RAKERU CAFÉ
- She's really cute? - You're not lying?
How old is she?
Around 23 or 24.
Welcome.
MARCH, 1979
I promise she's cute.
Here's your table.
- Thanks. - Welcome.
Welcome.
Hiroo.
You look different dressed like that.
Are these your friends?
Classmates.
Four black coffees, please.
Shouldn't you stick to juice?
I'll have mine American.
Me too.
And me.
Three Americans, eh?
Got it.
- American? Seriously? - So what?
Aunt Saki?
Aunt Saki!
Are you okay?
Thank you.
I told Hiroo not to call you.
We couldn't just ignore you.
I only felt dizzy. I'm fine.
Sakiko. Are you--
Sorry, but do you mind if I change?
Go ahead.
Excuse us. We'll be out of here soon.
No rush.
I'm sorry, Kyoko. I know it's your day off.
You collapsed? That's only natural. You haven't eaten at all.
At all?
Keep that up,
and you'll be dead before your boyfriend becomes champion.
- What did you eat today? - Why does it matter?
You ate something, right?
Nothing?
- If it's money, you can ask-- - My boyfriend.
He's losing weight for his fight.
He hasn't had a bite for the last ten days.
Not even ramen, his favorite.
That's no reason for you to do the same.
Why shouldn't I give him moral support?
Oh? Aren't you working late today?
Oh, uh, yeah.
Excuse us.
Well, um...
Where do my shoes go?
- Here? - There is fine.
Give it a try.
- I'm strong. - Go ahead.
You are strong.
Nice.
- Take that! - Whoa!
And that!
It's been a while.
Since what?
Since I had a real fight.
You've got a knack.
You seem pretty weak to me.
Who ate those?
The ramen.
Who ate it?
The one with soup left is mine.
Please leave.
He said you two weren't married.
Never mind... about her.
It's my fault for coming home early.
I'll let it slide.
- Don't be stupid-- - Makiko, stay out of this!
But can you explain
this?
This.
This here!
That's one thing...
I can't forgive.
My sister
collapsed at work.
Makiko!
She couldn't stand watching you starve,
and she herself hasn't eaten for two or three days.
No one asked her to do that.
I told you not to mind me and to eat what you want!
She can't do that.
A woman can't do that.
You probably think she should eat out of sight,
but that won't work either.
Makiko.
That restaurant serves rice omelets, toast, and things like that.
How do you think it felt to not eat with all of that around?
Aren't you a little sorry?
No, I'm not.
They call that self-righteousness.
Damn it.
I guess I lose on points.
ASURA
You really should break up--
You can eat more gyoza, right?
Yeah, I can.
I think she should break up with him.
Go upstairs.
I said go upstairs. Now.
I do think
you should break up.
Save that for later.
Maybe you could stay at Ikegami?
Ikegami?
I'm not saying to go tonight.
It's best to stay here tonight.
Makiko.
If Takao had an affair--
- What?! - What?!
An affair.
Hypothetically.
Would you
want to stay at Ikegami?
For the past seven years,
Dad had another woman in his life, right?
Mom knows about it,
and she hasn't said a word.
She just goes on like nothing has changed.
Right now, I couldn't bear staying there.
TOKYO METROPOLITAN LIBRARY ARISUGAWA BRANCH
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF NATSUME SOSEKI
Red bean bun for me.
Sure. Go ahead.
May I look?
Sure.
The Complete Works of Natsume Soseki, Volume Three.
May I read it?
Go ahead.
"Gubijinso," aka "The Poppy."
"Beneath the protruding brim of his soft brown fedora,
his thick eyebrows made way
as he looked upward,
past the boundless azure haze
of the spring sky."
"Against this fragile backdrop, which could waver at the first wind,
there stood resolutely,
in defiance of all,
the imposing figure of Mt. Hiei."
"What a horrifyingly obstinate mountain."
So, "Gubijinso" also means "terrifying beauty."
All this time,
I thought it was the kanji for "coward" and "beautiful."
A cowardly beauty?
Most beauties are soft up here, right?
In most cases, yeah.
Like my sister Sakiko.
Not all beauties though.
The first three characters are also someone's name.
A historical figure from China.
By adding "plant,"
it becomes a name of a flower?
It really exists.
A flower with that name?
Do you remember that Chinese singer?
The one with a high-pitched voice like a Chinese fiddle.
- Up the hill, picking corn poppies... - Picking corn poppies...
Oh, I get it.
So "Gubijinso" also means corn poppy?
Wow.
Up the hill, picking corn poppies
Their petals tell the secrets of my loved one's heart
The truth is...
When you told me he was a boxer,
I knew it was risky.
Risky?
Their careers are short-lived.
They can't fight past 30, right?
Only one in thousands becomes champion.
It's like winning the lottery.
I won the lottery once when I was a kid.
I don't mean small winnings!
You know,
even if I was sure he'd be champion,
I still don't like that guy.
If it was just the ramen or just the woman,
that would be one thing.
Right?
One sin can be forgiven.
But he had both the ramen and the woman!
Hold it.
The um...
The "woman" was someone he picked up, right?
Average face,
tacky dresser,
gaudy makeup.
- She could barely speak properly too. - Right.
I understand how he feels.
That boxer's feelings, I mean.
Hearing this might make you angry, Sakiko.
But all that fretting you do
only makes a man feel worse.
I don't have any friends who are authors, so this is just speculation.
But say I wrote a manuscript.
If my wife secretly read it and corrected my mistakes,
how would I feel?
The head of the household suffers,
and the wife sleeps soundly.
He may call her names or mumble complaints.
But even then,
he's relieved she's secure.
So that means he can eat ramen and sleep around?
No, of course that was wrong.
All I'm saying is that men's feelings don't obey logic.
That's just how it is.
Maybe we can investigate.
Investigate?
Investigate what?
Who's that detective?
- Oh, Mr. Katsumata? - Yeah, him.
Jinnai, right?
We'll look into his, you know...
his prospects and background and stuff.
Stop it.
If you do that, we're through.
Let's talk over there instead.
Hey!
I don't like places like this.
Hello?
I don't want to be here!
The report.
Please forget this ever happened.
Forget you ever asked me to take this case.
That I looked into your dad's affair...
That it was the start of our relationship...
I can't stand it.
Mr. Katsumata.
May I?
Wait. Uh...
Huh?
- Uh-oh. - It won't go out.
Fire!
- A fire! - Are you okay?
- There's a fire! - Oh, no.
Whoa, watch out!
Sakiko!
Use the shampoo to wash your hair.
It's under the sink.
Got it!
Feel free to add cold water if the tub is hot, okay?
Okay.
You can't take his side like that.
Well, it's the truth.
It'll only make her think twice about breaking up with him.
It's not up to you, is it?
Of course not.
But I already see that she'll be hurt.
They don't have kids yet or anything.
No matter what fuss you raise, she's the one...
Honestly, she should go back to Ikegami.
Dad will know what to do.
You can't force her to go there if she doesn't want to.
Well, she can't stay here forever either.
She can sleep in the small room in the back.
The kids just have to clear some space.
Yeah,
but that's right next to our room.
Oh, the stamp is crooked.
Wouldn't it bother you?
Huh?
Having a stranger around when you get home.
She's hardly a stranger.
The more, the merrier.
With a stranger around,
we can't talk in private.
What are we afraid she'll hear?
Once a woman gets married, her sisters suddenly become strangers?
Maybe it's him?
Tell him Sakiko will stay with us.
- Hello? - Who is it? Is it for me?
Satomi residence.
What?
The police?
Give me the phone.
Hello? Did something happen to Hide?
Sorry. Are you still there?
What?
Takiko Takezawa?
She's my sister-in-law.
Did something happen to Takiko?
MORIOKA POLICE BOX
Imagine if we let couples across Japan start bonfires in the park.
Didn't you see the sign?
This is a major misdemeanor.
We're so sorry.
On top of that,
the documents you burned were related to your workplace?
I can't overlook that.
Like I explained earlier,
I'm his client and I asked him to discard the report.
Yeah, but that's no reason
to pour gasoline on the papers and burn them in the park.
It was benzine.
Huh?
It was benzine, not gasoline.
That's not the point.
Sorry.
Well,
here's the truth.
This is hard to say,
but our 70-year-old father--
Oh, my father-in-law,
and her father.
Yeah?
We found out he has a lover.
- A what? - A lover.
A lover at 70?
She hired his detective agency, and in the process...
Well, you know how fate
sometimes works in mysterious ways?
Oh, I see. That's how they...
Yes.
And so, they've decided
not to embarrass her parents any further.
A lover at 70, huh?
- This one here. Twice a week. - This one?
Good night.
Did you burn your hand?
It's nothing major.
Put ointment on before you go.
It's fine.
Just do it.
No, it's okay.
Put it on and go home.
- It's fine. - Now!
Oh no, I...
Leave it, please.
But...
A little mess
makes me feel more relaxed.
If you're too pretty,
I'll lose my nerve.
I'm not pretty.
You are pretty.
May I?
What?
May I?
May you what?
May I?
Ow! My foot!
She's gone? Since when?
Who knows.
I went to lay out her futon, and...
You didn't even notice?
No.
I hoped Aunt Saki would live with us.
Bro, that's gross.
Shut up.
That's not what I meant.
Where could she have gone at this hour?
Back to that apartment, maybe?
You could try and call.
The tenants share one phone. It's too late to call.
Other than that, you could try Ikegami.
Hello? Takezawa residence.
Oh, it's you.
Is someone on the phone?
It's Makiko!
Is it for me?
Your mom's taking her bath.
Yeah. What?
- She says it's not important! - What?
It's not important!
What are you doing here?
You left, didn't you?
Why come back?
I'm no good for you.
Shall we bet on it?
Go away!
Leave! Get out of here!
Go!
Go.
I won't run again.
So you can't run away either. You need to fight, Hide.
Okay.
Become champion, no matter what.
Win the belt...
Take it to all those people who looked down on us...
and show them they were wrong.
Got it?
The bullet train gets to Osaka in three hours, right?
Oh, uh...
You were up late last night. I hope you get some sleep.
Your dad has a business trip. Say goodbye.
- Bye! - Bring me back yatsuhashi.
Some what?
- Yatsuhashi! - Oh, uh...
That's from Kyoto, idiot.
Kyoto, idiot!
What about sweet bean popsicles?
They'll melt, moron!
- Pork buns, then. - I'm going to Ikegami today.
Oh.
I promised to help pickle cabbage.
This bag is too big.
You'll have to buy a smaller one.
Couldn't you get one playing golf? Like a booby prize?
Life's not that easy.
I packed striped and polka-dot shirts for you.
Thanks.
Back in two days?
If anything comes up, call Mr. Sodei from my department.
Here's your cold medicine.
I'll be fine without it.
Have a safe trip.
SevenStars.
- Hi, it's me. - Mm-hmm.
It's me!
I have time until the train leaves.
Let's get lunch.
I'm coming to your apartment.
What's your problem?
- Hello? - You can get through.
- There's plenty of space. - No, I can't.
You can get past.
- Just go, please. - Huh?
There's space, so just go!
You're crazy. Do you even know how to drive?
- I said I can't! - I'm just resting for a minute.
What if I'm late to work?
You don't want that, so just go. Go now!
Look, you're blocking traffic behind you. Quit causing trouble.
Move your car then!
He called the wrong number.
Clumsy fool.
What's wrong with you?
Mommy, put a sunny-side-up egg on my hamburger too.
Eat your carrots first.
What do carrots have to do with eggs?
Yay!
Huh? Did Shoji win?
Yeah, I won.
Wow!
- He keeps getting better. - I win!
- Ginchan, I won! - I lost.
- Okay, here's your lunch. - Thanks.
There.
Daddy, remember that amusement park?
We rode the go-karts there, right?
I wanna do it again!
You got it.
Are you sure?
Yeah, it's fine.
Yay!
Good for you.
Do you still pickle cabbage, Sis?
Yeah. In small barrels.
Wait, did I add too many chili peppers?
Hey! You're rubbing your eyes again!
You know, it's a lot of effort for someone who lives alone.
Or is it?
Perhaps you have someone to feed them to.
Not at all. I make lonely ochazuke for one.
Are you sure?
Certain.
That's nothing to brag about.
- Huh? - What?
Mom, sometimes you make some pretty pointed remarks.
She always has. Here.
- For heaven's sake. Were you even looking? - Come on!
Go wash them yourself.
Is that our doorbell?
Yes?
Come in!
It's Machida Dry Cleaning.
Oh, we don't need anything today.
Thank you!
Have a nice day.
- Machida Dry Cleaning? - Machida Dry Cleaning?
You still use that place?
This whole time?
That's right.
- Machida Dry Cleaning! - Machida Dry Cleaning!
- Remember that guy with the pimples? - Yeah.
- He looked like someone famous, right? - Who?
- It starts with a T... - T?
- You know who I mean. - Huh?
He has thick lips and a face like a playboy.
He wears a white suit and he dances like this.
- T... - Tra...
- Travolta! - Travolta!
Yeah!
Enough giggling. Get to work!
I don't know if you're helping or hindering at this point!
- We're helping! - Yeah.
Oh, there's no more yuzu.
I have more in the kitchen.
I'll go.
Travolta...
Is Takao in good health?
He sure is.
Good enough to cheat on me.
Today too.
That's no business trip he's on.
Where is it?
- What? - I can't find the yuzu!
It's by the refrigerator. In the box on the left.
I have a good idea of where he is and who he's with.
But
I'm staying quiet.
That's the way.
Once a woman acknowledges it, she loses.
So that's how it is?
Yes.
Can I handle it?
Handle it like you?
You found it, right?
I want to start over.
Everything.
You love him that much?
- Love Kyosuke... - Satomi residence.
Is your mom there?
She's out. At Grandma's house, I think.
Again?
She's helping pickle cabbage.
She told you this morning. Weren't you listening, Dad?
He never listens.
You can kiss me.
I'm hanging up. We're watching TV.
- We're on spring break! - Come on, man. Just kiss her.
Should we call her?
No, it's not urgent.
Bye.
KADOYA RESTAURANT
Thank you very much.
It's hard to watch.
Mom?
She says Dad's at work, but she knows he's with that woman, right?
How can she just go on pickling cabbage like that?
I'm no match for her.
She's amazing.
I guess women that age
grow beyond jealousy or hatred.
Amazing.
I'm no match.
You can have this.
- Huh? - It gets stuck in my teeth.
I wonder if I got my weak teeth from Dad.
Say,
do I take after Mom then?
Yeah.
I think so.
In what way?
Here.
In your heart.
"What you don't know can't hurt you." I could never be that way.
Tea, please.
Coming right up!
Wait.
What am I doing here?
Mom?
Mom!
Shoji!
This feels great!
It's so fun.
He's going pretty fast.
Hey! Wait for us!
Mommy, Daddy! Look at me!
I'm thinking of getting married.
Married?
Well, congratulations.
My husband is here, is he not?
No.
I'm afraid you're mistaken.
If I look in here,
won't I find his black shoes?
Feel free to look.
There are black shoes inside,
but they belong to my late husband and my son.
What size was your husband?
My husband was 25 cm.
My son, 26.
My husband has high-arched feet. Size 27.5.
You would know that already, wouldn't you?
- Not at all. Why do you-- - I'll see for myself.
If you lost your husband,
you should know how it feels to have him stolen away!
Your husband is alive, isn't he?
Mine is dead!
He may be alive, but it hurts worse if his feelings are elsewhere!
Tell that to him, not me.
What are you doing?
Hey!
Don't do anything stupid. Stop!
Water guns are well-made, aren't they?
Water?
Hello?
Makiko.
Toyoko!
Mom collapsed?
Hello?
What hospital?
Yeah.
Why Meguro and not Ikegami?
Hello?
I'll be right there.
Did something happen to your mother?
Please leave.
What?
I won't ask you to take a bullet,
but if that gun was real, I'd be dead!
I wasn't using you as a shield or anything.
Hey, Tsunako!
Hey, come on.
It's been a pleasure knowing you!
Dad.
Do you know where she was when she collapsed?
She knew.
All this time.
She knew what you were doing on Tuesdays and Thursdays!
She held her tongue,
but in the end, Mom was a woman too.
With shopping bag in hand,
she was standing in front of that woman's home!
Hey.
Say something, Dad!
- Stop! - Say something!
I said stop!
- Wait... - Don't.
You have no right to hit your father!
I didn't hit him for me!
It's for Mom!
Don't get hysterical.
Your mom forgave him. That's why she said nothing.
She never forgave him!
She just couldn't say the words.
That's how jealous she was.
She was angry!
Lonely!
Which means she loved you!
And what about you, Dad?
He worked hard to put a roof over your head
and raised four children to adulthood.
Then, in his final days, he tried to have a little fun.
Is that really so bad?
It's fun at the expense of his wife's tears!
And I'm sure he's prayed on that.
Prayed for forgiveness!
If he feels that bad,
he should leave her!
- Stop it. - Not in front of Mom.
Sakiko.
I'm back.
Well, Fuji.
She's getting married.
I got dumped.
I got dumped and came home to you.
But isn't this a good thing?
He and that woman are through.
It's too late.
Why didn't he do it sooner?
She's right. Then Mom wouldn't have...
Stop ganging up on him.
I feel bad for Dad.
Where are you going?
To tell them both the news.
What news?
My marriage.
Sakiko, are you...
Yeah.
I've got one on the way.
I wish Mom could have held her grandchild.
Is it a boy or a girl?
I'm hoping for a boy.
- It looks like a boy from the shape. - That's superstition.
What's keeping Dad?
There he is.
He suddenly looks older.
I guess living alone does that.
How does he handle baths and laundry?
It's karma. He can't complain.
- He'll hear you! - Let him hear.
Well, he can't look spry in front of Mom now.
Wait. Haven't we had this conversation before?
The head of the house should never outlive his wife.
Got it?
I'll remember that.
That's not what we mean, Takao.
Right. You always jump to "women this, women that."
Whatever. Don't defend their dad, or this is what you'll get.
Oh, I'll do that for you.
My mom died at this time of year too.
Older sisters, move to the left a bit.
Which older sisters?
With so many sisters, you'd better call us by name.
Um, I meant you, Tsunako.
Are you okay? It won't be out of focus again?
Don't tease him. You see how nervous he gets.
Please don't.
Okay. Say cheese.
You've sure gotten big.
Yeah. She walks like this now.
Right?
So, in Soseki's Gubijinso,
at the rear end...
Rear end?
The last part.
Oh, right.
Do you know what he wrote?
I don't remember.
"This world holds only comedy."
Really? Not tragedy?
Yeah.
That may be true.
For now, at least.
- What is it? - Yeah! What?
It's nothing.
- You looked at us and said something. - Yeah!
- "Tragedy is greater than comedy." - Takiko! Out with it!
"Millet or rice?"
"Such is comedy."
"That woman or this woman?"
"Such too is comedy."
Are you okay?
"English or German?"
"Such too is comedy."
What are you two laughing at?
"All is comedy."
"In the end, one question remains."
"Life or death."
"Such is tragedy."
EXCERPT FROM "GUBIJINSO" BY NATSUME SOSEKI
Subtitle translation by: Brad Plumb