
Almost four years ago.
That long?
I knew they would run out someday
if I kept eating them every day.
But when I'm drinking alone at home,
I just get awfully lonely.
I can't help eating one, or two.
That's because I lived with my mother
for a long time.
I pickle the plums myself every year.
But they just won't turn out
like my mother's.
Only your mother knows...
just how much salt to use.
The perfect amount.
It's very important.
When the sour plums ran out,
it really sank in that she was gone.
That I really am alone now.
These days...
I feel that time passes faster
than before.
Master,
just one more.
Are you sure?
You must wake up early tomorrow.
Yes. Wake up at 4:30.
Here you go.
I heard the produce store owner
was hospitalized.
Early stage diabetes.
He has to be in the hospital
for two weeks.
-Did you pay him a visit?
-Yeah.
The owner of Kotodama
knew his hospital.
Since his mother passed away,
I bet he didn't eat too well.
He never helped with chores.
He said he feels like he's paying
for all the time he was being lazy now.
Take care.
Mr. Hoshino.
Done with today's tests?
Mr. Hoshino?
An elderly woman always sat there
at this time of the day.
Why isn't she here today?
I think she is discharged
from the hospital.
Why do we eat tokoroten with a chopstick?
Is this some kind of superstition?
I'm not sure,
but this is supposed to be
the most fashionable way to eat it.
In the old days,
they ate it with a long toothpick
like eating sweets.
In Kansai Region,
they eat it with brown sugar syrup.
Welcome.
Hello.
Master, thank you for visiting me
at the hospital.
We all were worried about you.
How's your diabetes?
It's under control.
But recently I can't sleep well.
It has been extremely hot, that's why.
Well, that's one reason, but...
You see someone die in the hospital
every day.
I couldn't help thinking about myself
at night and got uneasy.
I have no family.
I must wonder who will take care
of my stuff after I die.
When we die, we die.
There is no point in worrying about
what happens afterwards.
Why don't you get married?
Find someone who is tough enough
to outlive you.
-I can't take this.
-What are you talking about?
After I die...
all the porn DVDs I have stored away
will be found.
Then throw them away.
You are not a teenager anymore.
That's not easy.
Some are very rare items.
Listen Master,
if you came to my store
and found me dead,
will you sneak into my house
and throw them away secretly?
What?
You're single, too.
You understand, right?
Let's conclude a gentlemen's agreement.
Master,
please. I beg you.
That's stupid.
You can't get rid of your worldly passions
until you die, huh?
Please open it.
Who are you?
Please open it.
Please let me in.
Yoichi...
Mother?
Please open it.
Yoichi...
please let me in.
Mother,
you are dead.
I'm dead. That's why I'm asking you.
Please let me in.
Please.
Mother,
please rest in peace.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Yes.
I will take this.
Isn't it damaged?
Okay. This one, huh?
Every night in the last few days,
while I am asleep,
my dead mother comes and calls me.
"Please open it."
"Please let me in."
She talks to me.
Boss, it must be your dream.
As I cover myself with the blanket
and recite Buddhist scriptures,
she becomes sad and says,
"Please let me in.
"I forgot something."
Forgot something?
She may be still keeping
her secret savings.
I agree. She is worried about it.
I don't think so.
She put her entire fortune in a bag
and gave it to me
before she died.
Why don't you let her in?
But...
Even if she is my mother,
she is a ghost.
There is a line that shouldn't be crossed.
-Good evening.
-Welcome.
I thought that it might be ready.
-I mean your plum wine.
-You are right.
-Your plum wine?
-Yes.
I make a big bottle of it every year.
Summer is hot and I don't like it.
But I can enjoy his plum wine.
Who wants some? It's been aged
for a year. A perfect time to drink it.
Yes!
-Is your heart okay?
-It's not working.
So she is worried about this, huh?
My mother also made plum wine
whenever she salted plums.
She loved it.
I thought that she had finished it all.
-Want a glass?
-No, thanks.
-I don't want to upset your mother.
-Don't worry.
I offered a glass of it at the altar.
Besides...
today is the anniversary
of my mother's death.
Please have some in her memory.
Okay.
I'll have just one glass.
Then me, too.
Then can I have, too?
I love Master's,
this one is also flavorful,
but mild at the same time.
That's how
they consumed all of it
after making an excuse.
On that night...
Yoichi...
Yoichi...
Yoichi...
So it wasn't the plum wine?
If it's not the plum wine,
then what else could it be?
His mother wants to take him.
If he crosses the Styx, he will be dead.
What are you talking about?
We're talking about
the produce store owner.
A spirit of his dead mother
shows up every night
and he can't sleep.
I see. Does she have something to regret?
We can't figure it out.
Because of my trade,
I've seen a lot of ways to die.
Die happily with nothing to regret?
It's rare. Many have something to regret.
But you all sound very unscientific.
She forgot something
and wants to come in, right?
Then it must be in the house.
If that's the case,
he should search the house thoroughly.
-But that's not easy to do.
-Yes.
Wait. We have a professional
household searcher here.
Without libido, we are no longer men.
But at the same time,
it's a hassle having it.
It's not easy being a man.
This one is as precious
as a national treasure.
Wait.
What is this?
And found something?
What is it?
What the--?
Shunga, another name for
Ukiyoe artwork on human Eros.
Also called Funny Pictures,
used as a talisman
to protect someone from evil.
In the old custom, it was given
to a bride as an educational material
to prevent her from being surprised
on her bridal night.
I think my mother brought these
with her when she got married.
This must be it.
As soon as we found them, I took them
to our family temple for the service.
Then her ghost never came back.
Why did she remember them now
long after her death?
That's because her son was worried
about his porn DVDs.
That must have
reminded her about her own.
My mother is like me.
She can't throw away anything.
It's our frugal mentality.
She was worried about you.
Your mother.
She saw you acting so lonely.
So, she came back
to urge you to find someone.
Whether she is in the afterlife
or in this world,
she is your parent.
And you are always her son.
Have a drink, everyone.
It's on me today.
Lucky us.
Hello.
Welcome.
You look great.
Luckily, yes.
I'm Okubo, the nurse.
Right. Thank you for taking care of me.
I didn't recognize you
without your nurse uniform.
People tell me that a lot.
How are you feeling?
As you can see, I've gotten much better
like I was born a new person.
What brings you here today?
I wanted to see your store.
Really? All the way to see the store?
I have been worried about you.
What do you recommend?
Right. How about some okra?
-Give me one.
-Just one?
-Then two.
-Two.
Here you go.
Salt determines the flavor of sour plum.
If you use coarse salt with bittern,
not table salt, it enhances
the umami flavor in the plum.
The plums in plum wine can be
eaten as is.
You can also make jam and jelly out of it.
That's it.
Good night.
Yoichi...
You can rest in peace now.
I've found someone special.
Nice to meet you.
I will take care of his health.
I will take over making sour plums.
And...
I'll take good care of
your Shunga. Mother.
-Rest in peace.
-Rest in peace.
THIS STORY IS FICTION
and hurry home,
my day starts.
My diner opens from midnight
to seven in the morning.
They call it "Midnight Diner."
PORK MISO SOUP COMBO
BEER, SAKE, SHOCHU
That's all I have on my menu.
But I make whatever customers request
as long as I have ingredients for it.
That's my policy.
Do I even have customers?
More than you would expect.
MIDNIGHT DINER
-TOKYO STORIES-
SOUR PLUM & PLUM WINE
That's so annoying.
I love this.
-Dark beer?
-It's black cider.
A friend in Toyama sent it to me.
It has a flavor of soy sauce
with a hint of pepper. It's pretty good.
Thank you.
Can you really make a living
by selling these items?
Not so bad.
What do you do during the winter?
I sell some other stuff.
Are you okay, boss?
I'm okay. Thank you.
What was wrong with him?
He didn't look so sharp.
Welcome.
This is unusual.
Here on a week night?
I can't sleep.
Shochu on the rocks, please.
Anything to eat?
Just... sour plum.
Just one?
Two.
Here you go.
Thank you.
Mr. Hoshino owns a produce store
in this neighborhood.
All the vegetables I use here,
I buy from him.
It's just not right.
What are you talking about?
You bought this plum
from my store, didn't you?
Yes. It's Nankobai from Kishu.
Even if you use the same plums,
they're just not the same.
What's the matter?
My mother's sour plums finally ran out.
I ate all of them.
I see.
When did she...
pass away?
Almost four years ago.
That long?
I knew they would run out someday
if I kept eating them every day.
But when I'm drinking alone at home,
I just get awfully lonely.
I can't help eating one, or two.
That's because I lived with my mother
for a long time.
I pickle the plums myself every year.
But they just won't turn out
like my mother's.
Only your mother knows...
just how much salt to use.
The perfect amount.
It's very important.
When the sour plums ran out,
it really sank in that she was gone.
That I really am alone now.
These days...
I feel that time passes faster
than before.
Master,
just one more.
Are you sure?
You must wake up early tomorrow.
Yes. Wake up at 4:30.
Here you go.
I heard the produce store owner
was hospitalized.
Early stage diabetes.
He has to be in the hospital
for two weeks.
-Did you pay him a visit?
-Yeah.
The owner of Kotodama
knew his hospital.
Since his mother passed away,
I bet he didn't eat too well.
He never helped with chores.
He said he feels like he's paying
for all the time he was being lazy now.
Take care.
Mr. Hoshino.
Done with today's tests?
Mr. Hoshino?
An elderly woman always sat there
at this time of the day.
Why isn't she here today?
I think she is discharged
from the hospital.
Why do we eat tokoroten with a chopstick?
Is this some kind of superstition?
I'm not sure,
but this is supposed to be
the most fashionable way to eat it.
In the old days,
they ate it with a long toothpick
like eating sweets.
In Kansai Region,
they eat it with brown sugar syrup.
Welcome.
Hello.
Master, thank you for visiting me
at the hospital.
We all were worried about you.
How's your diabetes?
It's under control.
But recently I can't sleep well.
It has been extremely hot, that's why.
Well, that's one reason, but...
You see someone die in the hospital
every day.
I couldn't help thinking about myself
at night and got uneasy.
I have no family.
I must wonder who will take care
of my stuff after I die.
When we die, we die.
There is no point in worrying about
what happens afterwards.
Why don't you get married?
Find someone who is tough enough
to outlive you.
-I can't take this.
-What are you talking about?
After I die...
all the porn DVDs I have stored away
will be found.
Then throw them away.
You are not a teenager anymore.
That's not easy.
Some are very rare items.
Listen Master,
if you came to my store
and found me dead,
will you sneak into my house
and throw them away secretly?
What?
You're single, too.
You understand, right?
Let's conclude a gentlemen's agreement.
Master,
please. I beg you.
That's stupid.
You can't get rid of your worldly passions
until you die, huh?
Please open it.
Who are you?
Please open it.
Please let me in.
Yoichi...
Mother?
Please open it.
Yoichi...
please let me in.
Mother,
you are dead.
I'm dead. That's why I'm asking you.
Please let me in.
Please.
Mother,
please rest in peace.
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Yes.
I will take this.
Isn't it damaged?
Okay. This one, huh?
Every night in the last few days,
while I am asleep,
my dead mother comes and calls me.
"Please open it."
"Please let me in."
She talks to me.
Boss, it must be your dream.
As I cover myself with the blanket
and recite Buddhist scriptures,
she becomes sad and says,
"Please let me in.
"I forgot something."
Forgot something?
She may be still keeping
her secret savings.
I agree. She is worried about it.
I don't think so.
She put her entire fortune in a bag
and gave it to me
before she died.
Why don't you let her in?
But...
Even if she is my mother,
she is a ghost.
There is a line that shouldn't be crossed.
-Good evening.
-Welcome.
I thought that it might be ready.
-I mean your plum wine.
-You are right.
-Your plum wine?
-Yes.
I make a big bottle of it every year.
Summer is hot and I don't like it.
But I can enjoy his plum wine.
Who wants some? It's been aged
for a year. A perfect time to drink it.
Yes!
-Is your heart okay?
-It's not working.
So she is worried about this, huh?
My mother also made plum wine
whenever she salted plums.
She loved it.
I thought that she had finished it all.
-Want a glass?
-No, thanks.
-I don't want to upset your mother.
-Don't worry.
I offered a glass of it at the altar.
Besides...
today is the anniversary
of my mother's death.
Please have some in her memory.
Okay.
I'll have just one glass.
Then me, too.
Then can I have, too?
I love Master's,
this one is also flavorful,
but mild at the same time.
That's how
they consumed all of it
after making an excuse.
On that night...
Yoichi...
Yoichi...
Yoichi...
So it wasn't the plum wine?
If it's not the plum wine,
then what else could it be?
His mother wants to take him.
If he crosses the Styx, he will be dead.
What are you talking about?
We're talking about
the produce store owner.
A spirit of his dead mother
shows up every night
and he can't sleep.
I see. Does she have something to regret?
We can't figure it out.
Because of my trade,
I've seen a lot of ways to die.
Die happily with nothing to regret?
It's rare. Many have something to regret.
But you all sound very unscientific.
She forgot something
and wants to come in, right?
Then it must be in the house.
If that's the case,
he should search the house thoroughly.
-But that's not easy to do.
-Yes.
Wait. We have a professional
household searcher here.
Without libido, we are no longer men.
But at the same time,
it's a hassle having it.
It's not easy being a man.
This one is as precious
as a national treasure.
Wait.
What is this?
And found something?
What is it?
What the--?
Shunga, another name for
Ukiyoe artwork on human Eros.
Also called Funny Pictures,
used as a talisman
to protect someone from evil.
In the old custom, it was given
to a bride as an educational material
to prevent her from being surprised
on her bridal night.
I think my mother brought these
with her when she got married.
This must be it.
As soon as we found them, I took them
to our family temple for the service.
Then her ghost never came back.
Why did she remember them now
long after her death?
That's because her son was worried
about his porn DVDs.
That must have
reminded her about her own.
My mother is like me.
She can't throw away anything.
It's our frugal mentality.
She was worried about you.
Your mother.
She saw you acting so lonely.
So, she came back
to urge you to find someone.
Whether she is in the afterlife
or in this world,
she is your parent.
And you are always her son.
Have a drink, everyone.
It's on me today.
Lucky us.
Hello.
Welcome.
You look great.
Luckily, yes.
I'm Okubo, the nurse.
Right. Thank you for taking care of me.
I didn't recognize you
without your nurse uniform.
People tell me that a lot.
How are you feeling?
As you can see, I've gotten much better
like I was born a new person.
What brings you here today?
I wanted to see your store.
Really? All the way to see the store?
I have been worried about you.
What do you recommend?
Right. How about some okra?
-Give me one.
-Just one?
-Then two.
-Two.
Here you go.
Salt determines the flavor of sour plum.
If you use coarse salt with bittern,
not table salt, it enhances
the umami flavor in the plum.
The plums in plum wine can be
eaten as is.
You can also make jam and jelly out of it.
That's it.
Good night.
Yoichi...
You can rest in peace now.
I've found someone special.
Nice to meet you.
I will take care of his health.
I will take over making sour plums.
And...
I'll take good care of
your Shunga. Mother.
-Rest in peace.
-Rest in peace.
THIS STORY IS FICTION