Only Yesterday/Transcript

Transcript of Studio Ghibli film Only Yesterday
==Opening==
:Omohide Poro Poro (1991)
:(Memories with Teardrops):
:"Only Yesterday"
:Omohide Poro Poro: Only Yesterday
:[<Memories with Teardrops>]
:(opening credits)
:(part one--translation by Kawashima/Lucido)
:(1982: Office Building)
:EXECUTIVE:
:You had said you would take a ten-day vacation---
:So I just assumed you would be travelling abroad. But you are
:headed for Yamagata{*}, Okajima-san [Miss Okajima]?
:{* Yamagata: a rural prefecture about 180 miles north of
:Tokyo}
:TAEKO: {*}
:Yes.
:{* Taeko, the main character of this film, is played by Miki
:Imai, who interestingly enough was well known in 1982, when
:much of this film occurs. She debuted acting in television
:dramas, but became famous for acting in makeup commercials
:and such, and later would become a popular actress and
:singer, whose career is still doing well today.}
:EXECUTIVE:
:Did you break up with someone...?
:TAEKO:
:I yearn for the countryside.
:(1966: School grounds {*})
:{* Music note: the BGM for this scene, "Mime, Mime", is
:derived from an Israeli folk dance.}
:CHILDREN
:`Bye!
:See you later!
:Let's go to Hama's house.
:Nyah, nyah!
:What do you mean, "Nyah" ?!
:Let's go, let's go!
:TSUNEKO:
:So...did your grades go up?
:AIKO:
:Uh-uh. But it's all right.
:TOKO
:How come?
:AIKO:
:As soon as I get home, we're going to Grandma's house. So I
:won't be in trouble until much later.
:TAEKO:
:Wow, that's nice.
:Toko-chan [Toko], are you going to the country, too?
:TOKO
:Yeah, to Nagano. Are you, Taeko-chan [Taeko]?
:TAEKO:
:I'm not sure.
:TSUNEKO:
:Well, guess what--my father bought a cabin!
:TAEKO:/TOKO/AIKO (in unison)
:Wow, that's great!
:(1966: Okajima Residence)
:MOTHER (OFF)
:As I expected, your math grade's not good.
:TAEKO:
:Yeah, but I got a "B" in science {*}. Oh, Mom? Are we going
:somewhere for vacation?
:{* A "4" in the Japanese numerical system of 1-5. She got a
:"2" in math, which equates to a "D", her worst score on the
:card.}
:MOTHER
:Nowhere special.
:TAEKO:
:Hey, Mom, take me someplace.
:MOTHER
:I'll take you to a movie. "Tsuru No Ongaeshi" [<The Crane's
:Return>] {*} is playing, isn't it?
:{* "Tsuru no Ongaeshi" is a 1966 theatrical puppet-animation
:film. It is not mentioned in the original Omoide Poro Poro
:manga, so it is probably mentioned here as a tribute by
:Director Isao Takahata. Going to see it by itself really is
:NOT a big deal, as the film was only 17 minutes long! It
:did, however, on a positive note, feature with the
:legendary Osamu Tezuka's first theatrical release of Jungle
:Taitei (Jungle Emperor/Kimba the White Lion) and two other
:shorts. The film itself is of a classic Japanese folk tale
:about a kind peasant who frees a crane from a trap, and is
:repaid in a supernatural fashion for his kindness--but later
:his curiosity gets the better of him, and by breaking a
:promise, his reward turns forfeit.}
:TAEKO:
:That's not what I meant--someplace in the country.
:MOTHER
:The country?
:TAEKO:
:Right, like "Grandma's house in the country".
:MOTHER
:Your Grandmother lives here, doesn't she?
:TAEKO:
:Then Grandpa!
:MOTHER
:Didn't he pass away? We don't know any places in the
:country. Please don't ask for something we can't possibly
:do.
==Act2==
:(1982: Eidan Marunouchisen subway {*})
:{* One of the oldest, if not the oldest, subways in Japan,
:and one of the more famous, because of its distinctive red-
:with white stripes paint scheme. It connects Ikebukuro to
:Ogikubo, and Taeko's stop is at Ohtemachi.}
:NARRATOR (1982 Taeko, Voice Over for all narration)
:I was born and raised in Tokyo, and my parents were as well.
:I always envied my friends who had a country hometown to
:return to.
:(1966: Okajima residence)
:NANAKO
:It's impossible to take a trip now, because everywhere will
:be crowded.
:TAEKO:
:But I want to go somewhere.
:GRANDMOTHER
:How about Ohnohya?
:MOTHER
:Huh?
:GRANDMOTHER
:We've been regular visitors, so if we chose to go to Ohnohya,
:we might be able to reserve a room.
:TAEKO:
:Where, where is it?
:NANAKO
:Oh, sure--Ohnohya is good, because Taeko hasn't been there
:before.
:MOTHER
:Say, that's right...
:TAEKO:
:Hey, is it in the mountains? By the sea?
:YAEKO
:It's the Atami hot springs.
:TAEKO:
:Huh--"Atami"?
:NANAKO
:Right. You can reach it by bullet train.
:YAEKO
:Oh, sure, that place would be good.
:TAEKO:
:Atami...
:NANAKO (OFF)
:It's really fun--there are all kinds of baths.
:YAEKO
:Um, yeah, there's a giant Roman Bath.
:NANAKO
:That's right, and many smaller ones like the Swan Bath
:and the Pansy Bath {*}.
:{* "Pansy": "Sanshiyokusumire", a fancier floral name in
:Japanese meaning "three-colored violet".}
:YAEKO
:Right, right! The Pansy Bath!
:TAEKO:
:Pansy Bath?
:YAEKO
:Yeah, it's a really fantastic bath!
:NANAKO
:Taeko, you just love baths, don't you?
:MOTHER (OFF)
:Okay, well Father is working and can't go, so why don't you
:four go together?
:YAEKO/NANAKO (unison)
:Huh?
:YAEKO
:US...
:NANAKO
:...go TOO?
:(1966: Park)
:RADIO (reel-to-reel tape recorder) EXERCISES {*}:
:1,2,3,4,5,6...lean to the side...
:{Calisthenics required for P.E. during vacation time}
:SIXTH GRADER
:Taeko-chan [Taeko], it's incredible--you've come to every
:single radio exercise.
:TAEKO:
:Well, everyone else has gone to the countryside, after all.
:SIXTH GRADER (OFF)
:Taeko-chan [Taeko], aren't you going anywhere?
:TAEKO:
:I'm going!
:SIXTH GRADER
:Where?
:TAEKO:
:Atami!
:SIXTH GRADER
:Atami? What are you going to Atami for?
:TAEKO:
:To go bathing!
:SIXTH GRADER
:Ohhh?
:Well, it's good timing. I'll be going, too--my relative's
:place, next Monday. So maybe no one will come to exercises
:for a while.
:(1982: Taeko's one-room apartment)
:NANAKO (OFF/TELEphone)
:Hello, Okajima residence.
:TAEKO:
:Ah, Nanako `ne-san [Nanako]? It's me, Taeko. I'm leaving
:today, and was wondering if Mitsuo `ni-san [Mitsuo] {*} had
:anything for me to tell his family at the farm.
:{* This particular use of "`ni-san" uses a different
:character when written, meaning "brother-in-law": in this
:case Mitsuo is the husband of Nanako of 1982. This usage
:will also appear later for Mitsuo's brother Kazuo, and
:his wife, Kiyoko}
:NANAKO (TELE)
:Hmm...doesn't seem like he had anything special to say...oh
:yeah, would you buy some cookies or something for Naoko-chan
:[Naoko]? Say it's from Mitsuo Oji-chan [Uncle Mitsuo] and
:me, and I'll pay you back later.
:TAEKO:
:That's fine...I'll say hello for you. How's Mother?
:NANAKO (TELE)
:She went out today. She was angry, though--after all, you
:did turn down her Ohmiai [<arranged marriage (traditional)>]
:meeting, didn't you? Considering that you're 27, you're not
:going to get any better choices for a husband.
:TAEKO:
:That's all Mother ever talks about.
:NANAKO (TELE)
:But you should think about it, you know. You're not so young
:anymore.
:TAEKO:
:Is that so?
:NANAKO (TELE)
:Yes, it is--you can't be a cute little girl forever.
:You can be so impulsive--you actually pitched in with the
:farming last year, didn't you?
:TAEKO:
:Yeah, harvesting rice! And this year, I'm going to pick
:benibana [<safflower>] {*}.
:{The benibana is not a native flower of Japan, but is in fact
:the safflower of Egypt, and was introduced to Japan in early
:600 A.D. More will be explained about this flower at length
:later in the film.}
:NANAKO (TELE)
:Benibana [Safflower]?
:TAEKO:
:That's right! Because of your husband's family in the
:country, I can have a hometown.
:I might as well make the most of it!
:{Taeko's cassette tapes include Billy Joel: Flowers in the
:Attic, Dan Siegel, Southern All Stars (Tiny Bubbles), Yuming
:II (Yumi Matsutouya, who sang the theme music for Kiki's
:Delivery Service), Darryl Hall and John Oates, and Pointer
:Sisters.}
:NANAKO (TELE)
:Oh, cut that out.
:You don't get a vacation like this often, so instead of
:staying at such an old place, why not go to a nice rental
:cottage and have a "delicious life" {*}?
:{*"delicious life" (oishii seikatsu) is a catch-line from a
:commercial for the department store "Seibu". It was written
:by the famous copy writer Shigesato Itoi, who wrote the copy
:for ads for many commercials including for all of Miyazaki's
:films as well as this film, and was the voice of the father
:in My Neighbor Totoro. This commercial's copy was inspired by
:a Fellini film, and the commercial starred Woody Allen. This
:commercial popularized the use of "oishii" (delicious) as a
:slang word used to describe things besides food.}
:NANAKO (TELE, with 1966 insert)
:You might be able to meet a nice guy.
:TAEKO:
:Stop, stop! You're trying to trick me again, like you did
:with the Pansy Bath at Ohnohya!
:NANAKO
:Ohnohya..? Oh...ah, that time, huh?
:You just talked about that a while ago, too. What a burden
:your past must be if you're still holding a grudge like that!
:(1966: bullet train)
:NARRATOR
:At that time, my sisters wouldn't have been caught dead going
:to a place like Atami.
:(1966: Ohnohya--Atami)
:TAEKO:
:Oh...
:Grandma...?
:GRANDMOTHER
:Hmm...?
:TAEKO:
:Done yet?
:C'mon, let's go to the bath.
:GRANDMOTHER
:Didn't we just go?
:TAEKO:
:But that was only to the Swan Bath.
:NARRATOR
:I was incredibly bored.
:So starting with the Grimm Bath, and then to the Mermaid
:Bath, the Lemon Bath, and the Pansy Bath, I went from one to
:the next on my own.
:TAEKO:
:It's enormous!
:NARRATOR
:By the time I had reached the Roman Bath, I was starting to
:feel dizzy...
:TAEKO:
:Wow...!
:NARRATOR
:...And I finally passed out.
:(1966: Park)
:NARRATOR
:Thus my much-anticipated one-night trip came to an abrupt
:end, and was followed by a long, long Summer vacation that
:was still waiting for me.
:RADIO EXERCISES:
:...Jumping jacks--open, close, open, close. Next, arm and
:leg exercises. 1,2,3...
:(1982: Market on way to station, at Izumiya {*})
:{* Izumiya is a chain that sells western cookies and
:cakes and other goodies}
:NARRATOR
:When I met with my sisters last time, I slipped and mentioned
:the disastrous bath trip, so we laughed, "Oh yeah, and then
:there was that time...", and the conversation turned to other
:memories of those days.
:{The music that can be heard in the background here is
:"Raideen" by Yellow Magic Orchestra from their hit
:"Technopolice" single (notice both are anime show titles...).
:With their innovative uses of synthesizer music integrated
:with computer programs, they were one of the key groups in
:establishing the "Technopop" genre of music. Keyboardist
:Ryuichi Sakamoto went on to fame for winning an Academy Award
:for creating the soundtrack of "The Last Emperor", and more
:significantly to anime fans, he created the soundtrack of
:Gainax's first film and highest budget anime film ever,
:"Oneamisu no Tsubasa" ("Wings of Honneamise"), released in
:1987.}
:(1966: Okajima Residence)
:YAEKO (OFF)
:You've eaten this before?
:NANAKO (OFF)
:Nope, my first time.
:TAEKO:
:Remember, I'm the one who asked for it {*}.
:{* In the manga, Taeko's best friend, Toko, got one at her
:birthday party from a Japanese-American friend, which sparked
:Taeko's interest in the fruit.}
:YAEKO
:We know.
:NANAKO
:Where did you buy it, Dad?
:FATHER
:The Senbiki shop in Ginza {*}.
:{* Popular for carrying more exotic foreign produce.
:Imported produce like pineapples, bananas, etc. were rare at
:the time and costly luxury items.}
:MOTHER
:It was expensive, then?
:YAEKO
:So, how do we eat this?
:NANAKO
:We slice it into rings.
:YAEKO
:How?
:NANAKO
:...I don't know.
:MOTHER
:Father, didn't you ask the people at the shop?
:FATHER
:Uh-uh.
:MOTHER
:Let's eat it next Sunday.
:TAEKO:
:Huh---we're not going to eat it today?
:MOTHER
:But we don't know how to eat it, do we?
:YAEKO
:I'm gonna eat a banana.
:TAEKO:
:Me too!
:GRANDMOTHER
:Warmer countries have rather unusual fruit, don't they?
:(1966: later on)
:NANAKO
:I'm home!
:I found out how to serve pineapple.
:TAEKO:, YAEKO (unison)
:What, really?
:TAEKO:
:I..I'll get that.
:FATHER
:Carefully, now.
:MOTHER
:Wouldn't a fish knife be better?
:TAEKO:
:Nice smell, nice smell!
:Nice fragrance, nice fragrance!
:FATHER
:Oh, I see.
:NANAKO
:Hey--plates, plates!
:YAEKO
:..Oh, right!
:FATHER
:Itadakimasu [We shall try it now].
:FAMILY
:Itadakimasu [Let's try it].
:TAEKO:
:It's tough.
:FATHER
:Not such a big deal.
:NANAKO
:Not very sweet at all.
:YAEKO
:It's completely different from when it's canned.
:GRANDMOTHER
:If you live a long time, you get to have many experiences.
:YAEKO
:Taeko can have mine.
:NANAKO
:Mine too.
:TAEKO:
:...Delicious...
:MOTHER
:You don't have to force yourself to eat it.
:FATHER
:You'll get a stomachache.
:YAEKO
:Oh well, that was boring.
:NANAKO
:Bananas are far more tasty, aren't they?
:YAEKO
:True, true.
:NANAKO
:As I expected, the banana is the king of fruit, I guess.
:YAEKO
:I'm gonna have a banana.
:{The TV music is "Tokyo Blues", a hit two years earlier.}
:TAEKO:
:As I thought, the king of fruit is...
:the king of fruit is...
== Act==
:(1982: the market, and Uenoeki Station {*})
:{* Uenoeki Station is the largest station and transportation
:hub of Japan, the station for a number of express trains to
:all reaches of Japan, including the Akebono 3 Line, Taeko's
:next train. She used the subway mentioned earlier to get
:there. The Akebono 3 line is an overnight express that stops
:in Yamagata, and includes sleeping compartments. Her time of
:departure is 10:24 P.M., and time of arrival in Yamagata is
:3:51 A.M.}
:NARRATOR
:...the banana!
:The year I passed out at the Roman Bath and ate pineapple for
:the first time, was the same year that the "group sound"
:became a fad, starting with the Beatles' visit to Japan.
:Soon after that, the electric guitar boom would come.
:{the music playing is "Memories of Nagisa" (Omohide no
:Nagisa), by The Wild Ones, one of the debuting "group sound"
:groups alluded to here.}
:My sister Nanako 'ne-san [Nanako] was a freshman at an art
:college, and was always the first to try out all the new
:fads.
:NANAKO
:Yeah, "Michelle," isn't it? Another cool Beatles song, huh?
:NARRATOR
:She tried the mini-skirt when it first came out, and like
:everyone else, she hid her behind with a bag whenever going
:upstairs.
:My other sister, Yaeko 'ne-san [Yaeko], the smart eleventh
:grader, was completely in love with someone in the Takarazuka
:theater {*}.
:{* a form of theater performed entirely by a female cast,
:including the male roles, which has been popular for some
:time now (Osamu Tezuka, for example, cites being influenced
:by his trips to the Takarazuka when he was a child), sort of
:a counterpart to the all-male Kabuki performances.
:Takarazuka focuses on Western dramas. The "someone" Yaeko
:was in love with was the male-impersonator "Gon-chan", whom
:the Okajima family dog is apparently named after.}
:TAEKO:
:Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko]...
:YAEKO
:D....didn't I tell you to always knock first??!!
:NARRATOR
:The memories that my sisters mainly talked about were the
:stars and fashions that they were into. 1966 was a memorable
:teenage year for my sisters. But back then, I was only in
:the 5th grade.
:I became a fan of Julie of The Tigers {*}...
:...but they didn't debut until later. There was no way for
:me to have big dreams in the days when I was just simply
:going back and forth between school and home.
:{* The Tigers was another "group sound" group that would
:debut the next year in 1967. Lead singer Kenji "Julie"
:Sawada was a pop singer (idol) who was popular with high and
:junior high school girls and would later continue a popular
:solo career.}
:TAEKO:
:...and it's been on the wall for a long time.
:MOTHER
:That's nice.
:TAEKO:
:And I was told to keep the essay I wrote on the book, because
:they might send it to a contest.
:If that happens, I'll be very happy...
:MOTHER (OFF)
:You didn't eat your school lunch again.
:TAEKO:
:...huh?
:MOTHER
:Why do you put it between bread?
:TAEKO:
:Because I hate namasu <daikon radish and carrots marinated in
:vinegar>.
:MOTHER
:Well, if you do this, we can't use the bread or the namasu.
:How wasteful.
:The kid who can eat all of her food is more respected than
:the one who can write an essay.
:(1966: classroom--Fifth grade, room 5)
:{The classroom music being played, and used for a humorous
:effect, is The Hungarian Rhapsody #5 by Brahms. This may
:or may not be a subtle tribute from director Takahata to
:Warner Brothers cartoons, particularly Friz Freleng, which
:used the same technique of synchronizing humorous animation
:with classical pieces, including this score. It also
:serves, in a way, as a foreshadowing tie to the real
:Hungarian music that plays a role in the later 1982 parts of
:this film.}
:SUU'
:Wow, how can you drink that tasteless stuff?
:TAEKO:
:The milk's all right. It's the daikon radish and onion I
:can't stand.
:SUU'
:Since I'm leaving carrots today, I have to drink the milk.
:I wonder who decided you could only leave one thing?
:TAEKO:
:Want me to drink it?
:SUU'
:W..would you?
:TAEKO:
:And next time, you could eat my daikon or onion in return?
:SUU'
:Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.
:"Thank you!"
:LUNCH CREW (pony-tail girl)
:Aah, carrots!?
:SUU'
:You can leave one thing, you know...
:TAEKO:
:I was right, the second bowl is worse...
:(1966: class meeting)
:BOBBED-HAIR GIRL
:There are people who keep running if they are told to start
:over again by the hall monitors. I think to keep running is
:really bad.
:"SPARE ME"
:"Start over again?" Spare me.
:RIE
:You can't run in the halls.
:PUT-UP HAIR GIRL, HER FRIEND
:That's right, that's right.
:TOKO
:It's dangerous--you might hurt somebody.
:SUU'
:No way--if I hit a girl like you, Toko, I would be the
:one hurt.
:TOKO
:Oh, PLEASE...
:SUU'
:I'm hit!
:TSUNEKO:'S NEIGHBOR
:Once you ran, what can you do about it?
:AIKO:'S NEIGHBOR
:Here, here.
:PUT-UP HAIR GIRL AND FRIEND
:Be quiet.
:Who asked you, anyway?
:TAEKO:'S NEIGHBOR
:Why not abolish the system of starting over?
:HIS NEIGHBOR (GIRL)
:You can't, it's part of the rules.
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:If you have an opinion, please raise your hand.
:TSUNEKO:
:I do.
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:Tani-san [Miss Tani].
:TSUNEKO:
:I think the hall monitor should run after the runner, catch
:them, and make them go back and start over.
:BOYS
:I do!
:I do!
:I do!
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:Suzuki-san [Mr. Suzuki]
:SUU'
:And then the hall monitor has to go back and start over, too.
:BOYS
:Right, right!
:BOBBED-HAIR GIRL'S NEIGHBORS (BOYS)
:That's more like it! {*}
:{* Actually, "Iijanaaaaai!" (Isn't it good?), a gag-line
:used by the comedian duo "Haruno Tic-Tac"}
:RIE'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:That's right.
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:Yes, Tani Tsuneko-san [Miss Tsuneko Tani].
:TSUNEKO:
:I don't think that the hall monitors need to start over
:because...their job is just like a police patrol car catching
:a speeder.
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:Any opposing arguments?
:TONOMURA
:Like a patrol car...?
:TAEKO:'S NEIGHBOR'S NEIGHBOR (GIRL)
:...Then running is no good.
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:The decision rests on allowing the hall monitor to run.
:Anything else to discuss?
:TSUNEKO:
:Yes.
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:Tani-san [Miss Tani].
:RIE'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Her again?!
:SUU'
:The show-off!
:TAEKO:
:Quit chattering.
:TSUNEKO:
:Lately I've been seeing people leaving food at lunch. I
:just read a magazine article about the war in Vietnam. In
:foreign countries like those there are many poor people. We
:are happily more fortunate.
:TSUNEKO:'S NEIGHBOR
:Yeah, "we're happy." {*}
:{* Reference to the hit song "Kimi to Itsumademo" ("Be
:Forever with You"), by the still popular Yuzo Kayama. It
:comes from a part of the song that is spoken, not sung.}
:TSUNEKO:
:(A-hem!)
:We must be thankful for the food we have. Right now we may
:leave one thing per meal, but I feel that is too lenient.
:RIE'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Geez, Tsuneko...aren't you the goody two-shoes?
:TSUNEKO:'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Bleah!
:AIKO:'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Why can't we leave even one thing?
:SUU'
:And then everyone could leave the milk.
:TAEKO:
:Why not ask somebody to eat what you don't like?
:TAEKO:'S NEIGHBOR'S NEIGHBOR.
:That's obvious.
:BRAIDED HAIR GIRL'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Some people leave extra by hiding it between their bread.
:BRAIDED HAIR GIRL
:Ohh, cheaters!
:BOY (OFF)
:School lunch stinks.
:MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
:Raise your hand!
:FEMALE CLASS PRESIDENT (KOBAYASHI {*})
:Raise your hand!
:{* See the last portion of the movie, dealing with "Abe"}
:CLASS PRESIDENTS
:If you have an opinion, raise your hand, please!
:"SPARE ME"
:"Oh...you got me!"{*}
:{* gag-line from the comedian trio "Tempuku Trio"
:("Sinking Trio")}
:{The music which can be heard in the background here is
:"Damatte Ore ni Tsuite Koi" ("Shaddup and Stick with Me") by
:the group Hana Hajime & the Krazy Kats. This was the main
:title song of the movie "Horafuki Taikoki," and the famous
:starring actor, Hitoshi Ueki, was a member of this group.}
=== Act===
:(1982: Train station)
:NARRATOR
:After I said goodbye to my sisters and went to bed, one by
:one, my memories of fifth grade came back.
:Memories about our dog, Gon...about sports day...about the
:scary feeling we got from reading Kazuo Umezu's comics...and
:even about yearning for an electric pencil sharpener {*}.
:{* All of these memories are stories from the original manga
:not adapted in this film. Kazuo Umezu was a popular creator
:of horror comics. The story in particular that scared her
:was "Mama ga Kowai" ("Mama is Scary") ran in Shojo Friend
:magazine in 1965 (actually when she was in the fourth
:grade, though she wrote an essay about it as a fifth grader),
:and was about a girl whose mother is really a snake-woman:
:Taeko wound up extremely suspicious of her OWN mother for a
:while after that...}
:(1982: Train hallway)
:Even such trivial things came back vividly, occupying my mind
:as if I were watching a movie, and overwhelmed the real me.
:(1966: Fifth grade, room 5)
:GIRL "A" FROM ROOM 4
:Is there an "Okajima-san" [a "Miss Okajima"] here?
:There's the one.
:{The strange way the girls are walking is in imitation of a
:commercial for "Renown" women's apparel, one of the few
:color commercials of its time. The American women in the
:commercial walked in this unique manner (long, confident
:strides, in step), which was very surprising to the Japanese
:viewers.}
:Hirota-kun [Hirota] says that "I like Okajima-san [Okajima]
:of room 5."
:...Shall we go?
:I'm gonna tell Hiro that you know, now!
:GIRL "B" (ROOM 4)
:Hurry up!
:TOKO
:So it IS true?
:(1966: Sukebeyokocho: "Naughty Alley")
:TSUNEKO:
:Where, where?
:TOKO
:Over there.
:GRAFFITI
:"Taeko Okajima, 5th grade, Room 5 + Shuji Hirota, 5th grade,
:Room 4"
:{To the right of this is a drawing of Tetsujin 28go, the
:first anime giant robot, and quite popular at that time (and
:known in the U.S. as "Gigantor").}
:TSUNEKO:.
:Oh, she's right!
:AIKO:
:Whoa...
:TOKO
:See?
:TSUNEKO:
:What kind of guy is Hirota-kun [Hirota]?
:AIKO:
:I don't know.
:TOKO
:Me neither.
:TSUNEKO:
:Taeko-chan [Taeko], are you sure you don't know him?
:TAEKO:
:I..I..I don't know him. Not at all.
:(1966: Fifth grade, classroom 4)
:TSUNEKO:
:Which one here is named Hirota-kun [Hirota]?
:BOY
:Oh, its some room 5 kids.
:GIRL A
:Hiro, you're being called.
:HIROTA
:Yes, that's me!
:TSUNEKO:
:D...don't write strange things at "Naughty Alley"...
:HIROTA
:Huh?
:TSUNEKO:
:...Okajima-san ["Miss Okajima"] said to tell you.
:HIROTA
:I...I didn't write anything.
:GIRL A
:Ah, but Hiro, didn't you say you liked "Okajima-san [Miss
:Okajima] from room 5?"
:GIRL B
:He did, he did!
:GIRL C
:So we wrote it for you.
:HIROTA
:Whaa...?!
:GIRLS ABC (singing, in unison)
:"I love you, but..."
:GIRL C
:Cha cha cha cha!
:GIRLS ABC (cont'd)
:"...we're apart,"
:GIRL C
:Cha cha cha cha!
:GIRLS ABC (cont'd)
:"just like the stars..."
:GIRL C
:Cha cha cha cha!
:GIRLS ABC (cont'd)
:"...that we see far away. {*}"
:{* "Hoshi no Flamenco" ("Flamenco of Stars"), another hit at
:the time by Teruhiko Saigo, this will appear again in the
:film in instrumental form.}
:TSUNEKO:
:Goodbye.
:(1966: school hallway)
:TSUNEKO:
:Taeko-chan [Taeko]!
:We just got back from meeting Hirota-kun [Hirota].
:TAEKO:
:Whaa...?
:TSUNEKO:
:I certainly didn't forget to tell him you didn't want him
:writing strange things!
:AIKO:
:Tsuneko-chan [Tsuneko]!
:TSUNEKO:
:Oops, not supposed to do that.
:BRAIDED HAIR GIRL
:Good for you, Taeko-chan [Taeko-chan].
:(1966: Room 5)
:BRAIDED HAIR GIRL
:Here, here. Look there--that's Hirota-kun [Hirota].
:SUU'
:What, Hirota from room 4 likes Okajima?
:Hirota's incredible--he's an ace.
:TOKO
:Oh, a pitcher?
:SUU'
:The only one who can hit that guy's pitches is Tonomura.
:TSUNEKO:
:Whoa, you don't say?
:SUU'
:We'll be playing against the team from his class in the fifth
:grade school tournament.
:{The music here is the instrumental version of "Hoshi no
:Flamenco," quoted by the girls earlier.}
:(1966: Fifth grade tournament)
:CLASS 4
:Go for it, go for it, Hirota!
:Go for it, go for it, Hirota!
:UMPIRE
:"Play ball!"
:CLASS 5
:Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!
:Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!
:GIRL A
:Go for it, Hiro...!
:...Okajima-san's ["Miss Okajima's"] watching you!
:TSUNEKO:
:Tonomura-kun (Tonomura), good luck!
:UMPIRE
:"STRIKE!"
:CLASS 4 STUDENT (OFF)
:Attaboy, Hiro!
:CLASS 4 STUDENT 2 (OFF)
:Strike 'em out, Strike him!
:TSUNEKO:
:Taeko-chan [Taeko], I'll never forgive you if you encourage
:their side.
:TAEKO:
:I...I wouldn't even think of such a thing!
:TSUNEKO:, leading CLASS 5
:Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!
:Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!
:Hit it, hit...
:UMPIRE
:"OUT!"
:CLASS 4
:All right, all right, Hirota!
:All right, all right, Hirota!
:CLASS 5 BOY (OFF)
:Get him, Suu'!
:CLASS 5 BOY
:One leg hitter {*}!
:{* The famous one-leg hitting (also known as "Flamingo
:hitting") popularized by Japanese baseball legend Ou
:Sadahara, a Chinese player for the Yomiuri Giants, also known
:as "One-chan" because his Chinese name is the same as the
:character for the number "one", and his uniform number, is of
:course, the same.}
:UMPIRE
:"Strike!"
:"Strike!"
:"Strike! Batter out!"
:TAEKO:
:Amazing...
:CLASS 4
:All right, all right, Hirota!
:All right, all right, Hirota!
:All right, all right, Hirota!
:NARRATOR
:Even though I knew nothing about baseball, at least I could
:tell he was incredible.
:CLASS 4
:All right, all right, Hirota!
:All right, all right, Hirota!
:AIKO:
:What's the matter, Taeko-chan [Taeko]?
:NARRATOR
:Because of the cold and my nervousness, I had to run to the
:bathroom five times.
:CATCHER
:Over here!
:UMPIRE
:"Safe!"
:"Game Set."
:5 to 3. Class 4 wins.
:TEAM MEMBERS
:Thank you for the game.
:GIRL B
:Terrific, Hiro!
:GIRL C
:Way to go!
:GIRL A
:You were great!
:TSUNEKO:
:It's Suu's fault.
:SUU'
:Why?
:TEAM MEMBER
:You don't know anything.
:SUU' (OFF)
:Even Tonomura couldn't hit the ball, so how could we win?
:TEAM MEMBER (OFF)
:Right.
:TSUNEKO: (OFF)
:It's because Suu' had an error. That's how we gave them
:three extra points.
:SUU'
:That's not true.
:BOY 1, CLASS 4
:Hey, the coach is going to buy us all ice cream!
:BOY 2, CLASS 4
:Really?
:BOY 3, CLASS 4
:Great!
:GIRL A
:Hey, Hiro, why don't you go talk to Okajima-san [Okajima]
:from room 5?
:GIRL B
:Yeah, yeah!
:TAEKO:
:I...I'm...ggg, going home!
:AIKO:
:What's the matter, Taeko-chan [Taeko]?
:GIRL A
:Hey, she's going home...
:(1966: crossroads)
:HIROTA
:Uh..umm!
:Nah! ...Naughty! n..n..nah-Naughty Al..luh...
:...luh...al..al...
:Ruh...Rainy days!
:TAEKO:
:Huh?
:HIROTA
:...Cloudy days, or sunny days...which do you like?
:TAEKO:
:...kuh..Cloudy days...
:HIROTA
:Oh, we're alike!
:{The music here is an instrumental adapted from the
:theme of the theatrical version of "Ohanahan", the mega-hit
:NHK drama series (with a maximum viewership of 54%, and an
:overall average of 46%) from that time. The fact that the end
:of the music and the end of the sequence sync perfectly was
:not intentional, but nonetheless a lucky accident.}
:{The starry eyes Taeko has in this one scene are
:appropriately in the style of popular girls' manga of this
:time frame.}
:(1982: Taeko's Apartment)
:TAEKO:
:Rainy days...cloudy days, or sunny days...which do you like?
:Oh...we're alike.
:{The magazine next to Taeko on her bed is "an an", a fashion
:magazine for women published by Heibon Shuppan since 1970,
:though since then the company's name has changed to Magazine
:House. This magazine is a rival of the even more popular
:Non-No, published by Shueisha since 1971. Both magazines are
:still popular today.}
:(1982: On the train)
:NARRATOR
:I didn't intend to bring my fifth grade self with me...but
:once she was revived, she wasn't going to leave easily.
:But why the fifth grade...?
:(1966: Auditorium)
:TEACHER (OFF)
:The boys in the fourth period class will play baseball, and
:the girls will meet in the gymnasium.
:SCHOOL NURSE (OFF, but camera FADES/TILTS ON)
:Today there is something important to talk about. After you
:graduate from elementary school, you will go to junior high
:school, then high school, then grow up and have a baby. In
:order to have a baby, a woman's body starts preparing for it.
:(1966: Room 5)
:TAEKO:
:You knew?
:TOKO
:Uh-huh.
:TAEKO:
:Really?
:TOKO
:My mom told me when I was in fourth grade since I have been
:developing faster.
:TAEKO:
:"Developing?"
:TOKO
:Right...I've heard that if you're taller or more overweight
:than average, your period might come sooner. So, in other
:words, Enomoto-san [Enomoto], Onobu, and Rie-chan [Rie] all
:probably already started theirs.
:TAEKO:
:Oh...?
:TSUNEKO:
:Hey, hey...
:Will you buy THAT?
:TOKO
:I'll buy it.
:TSUNEKO:
:I thought so.
:TOKO
:Taeko-chan [Taeko], will you buy it too?
:TAEKO:
:Uh....uh-huh....
:TOKO
:Buying it's a good idea. Hey, remember like the school
:nurse said, you're going to need it eventually, after all.
:TSUNEKO:
:That's true, you know.
:(1966: Lunch, Room 5)
:TSUNEKO:'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Hey, did you know the girls are buying underpants {*} from
:the infirmary?
:{* the "underpants" in question, as the viewer might guess,
:are specially lined with a napkin and are reusable.
:According to the manga, Taeko almost was lent a pair by
:Yaeko, until she asked too many embarrassing questions about
:it, and wound up having to get her own after all.}
:BOYS
:Huh?
:AIKO:'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Didn't you know, Suu?
:SUU
:Nope.
:BOY ACROSS FROM AIKO
:How come?
:How come you're buying underpants?
:GIRL BEHIND AIKO
:W...well it's...um,
:AIKO:
:That is...
:AIKO:'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
:Why do they sell underpants at school?
:SUU
:Are they swimming shorts?
:{The music here is an instrumental of "Konichiwa Aka-chan"
:("Hello Baby"), yet another hit song from an NHK television
:show, "Yume de Aimashou" ("See you in a Dream"). Also, for
:reference toward the next scene, the boy walking past with
:his tray and a knowing grin is the infamous Nakayama.}
:(1966: Girl's Restroom)
:TSUNEKO: (OFF)
:Say what---!?
:TSUNEKO:
:You went and told Nakayama-kun [Nakayama]?
:GIRL WITH PUT-UP HAIR
:What did you have to go do that for?
:GIRL WITH PLAIN HAIR RIBBON
:You're not supposed to tell any boys!
:TSUNEKO:
:That's for sure, girls are supposed to keep it to themselves.
:PUT-UP HAIR
:Rie-chan [Rie], you like Nakayama-kun [Nakayama], so that
:must be why, well...
:TSUNEKO:
:He must've asked you to tell him.
:RIE
:Um...uh-huh.
:TAEKO:
:What's the matter?
:TSUNEKO:
:Well, Rie-chan [Rie] here went and told Nakayama-kun
:[Nakayama] all about periods.
:TAEKO:
:No way...!
:TSUNEKO:
:That Nakayama-kun [Nakayama], he'll tell everyone about it.
:RIE
:I told him to keep it a secret.
:PUT-UP HAIR
:You can't trust him on that.
:TSUNEKO:, HAIR RIBBON
:Right? Right.
:HAIR RIBBON
:Omigosh.
:PUT-UP HAIR
:The boys are so dirty-minded.
:TSUNEKO:
:They sure won't only look up skirts, now.
:(1966: Hallway)
:GIRLS
:Hey!
:SLIDING BOY
:Safe!
:GIRLS
:Eek..!
:TOKO, TAEKO, GIRL WITH PIGTAILS
:Pervert!
:TSUNEKO:
:Jerk!
:NARRATOR
:This skirt-peeping {*} had caught on earlier, and not
:surprisingly, the knowledge of menstruation only complicated
:the problem.
:{* Lifting skirts and looking up them when going past girls
:was a new fad among young boys in the mid-sixties--in
:response, many girls wore their gym shorts under their skirts
:(including in the manga).}
:SUU
:Safe! Ah, but your period isn't!
:SWEEPING GIRL
:Eek! Why you...! Wait up!
:SUU
:Sorry! Sorry!
:SWEEPING BOY
:PERIODical cleaning.
:PIGTAILED GIRL
:Jerk!
:SWEEPING BOY
:Hey, that hurt.
:SWEEPING GIRL
:Wait...!
:SUU
:Sorry! Sorry!
:STRIPED SHIRT BOY
:You've got a period.
:SHORT-HAIRED GIRL
:Do not!
:PUT-UP HAIR
:This is all Rie-chan's [Rie's] fault.
:SUU
:Ouch!
:{Need it be said that this music is "Turkey in the Straw"..?}
:(1966: Hallway)
:RIE
:I'm sorry.
:TAEKO:
:What for?
:RIE
:That I slipped and told Nakayama-kun [Nakayama].
:TAEKO:
:Well, no big deal.
:RIE
:But the school nurse said it was important, didn't she?
:TAEKO:
:That's true, but...
:RIE
:I...I was a fourth grader, when mine came.
:TAEKO:
:Huh....really?
:RIE
:So that's why sometimes I skip P.E. class.
:TAEKO:
:You skip P.E. when you have your period?
:RIE
:Right, my mother told me I should.
:Nakayama-kun (Nakayama) said that it must be a big bother for
:girls after I told him.
:TAEKO:
:You told him about skipping P.E. class?!
:RIE
:Uh-huh, though I told him to keep his promise and not tell
:any other boys.
:TAEKO:
:If you told him that...
:When any girl skips P.E. class, everyone will think she's
:having her period, won't they?!
:RIE
:Huh, you think so?
:TAEKO:
:Darn right!
:BOY IN HALL TALKING TO ANOTHER
:...really? I'll have to tell the guys. Hey...!
:(1966: Okajima residence)
:EXCUSE NOTE
:Please excuse Taeko from P.E. class because of the flu.
:TAEKO:
:(cough) I'm not going to skip P.E.
:MOTHER
:Forget it--that summer flu will only get much worse if you
:don't skip it.
:TAEKO:
:Well, then I'm staying home.
:MOTHER
:You don't have a fever, so you're going.
:TAEKO:
:Then I'll go to P.E., too.
:MOTHER
:Fine, go ahead.
:But then if you get worse, it's on your head.
:TAEKO:
:(cough) I'm going now.
:MOTHER
:I wonder when she started liking P.E. so much...
:(1966: Room 5)
:PONYTAILED GIRL
:Taeko-chan (Taeko), your face is real red.
:AIKO:
:Oh, it really is.
:TSUNEKO:
:What's the matter?
:TAEKO:
:Its a cold.
:AIKO:
:Do you have a fever?
:TSUNEKO:
:You ought to skip P.E.
:PONYTAIL
:She's right.
:TSUNEKO:
:I'll go tell the teacher.
:TAEKO:
:That's okay!
:TSUNEKO:
:But...
:TAEKO:
:I have a note to excuse me from P.E.
:TSUNEKO:
:What, well, that's okay then.
:Right?
:(1966: stairway)
:RUNNING KID
:Gangway!
:(1966: Room 5)
:RIE
:I'm also skipping it today, so we're together.
:(1966: School grounds)
:RIE
:That looks nice...
:I wish I could be playing dodge-ball.
:TAEKO:
:Rie-chan [Rie], do you...that is, are you...having your
:period?
:RIE
:Mmm-hmmm.
:TAEKO:
:I'm not, I've got a cold.
:RIE
:I know that, Taeko-chan [Taeko], you're just sick.
:TAEKO:
:Right, just sick, that's what I am.
:RIE
:A period isn't being sick, of course.
:I'm sure I could play dodge-ball.
:DODGE-BALL BOY
:Oh, period contagion!
:RIE
:Huh?
:DODGE-BALL BOY
:Back off, back off!
:That was close--any further and we could have been
:contaminated!
:TAEKO:
:("Contaminated?!")
:OTHER KID
:Hey, over here!
:RIE
:Periods are contagious?
:How stupid!
:TAEKO:
:It...It's not funny!
:RIE
:Taeko-chan [Taeko]...?
:(1966: Hallway)
:{The bin they are carrying is labeled "Dust Bin".}
:BOY
:Hey, a pair with periods!
:TAEKO:
:It's not true!
:RIE
:What a pervert, huh?
:(1966: Incinerator)
:TAEKO:
:Rie-chan [Rie], how can you stand this?
:RIE
:But it isn't really a bad thing, or so my mom tells me.
:TAEKO:
:Well, I suppose so, but...
:(1982: Overnight express)
:NARRATOR
:A larva has to become a pupa in order to become a butterfly.
:I didn't want to become a pupa....
:I wonder, maybe the reason I am remembering those days is
:because my period of becoming a pupa has come once again.
:I know something is different now compared to several years
:ago when I got my job. I am changing again.
:In work and play, we were always more lively than the boys.
:We thought we had already flown away from home...but now I
:look back and think maybe we were just too busy flapping our
:wings and forgot who we were.
:I wonder if the reason my fifth grade self is following me is
:that she is trying to tell me to look back and figure out who
:I am.
:Whatever the case, I decided to take a short nap until I
:arrived in Yamagata.
:(1982: Yamagata train station)
:TOSHIO: {*}
:'Scuse me--has the "Akebono #3" train already left?
:{* Toshio's voice actor is Toshiro Yanagiba, who debuted with
:the song-and-dance group "Iseihubi Sepia" ("iseihubi" is an
:idiom meaning "great change brought through innovation"),
:popular during the time this part of the film is set, and has
:since acted in many dramas, comedies, and films.}
:STATION EMPLOYEE
:You missed boarding it?
:TOSHIO:
:Er...no...
:Oh!
:You're...Taeko Okajima-san [Miss Taeko Okajima], right?
:TAEKO:
:Well...yes...
:TOSHIO:
:Whew, that's good!
:The car's this way.
:TAEKO:
:Um, er, excuse me, but just who ARE you?
:TOSHIO:
:Oh, don'tcha remember?
:Well, can't say I blame you, there's small chance you would.
:I'm Toshio. Um...Kazuo's second cousin.
:TAEKO:
:Oh...ah, really...?
:Oh dear.
:TOSHIO:
:What's so funny?
:TAEKO:
:Oh, um, nothing. I'm sorry, it's just I thought you were
:trying to steal my bag.
:TOSHIO:
:Huh, that's cruel--remember, I certainly made it clear I knew
:your name, didn't I?
:TAEKO:
:I spoke too soon. Thanks for coming out of your way to pick
:me up. I'm sorry about this.
:TOSHIO:
:No trouble.
:TAEKO:
:What happened to Kazuo 'ni-san [my brother-in-law Kazuo]?
:TOSHIO:
:He suddenly called last night and asked me to pick you up
:instead.
:TAEKO:
:It's been raining?
:TOSHIO:
:Yep, but it's stopped for today.
:I should've borrowed my pa's car {*}...but, well, I happen to
:like this one.
:It's a little cramped, but hop in.
:Oh, mind if I keep it on?
:{The big sign on the left states "Benibana no Yamagataji"
:("The Yamagata Road of Benibana"). This part of Yamagata's
:self-promotion. While benibana was popular in the Edo
:period, it was overshadowed by imported foreign chemical dyes
:in the Meiji period. The recent trend towards all-natural
:products, however, has brought about a revival of the use of
:benibana, and Yamagata has cashed in on this with several new
:benibana products including benibana noodles, benibana tea,
:benibana candy, and even benibana paper.}
:{* The teensy Subaru R-2 subcompact, an economical "road and
: leisure" car first manufactured by Fujijuko in 1970 in the
: shadow of the more famous R-360. It sports a 2 cylinder
: engine, and reportedly is able to do 115 kph at top speed.
: In researching the car, the movie staff took a full binder
: of reference photos and 8 mm videos.}
:TAEKO:
:Um, sure.
:What unusual music...
:TOSHIO:
:Its a group of five Hungarians called "Muzsikas" {*}.
:{* "Muzsikas" is a folk music group from Budapest featuring
:Ma'rta Sebestye'n. Three of their songs are used in this
:film: "Teremte's" ("Creation"), "Hajnali No'ta" ("Dawn's
:Song"), and "Fuvom Aze'nekem" ("My Song"). (These
:translations were in Japanese, and so may not be precise in
:English)}
:TAEKO:
:Oh, Hungarian?
:TOSHIO:
:Yep.
:TAEKO:
:Do you know much about it?
:TOSHIO:
:A little. It's music for peasants. I like it 'cause I'm
:one, too.
:TAEKO:
:Wow, that's cool.
:TOSHIO:
:Isn't it?
:You recall the time, when we all had a sake party at the
:main farmhouse {<Honke--the primary farmhouse, in a housing
:system determined by importance of position in the family by
:order of birth>} after the rice harvest, that one time...?
:TAEKO:
:Umm, oh...
:TOSHIO:
:Yep. And that time, a buncha guys crashed the party? Don't
:you recall that...?
:Well, to be quite frank, since they got wind of a young Tokyo
:gal being there, they decided to go check her out. I was one
:of those fellas.
:TAEKO:
:Ah, ah...
:TOSHIO:
:That fool!
:You came out here to pick benibana [safflower]? Are you into
:dyes or something?
:TAEKO:
:No, just curious. You see, benibana [safflowers] are
:unusual...but maybe not so much for people here.
:TOSHIO:
:Nah. What's famous is just the name of the cosmetics made
:from it, but it ain't so common anymore. Like my farm
:doesn't make it these days, for one example.
:TAEKO:
:But I heard it prospered during the Edo era.
:TOSHIO:
:True, 'cause there was a politician who gained influence
:through its sales. It would've been a big deal for the
:wealthier people, but it was only a product as far as we
:peasants were concerned.
:Ummm...
:"In the end,
:Someone else's skin would be touched by
:The vermillion flower."
:Do you know this one?
:TAEKO:
:Right, its a haiku by Basho {<Matsuo Basho>}, right? I had
:looked it up before I came here.
:TOSHIO:
:Do tell? Well, honestly, I looked it up myself yesterday.
:TAEKO:
:Really...
:TOSHIO:
:That same book also said that the women who gathered the
:flowers never were able to wear the lipstick made from
:them.
:TAEKO:
:Is there going to be a festival here?
:TOSHIO:
:Yep, the riverbank'll be full of people.
:TAEKO:
:Agriculture's still in trouble, isn't it, with fields being
:reduced to make way for markets, and such.
:TOSHIO:
:Sure, already there's a lot of trouble, and if it goes on,
:Japanese agriculture'll be ruined. Just some day, suddenly
:"poof," and its gone.
:But y'know, even with all this trouble or not, if you're
:trying your best, it still doesn't come easy. The work in
:the big city must be the same, right?
:TAEKO:
:Sure...but the people who think work is everything are
:becoming fewer in number.
:TOSHIO:
:How 'bout you, Taeko-san [Taeko]?
:TAEKO:
:Huh? Me?
:I don't think I'm obsessed...with work, but I don't hate it,
:either.
:TOSHIO:
:As for me, well, I think I can do my best in agriculture,
:'cause its so interesting to raise living things.
:TAEKO:
:You...raise livestock?
:TOSHIO:
:Huh?
:No, that's not what I meant. I do have cows and chickens,
:but I don't mean livestock. Hey, look there...rice, as well
:as apples and cherries, they're all living things.
:TAEKO: (OFF)
:Ohh.
:TOSHIO:
:Yep. If I take care of them the best I can, I feel like they
:respond to me by trying to grow up their best.
:I guess I'm sounding a bit like some hotshot farmer, huh?
:TAEKO:
:Not at all...I feel I understand.
:TOSHIO:
:To be frank, I was working at a company until recently. I'm
:really just a beginning farmer, so...
:TAEKO:
:Oh...is that so?
:TOSHIO:
:So y'know, with my parents still in good health, maybe that's
:why my attitude is positive. But that's how I have to be,
:you see? I quit the company because someone doing "organic
:farming" called me and asked me to try it, too. Everyone
:said I was a fool, but so far, I have no regrets.
:TAEKO:
:"Organic farming?"
:TOSHIO:
:"Farming that requires guts...farming that gives you guts."
:That's a little joke. An "organic farm" uses as much
:compost as possible and as few agricultural chemicals and
:chemical fertilizers as possible.
:TAEKO:
:Ohh, I've heard about this, it's non-chemical or uses few
:chemicals.
:TOSHIO:
:But that's not right, it sounds so negative. It's really an
:ideal agriculture that takes advantage of the life force of
:living things. And people are only beneficial to it. That's
:what makes the whole idea so cool.
:TAEKO:
:Huh.
:TOSHIO:
:But this "helping" part is extremely hard.
:{The music here is the famous pan pipe music of Gheorghe
:Zamfir, of Rumania. His music became internationally renowned
:in the early eighties, and two of his songs serve throughout
:the film as the theme for both Toshio and the countryside--
:"Frunzulita` Lemn Adus" ("Fluttering Green Leaves"), and
:"Ci^ntec de Nunta`" ("Song of Marriage").
:Well, I've been told to take you directly to the fields...
:TAEKO:
:Right, I'm ready to help out.
:TOSHIO:
:Oh? You're not going to sleep?
:TAEKO:
:You see, I heard that benibana [safflowers] should be picked
:in the early morning, when the dew makes the thorns soft.
:TOSHIO:
:Well, that's true, but...
:TAEKO:
:I'm a night owl, so I thought the best way to switch my life
:to being a morning person is to come by a night train.
:TOSHIO:
:Huh, you really get into it, huh?
:TAEKO:
:There it is!
:Good morning!
:KIYOKO
:Taeko-san [Taeko], welcome back!
:TAEKO:
:Once again, I'm in your debt.
:Obaa-chan [Auntie], its good to see you doing well.
:BANCHA
:Welcome, welcome.
:KAZUO
:Aren't you tired?
:TAEKO:
:No, not at all.
:KIYOKO
:I made your bed for you just in case...
:TAEKO:
:I'm fine, look--I'm full of energy!
:KIYOKO
:Wow, you really are ready--you're wearing a farming uniform.
:TAEKO:
:Though this is all I'm prepared for.
:BANCHA
:Young farmers' wives seldom wear them these days. But Taeko-
:san [Taeko], you're more into it.
:KIYOKO
:Ain't that a fact.
:TOSHIO:
:Taeko-san [Taeko]!
:TAEKO:
:Quit that!
:NARRATOR
:And thus began my second experience with country life.
:{The music here is of the Bulgarian Voice (choir), and is
:called "Malka Moma Dvori Mete", "Dilmano Dilbero". It is
:also unique in that the music either follows 7-beat or 9-
:beat time.}
:How can such a vivid crimson color be born from this flower?
:Kiyoko 'ne-san [my sister-in-law, Kiyoko] once told me a sad
:story that goes with it. Long ago, there were no such things
:as rubber gloves. When the young girls picked the flowers
:with their bare hands, they were pricked by the thorns and
:bled. The blood turned the color deeper crimson.
:I felt as if I heard the hostile feeling the girls, who never
:got to put the red color on their lips, must have had against
:the women in Kyoto that wore it.
:In order to get a handful of rouge, 60 heads of flowers are
:necessary. That shining, iridescent color had the same value
:as gold back then, I've heard.
:After washing them with water and stamping on them, kneading
:them by hand, and letting them sit in the air and water, they
:become oxidized, and begin to get closer to red in color.
:{The machine the benibana is put through here is a
:"Misokiriki", usually used for Miso.}
:In addition to that, if you let it sit two or three more
:days, the flower will ferment, becoming sticky, and turn into
:a deep red.
:Next, you stamp it with a mortar, squeeze it, and shape it
:into balls.
:And if you dry it in an oven, you finally are done with the
:flower patty, from which the main ingredient of rouge is
:made.
:A long time ago they didn't waste the remaining water which
:we got from compressing it earlier. Now this by-product
:usually goes unsaved. The crimson color, which is still in
:the leftover water, could be used for making a dye, which
:cloth can be stained in. This is the "benibana-dye"
:[safflower-dye].
:TAEKO:/NAOKO (unison)
:Be dyed! Be dyed!
:It's benibana-dye [safflower-dye]!
:Nice colors dye well--
:Nice colors make my heart brave.
:NARRATOR
:It's said that the village women, who were denied the rouge
:or bright kimonos, used to add color to their simple lives by
:using the benibana-dye [safflower-dye].
:The remaining yellow color dissolves in water, and the cotton
:or hemp is dyed with a beautiful light rouge color.
:TAEKO:
:Oh, pretty!
:NARRATOR
:Although a little time and labor has been cut these days, by
:using machines for example, every day they repeat the work of
:harvesting the flowers.
:The flower-patties get moldy easily, so precise timing when
:harvesting the flowers is necessary, for they never wait.
:If you turn around after you've finally finished picking the
:flowers, you'll see that other new flowers have emerged in
:the meantime.
:The rainy season comes without mercy, and sometimes work can
:continue until midnight.
:Day after day passed in the blink of an eye and as I
:comfortably became tired, I wondered about the women
:flower harvesters and their conditions.
:If I had a chance to help with such things during my
:childhood, I surely would have been able to write more lively
:compositions than my book reports.
:(1982: the main farmhouse)
:NAOKO:
:Hey, mom, lemme have 5000 yen <around $30 in 1982>.
:KIYOKO
:5000 yen? We don't have that kind of extra money.
:NAOKO:
:You said you'd buy me a new pair of sports shoes, didn'tcha?
:KIYOKO
:Are sport shoes so expensive?
:NAOKO:
:Yep.
:KIYOKO
:I don't buy that.
:NAOKO:
:`Cause they're PUMAs {*}.
:{* Popular Adidas sports shoes of the early eighties. This
:marks the time of when the fad of trendy sports shoes was
:just starting.}
:KIYOKO
:PUMA?
:NAOKO:
:Yep, Pu...ma!
:KIYOKO
:I don't know anything about Pumas, but I DO know you can find
:ones for cheaper.
:Like how about the same kind you have now?
:NAOKO:
:No one's wearing boring shoes like them anymore.
:Everybody's getting Puma sports shoes.
:KIYOKO
:Who's everybody?
:NAOKO:
:Kako-chan an' Megu-chan, an' also Ya-chan n' Non-chan. [Kako
:an' Meg, an' also Ya n' Non.]
:KIYOKO
:See, only four people, right?
:NAOKO: (OFF)
:I know others--everyone's buying them.
:KIYOKO
:Nope, you can't ask for that anyway when you're not helping
:with the chores enough.
:YAEKO (OFF)
:Hey, you got another dress for "Barbie-san" {*} ["Barbie"],
:didn't you--though you promised to ask for presents only on
:your birthday and Christmas--and you must have at least known
:it wasn't your birthday, right?!
:{* "Barbie-chan" was originally sold in Japan by the big toy
:manufacturer Takara, licensed from Mattel. The dolls did not
:sell well at first because of the western-styled face--
:prompting a change to a Japanese-styled face. This change
:resulted in immediate popularity, along with a similar Takara
:-designed doll called "Licca-chan", also Japanese-stylized
:(resembling a girls' comics style), and more younger in
:appearance and proportions, for possible easier
:identification with girls. Both were the biggest selling
:products Takara ever sold. However, later, the rights
:transferred to toy manufacturer giant Bandai, and currently
:"Barbie-chan" is marketed directly by Mattel.
: The equivalent toy for boys at the time was, of course,
:"G.I. Joe", owned by Hassenfield Bros. (now Hasbro), was and
:still is marketed in Japan by Takara, and would inspire new
:successful lines of toys such as "Transforming Cyborg #1" and
:"Microman". "Microman" was in turn marketed in America as
:"Micronauts" by the now-defunct Mego Corp., and set the
:precedent in both countries for 3-inch figures including the
:current "G.I. Joe" line. Takara's later "Microman" robot
:toys would later, along with the company's "Diaclone" line
:would wind up becoming the basis of Hasbro's "Transformers"
:line that would end up replacing "Microman" in Japan as
:Takara recognized the marketing package with greater
:potential. The confusion of complex international cross-
:marketing hasn't even spared the toy industry.}
:(1966: Okajima residence)
:YAEKO
:I can't believe Dad's so soft on Taeko!
:FATHER
:Did you promise that, "Ta-bo" {*} <nickname>?
:{* Period slang, a nickname--"bo" is short for "bohzu", which
:means "wild boy". "Bo" was common as a boy's nickname and
:later as slang for boys in general. Taeko is apparently
:still young and "boyish" enough in her father's eyes to be
:given a gender-bending nickname like this one. It's meant
:affectionately, yet may be subtly suggesting something about
:this otherwise all-female family's patriarch figure...}
:NARRATOR
:Unexpectedly, my fifth-grade self emerged yet again.
:TAEKO:
:But...you bought Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko] a long-sleeved
:kimono, didn't you? Even though it wasn't even an Adult
:Celebration day.
:YAEKO
:That was for my tea ceremony.
:NANAKO
:Well, we see you get a lot of little things all the time,
:while we get something big only once in a while...right?
:YAEKO
:Right!
:MOTHER
:Would you stop that...picking only the food you like?!
:TAEKO:
:Daddy, you like onions, don't you.
:FATHER
:Uh-huh.
:YAEKO
:Well, as for the long-sleeved kimono, eventually that dress
:will be yours anyway, so don't complain.
:TAEKO:
:"Hand-me-downs"...oh gee.
:NANAKO
:Well, some girls don't even get "hand-me-downs".
:YAEKO
:True, true.
:TAEKO:
:Then give me that enamel bag <purse> of yours soon.
:MOTHER
:Oh, didn't you give it to her yet?
:NANAKO
:What a baby! The sooner you give it to Taeko, the better.
:TAEKO:
:I don't want it.
:MOTHER/NANAKO/YAEKO
:Huh?
:TAEKO:
:That handbag, I don't want it...
:YAEKO
:Oh, really? That's fine, then I won't give it to you.
:MOTHER
:I won't be buying a new one.
:TAEKO:
:Fine by me!
:YAEKO
:Whew, that's good. That bag was a favorite of mine, anyway.
:TAEKO:
:I totally hate that one!
:FATHER
:Hey, I'm ready {*}. Could you take care of this?
:{* This is typical behavior for a father in a Japanese family
:like this. Rather than eat with the family, he first winds
:down with a newspaper and cup of sake, and then only when he
:is ready does he expect to be served. He seems to lead a
:life mostly separate from the family. These days, it is
:common for them to even miss the family dinner altogether due
:to being out drinking with co-workers, a mandatory ritual of
:the workplace.}
:YAEKO
:See--and the food gets thrown away anyway.
:NANAKO
:Wasteful, isn't she?
:TAEKO:
:No, don't throw it away!
:Hey, Mother...!
:MOTHER
:You picked these out didn't you?
:If you're going to complain now, then you should have eaten
:all the food on your plate.
:GRANDMOTHER
:All of my kids are so selfish.
:(1966: later)
:TAEKO:
:Hey, Daddy, could you buy an enamel bag for me?
:Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko] won't give me hers.
:{The music here is the "Trout" quintet by Schubert.}
:FATHER
:You did say you didn't want one.
:TAEKO:
:But...
:FATHER
:You said you didn't want us to get you one, so you don't need
:one.
:(1966: again later)
:MOTHER
:Hurry up and get ready.
:TAEKO:
:Mmm...
:YAEKO
:I think these shoes will do instead...
:TAEKO:
:Mom, why does Yaeko `ne-chan have to come, too?
:Daddy, Mom, and me--you said it would just be us three,
:didn't you?
:YAEKO
:I'm going because I'm through studying. Are you saying I
:can't come too?
:MOTHER
:We're having Chinese food. The more of us, the merrier--
:right?
:TAEKO:
:But Grandma said she's not coming.
:MOTHER
:Your Grandmother doesn't like fatty foods, you know that.
:YAEKO
:If you don't want us all to come, why don't you stay with
:her?!
:{The broadcast being heard in the background is the popular
:Amateur Singing Competition. Originally first broadcast on
:the radio in 1946, it was joined in 1952 by an NHK TV
:simulcast. The song that will be sung later is "Konnichiwa
:Aka-chan" ("Hello, Baby"), heard earlier in instrumental form
:in this film (the scene in which the boys are in the dark
:about the girls purchasing underwear at the school
:infirmary).}
:(1966: later)
:MOTHER
:Hey, we're leaving, Taeko.
:TAEKO: (OFF)
:Mmm...
:YAEKO
:Hurry up, slowpoke!
:TAEKO:
:I don't have a handbag.
:MOTHER
:Yae-chan [Yae], would you let her have that enamel bag?
:YAEKO
:Here.
:TAEKO:
:That hurt...
:MOTHER
:Well, let's go.
:TAEKO:
:I'm not going.
:YAEKO
:Oh, really...? Well, shall we go then, Mother?
:MOTHER
:Well, then you can stay with Grandma.
:FATHER
:What, "Ta-bo" isn't coming with us?
:TAEKO:
:I'm not going!
:FATHER
:Oh well, let's go then.
:TAEKO:
:I'm coming, too...!
:FATHER
:Barefoot..?! {*}
:{* In Japanese culture, going outside with no shoes on is
:equivalent to being just in your underwear. Taeko's father
:comes from a traditional conservative pre-war generation,
:which of course values its traditions strongly, and his
:reaction came automatically. This situation is probably a
:perfect reflection of the same event in his life as a boy.
:And the manga, by the way, takes more of an edge off of this
:when we see that he winds up not sleeping that night because
:of regretting how he automatically reacted.)
:MOTHER
:Father!
:Father, please stop!
:YAEKO
:A button came off...
:(1982: Main farmhouse's tomato patch)
:TAEKO:
:Going out was postponed, of course. My cheek was swollen and
:smarted for a long time, even though I tried cooling it with
:a towel.
:It was difficult falling asleep that night, thinking things
:like, "why do these things always happen only to me? I must
:be an adopted child. Yes, that must be why."
:And so I sobbed in my futon bed.
:NAOKO:
:Was that the first time you were slapped by your dad?
:TAEKO:
:Uh-huh. The first and last time. Only once.
:NAOKO:
:Hmmm....in my case though, sometimes, but not TOO often, it
:happens a lot.
:TAEKO:
:"Sometimes" might be better than once, I think. If its only
:the one time, then you'll wonder why that time in particular.
:NAOKO:
:But I can't believe Taeko 'ne-chan [Taeko] was so selfish as
:a kid.
:TAEKO:
:Oh, I was selfish.
:So onion wasn't the only thing I didn't like.
:NAOKO:
:Oh---what's with me, I feel over-privileged now.
:TAEKO:
:Oh--what a fix, what a fix!
:How can I ask your mother to forgive me if I made you feel
:over-privileged by telling you such a story? I couldn't!
:NAOKO:
:I'm going to give up the Puma shoes.
:TAEKO:
:Way to go! Then...you might expect a handsome allowance from
:me.
:NAOKO:
:I getcha.
:{The finger-touch an obvious, popular reference to the hit
:1982 box-office record breaker, E.T., just out in America at
:that time--the film, while advertised, would not be
:released until December 4th, yet already it was gaining a
:following.}
:NAOKO:
:Hey....!
:TOSHIO:
:What's up?
:NAOKO:
:100 yen each! <About 60 cents in 1982.>
:TOSHIO:
:Taeko-san [Taeko]--
:Tomorrow, why don't we drive to Zaoh, for a break?
:TAEKO:
:Zaoh?
:TOSHIO:
:Uh-huh. 'Cause I heard you went up to Yamadera {*} last
:year.
:{* Yamadera means "Mountain Temple". The place's namesake is
:the temple Taeko visited, which is where master poet Basho
:(referred to earlier) wrote his most famous haiku.}
:Oh, I already got the family to okay it before I came.
:TAEKO:
:Sheesh.
:(1982: Zaoh)
:NARRATOR
:Zaoh was fantastic. But Zaoh is Zaoh, after all, and the
:site is now just another holiday resort.
:{The music in the background here is by the famous New Age
:composer Kitaro, from his popular soundtrack to the NHK "Silk
:Road" documentary series.}
:TOSHIO:
:Taeko-san [Taeko], I'm curious why you're not married yet.
:TAEKO:
:Huh...um, is it so strange to be unmarried?
:TOSHIO:
:Well, nah, I wasn't saying that, but...
:TAEKO:
:The number of women who hold jobs has increased these days,
:you know that, and even most of my friends aren't married
:yet.
:TOSHIO:
:Hmm...is that right?
:TAEKO:
:Uh-huh, sure it is.
:TOSHIO:
:Ain't it?
:TAEKO:
:Sure enough.
:TOSHIO:
:I see.
:TAEKO:
:Right, it's common.
:TOSHIO:
:Hmm...
:TAEKO:
:Oh, Toshio-san [Toshio]?
:TOSHIO:
:Hm?
:TAEKO:
:When you were in elementary school, was it easy for you to
:understand dividing fractions?
:TOSHIO:
:Huh...?
:TAEKO:
:You have to switch the numerator with the denominator first,
:and then multiply it together. Could you do it like you were
:taught?
:TOSHIO:
:Hmm, I don't really remember, but I wasn't very weak in
:arithmetic.
:TAEKO:
:Oh, I see...
:TOSHIO:
:Yep.
:TAEKO:
:That's good. You probably don't remember because you could
:do them with little trouble, I suspect.
:TOSHIO:
:Uh-huh. But why do you ask?
:TAEKO:
:It seems like people who could divide fractions easily would
:have little trouble with their life after that, too.
:TOSHIO:
:Huh?
:TAEKO:
:There was a modest girl named "Rie-chan" [Rie]. Though she
:wasn't really good at arithmetic, she switched the numerator
:and denominator as told and then got 100%! Since then, she
:grew up doing what she was told, and had no troubles.
:Now she's a mother, with two kids.
:TOSHIO:
:Hmmm.
:TAEKO:
:I wasn't very good, actually. Though I am weak-minded, I get
:picky about things.
:(1966: Okajima residence)
:TAEKO:
:Uh...um, you know...be-before this test, you know? We had
:art class...and, you know...we did "blow pictures."
:MOTHER
:"Blow pictures?"
:TAEKO:
:R...right. You drop paint on drawing paper, blow like this:
:"phooooo", and you make patterns that way.
:MOTHER
:And so?
:TAEKO:
:You keep blowing "phoooo", you know, "phoooo."
:MOTHER
:So?
:TAEKO:
:My head...started hurting, from going "phoooo" so many
:times, and...
:MOTHER
:And that's what is responsible for this score?
:TAEKO:
:Th...that's right.
:MOTHER
:Uh--huh... So did you get a copy of the right answers for
:the problems you missed?
:TAEKO:
:Huh?
:MOTHER
:The right answers, did you get them?
:TAEKO:
:Um...uh-huh.
:MOTHER
:Ask Yaeko 'ne-chan [your sister Yaeko] about them, okay?
:TAEKO:
:Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko]?
:MOTHER
:Of course. Nanako 'ne-chan [Nanako] is fine, too.
:TAEKO:
:O..oh...
:I'll try Nanako 'ne-chan [Nanako], then.
:(1966: later)
:TAEKO:
:Nanako 'ne-chan [Nanako] isn't back yet, so is it okay if I
:wait until after dinner?
:I guess I'll ask Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko], then...
:YAEKO
:....Mommm!
:Mom! Mom! What the heck is THIS?
:Ho...how could this happen?!
:MOTHER
:Please explain it to her. It seems she can't make head or
:tail of it.
:YAEKO
:B-b-b-but, but this many...how could she..?!
:MOTHER
:So work with her and find out.
:YAEKO
:Does Taeko have something wrong with her head?
:MOTHER
:I'm asking you to explain it to her, okay?
:YAEKO
:But it's impossible, if you do the problem normally, to get
:this kind of score!
:MOTHER
:So then Taeko isn't normal, is she?!
:Taeko....why don't you go over it with Yae-chan [Yae]?
:You had a headache from "blow pictures", right...right,
:Taeko?
:YAEKO
:SIT.
:Recite the drills from the beginning.
:TAEKO:
:Recite the drills...? I'm in the fifth grade now, I know
:them.
:YAEKO
:If you know the drills, then why did you make those mistakes?
:TAEKO:
:Because it's dividing fractions, you know that.
:YAEKO
:All you need to do is switch the numerator with the
:denominator, and multiply the fractions. Didn't they teach
:you this in school?
:TAEKO:
:Um..uh-huh.
:YAEKO
:So, then why all the mistakes?!
:MOTHER
:Yae-chan, could you try it step-by-step?
:TAEKO:
:...how does "dividing a fraction BY a fraction" work, anyway?
:YAEKO
:Huh?
:TAEKO:
:Okay, dividing two-thirds of an apple by one fourth--that
:could mean you divide two thirds of an apple among four
:people. {*}
:How many parts of the apple does a person get, right?
:{* Yes, there is a fatal flaw in this analogy of dividing
:fractions: you are dividing the two thirds not among 4
:people, but among ONE FOURTH of a person! If this were
:explained properly to Taeko, she might have done well after
:all--in fact she seems to have quite a clear head for logical
:problems and applications, and cares beyond the rote of
:drills. (Thanks to mathematician Bill Wilkinson for
:explaining how to adjust the same analogy to properly fit the
:problem!--ed.)}
:YAEKO
:Huh....? Um...uh-huh.
:TAEKO:
:So then, one, two, three, four, five, and six--so one sixth
:of an apple for a single person.
:YAEKO
:...wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. That's MULTIPLYING fractions.
:TAEKO:
:Huh...? How come? Does a number become smaller when you
:multiply it?!
:YAEKO
:Two thirds of an apple divided by a quarter means, uh...it's
:totally off-track!
:You can't understand this because you're fussing about
:apples. You'll have no trouble if you'd just simply memorize
:that you leave multiplication as is and switch in division.
:(1966: later)
:TAEKO:
:Isn't her sister a member of Takarazuka?
:GRANDMOTHER
:"S.K.D." {*}
:{* They are listening to "Sayonara wa Dance no Ato ni" ("Say
:Farewell After the Dance"), a hit song from the prior year,
:which was sung by Chieko Baisho from the Takarazuka theater.
:Her sister was a member of S.K.D., another group of
:performers. The main lyric heard in this song is "Please
:don't say anything," because this song was chosen to echo
:Taeko's feelings.}
:YAEKO
:Taeko got a "D" {a "2"} in math class.
:NANAKO
:Huh, a "D"?!
:YAEKO
:Right, it's finally gone down to a "D".
:NANAKO
:Hmmmm.
:MOTHER
:If her score were 50 or 60%, I could simply reprimand her.
:YAEKO
:That's true...
:NANAKO
:Do you think Taeko ought to have an I.Q. test?
:MOTHER
:But when she entered school, she was diagnosed as "normal."
:YAEKO
:Maybe she's turned stupid.
:NANAKO
:When Taeko was a baby, she fell downstairs from the second
:floor, remember?
:YAEKO
:Right, right, in her walker. I thought she'd killed herself
:that time.
:MOTHER
:She only got a bump, though.
:NANAKO
:Well, that's what is affecting her now.
:YAEKO
:Right, that's got to be it.
:MOTHER (OFF)
:Not at all--she's just incredibly weak at arithmetic.
:NANAKO (OFF)
:She must be talking in class.
:YAEKO (OFF)
:Dividing fractions is quite easy if you pay attention, of
:course. Even a complete idiot can do it.
:NANAKO
:I'm worried about her future. She is going to be in the
:sixth grade, after all.
:TAEKO: (simultaneously) YAEKO
:But...I'm right, aren't I? Does she even study at all at
: home?
: MOTHER
: You're right, aren't you?
:TAEKO: (simultaneously) YAEKO
:How can I imagine dividing Certainly--you should lecture
:two-thirds of an apple by her more strongly, Mom.
:a quarter? I can't do it
:at all.
:TAEKO: (simultaneously) NANAKO
:But it's got to be right-- Arithmetic in elementary school
:dividing two thirds of an is very basic. She's
:apple means you... been goofing off, so...
:{It could be pointed out here that in the original manga,
:Taeko went on to get a 5% score on her next test, to her
:worst fears. However, on the way home, she spitefully tears
:it up and throws it in the gutter, bidding it a happy
:farewell...in the manga, Taeko would have difficulty with
:other kinds of math problems as well in other stories.}
:(1982: Zaoh--Okama)
:{Okama is the crater lake that is a main attraction in the
:Zaoh mountain range. 1570 meters above sea level, it is also
:known as the "5-color pool" as the small lake's color changes
:as the sun moves across the sky.}
:TAEKO:
:Even now, it's still tough when I think about it, you know.
:Dividing fractions.
:TOSHIO:
:Hmm...
:It's true. We farmers should've been more picky, too.
:We've always gone with the larger flow, and just followed the
:big cities--we've lost our identities.
:So we need to re-think what we consider "real wealth" and
:become more fussy about traditional farming again!
:TAEKO:
:...you caught me off-guard. I guess you meant "organic
:farming" by that, right?
:TOSHIO:
:Uh-huh.
:Actually, it's what my "Sempai" [older colleague] told me,
:but it's the way I feel, too.
:I think it's great you're keeping your memory of being picky
:about dividing fractions as an important one.
:TAEKO:
:Oh, no, I didn't mean it to sound like that. Besides, now
:some people tell me I have an enviable job, but my job is not
:the kind I could be absorbed in anyway, so...
:I can't help but admire you being so absorbed in your own
:job, Toshio-san [Toshio]--farming, that is.
:TOSHIO:
:So, you mean it's ironic, right?
:TAEKO:
:Huh? No way! No, such people are difficult to find now, in
:fact.
:TOSHIO:
:Now farming's totally declining, as you know. I wish that I
:could be completely absorbed by my job, and not worry about
:outside problems. But this isn't the case, and I
:can't help but think about all these things.
:I suppose we farmers can't survive without encouragement and
:support that comes from working with our fellows, for
:instance...
:(1982: Zaoh--ski lift)
:TOSHIO:
:Taeko-san [Taeko], you go skiing, don't you?
:TAEKO:
:Oh, a couple of times, with my co-workers.
:TOSHIO:
:Well, then why don't we go skiing this Winter, then. I'll
:help you learn.
:TAEKO:
:Are you a good skier, Toshio-san [Toshio]?
:TOSHIO:
:Nah, not so great, but I work here each Winter as an
:instructor, so...
:TAEKO:
:Oh, an instructor? Then you must be a good skier.
:TOSHIO:
:Actually a whole bunch of my friends are such instructors!
:(1982: Mountain road from Zaoh)
:TAEKO:
:Oh, now this is the country I was expecting. It's the real
:thing. Not like Zaoh.
:TOSHIO:
:Well....
:The "country".....
:TAEKO:
:Oh, I'm sorry. I keep saying the "country".
:TOSHIO:
:No, it's an important point, y'know.
:TAEKO:
:Oh?
:TOSHIO:
:Uh-huh. You see, when people from big cities see the
:forests, the woods, or the flowing water, they quickly accept
:such things as natural. However, except in the highest
:reaches of the mountains, all the sites that are called the
:"country" are actually made by people.
:TAEKO:
:People?
:TOSHIO:
:Yes, farmers.
:TAEKO:
:That forest too?
:TOSHIO:
:Yep.
:TAEKO:
:That wood, too?
:TOSHIO:
:Yep.
:TAEKO:
:This stream, too?
:TOSHIO:
:Yep.
:It's not only rice paddies or fields. Every place has its
:own history--say, from someone's great grandfather who had
:been planting or cultivating, or had been gathering kindling
:or mushrooms, since long ago.
:TAEKO:
:Oh, I see.
:TOSHIO:
:While people've been either fighting with nature or
:gaining its benefits, some good had come from what they did;
:the way the countryside has come to look now, all of this.
:TAEKO:
:Hasn't the appearance itself come without people's help?
:TOSHIO:
:Well...
:Farmers couldn't live without getting continuous benefits
:from nature, could they?
:And that's why the farmers, for a long, long time, have also
:been doing many things for nature themselves.
:One might say this is the interdependence between nature and
:people.
:Maybe this is what "the country" is.
:TAEKO:
:I see. I think that's why it's nostalgic. I've been
:thinking for a long time about why I feel like this is my
:home, even though I wasn't born or raised here.
:Oh, so that was it.
:(1982: Toshio's farm)
:TAEKO:
:Ah, my back is starting to hurt.
:Organic farming...it's not so cool after all!
:TOSHIO:
:What's cool is the concept. I told you before, helping
:living things is quite difficult.
:TAEKO:
:But it's no different from a hundred years ago, is it?
:TOSHIO:
:And that's why even organically grown rice is often
:processed with herbicides instead of by hand-weeding like
:back then. There's just not enough labor.
:TOSHIO:'S MOTHER
:You sure have been working hard, Taeko-san [Taeko]. Why
:don't we break for tea?
:TAEKO:
:Whew, you're a life-saver!
:I was just thinking of taking a break.
:NARRATOR
:Toshio-san [Toshio] helped me experience many things step by
:step.
:I was taking pride in pretending I had already known
:everything about the country.
:(1982: A sunset...)
:TAEKO:
:How nice!
:"Oh, the crows are returning home. First one..."
:Oh my, at last I could say that in a real village!
:It was my dialogue in a school play when I was in the fifth
:grade.
:My role was "village child #1" in "Kobutori Jii-san" {*}.
:{* Kobutori Jii-san is a folk story common worldwide in many
:variations. This one is about two old men who had lumps on
:the sides of their faces. One man, a kind person,
:accidentally encountered "Oni" (man-eating devil-ogres)
:engaged in a dance. To save his life, he dances with them,
:impressing them with his grace. In return, they remove the
:lump and let him leave. The other man, a bad one, heard
:this story, and tried the same, but his disruption and
:vulgar dancing angered the oni, who added the first man's
:lump to the second one's face, doubling his problem.
:Versions of this story abound elsewhere, including an Irish
:Celtic tale of two hunchbacks and singing fairy folk.}
:TOSHIO:
:Oh, is that it? I get it--I only got parts as an extra, too.
:TAEKO:
:How about you, Naoko-chan [Naoko]?
:NAOKO:
:Umm, well, I usually only got important parts because there
:were only a few people involved.
:TOSHIO:
:I guess that when our generation was born, the amount of
:immigration to the city for jobs had boomed. In other words,
:the population drifted from the country to the city and the
:amount of younger people has dwindled here.
:TAEKO:
:I see. So then you must have had many interesting
:experiences, haven't you?
:NAOKO:
:Not really. I prefer sports meets. I may not look it, but
:I'm a fast runner.
:TAEKO:
:That's good. In my case, I was always in the middle, like I
:was "village child #1" in the school play, for example.
:But the dialogue I said was something I will never forget,
:not for the rest of my life. Because of that dialogue, I
:could have become a star.
:NAOKO:
:A star?
:TAEKO:
:Yes.
:TOSHIO:
:A star, how...?
:NAOKO:
:Because of "village child #1"?
:TAEKO:
:Yes.
:TOSHIO:
:Not because of "Ojii-san" or "Oni"?
:TAEKO:
:Right. Due to my great enthusiasm.
:TOSHIO:
:Were you so pretty?
:TAEKO:
:No, not like that.
:I practiced excessively in front of a mirror in my house.
:TOSHIO:
:But you were "village child #1," so...
:TAEKO:
:Right. The dialogue was so short I couldn't be satisfied with
:it even after practicing it a hundred times. You can imagine
:that because the whole thing was "Oh, the crows are
:returning home. First one!"...
:NAOKO:
:I know! You added extra lines!
:TAEKO:
:You got it!
:(1966: school)
:TAEKO:
:Oh, look at that! The crows are returning home.
:First one...
:BOY 1
:...second one...
:TSUNEKO:
:...third one...
:BOY 2
:...fourth one.
:TAEKO:
:Farewell, crows! Take care!
:ALL FOUR (unison)
:Yay...!
:TOSHIO: (OFF/VO)
:Then your teacher praised you?
:TAEKO: (OFF/VO)
:The exact opposite.
:TEACHER
:Okay, you all did very well.
:But let's stick with what's in the script.
:(1966: a little later)
:TEACHER/ONI ACTORS (instrument sounds)
:Torerere, torere, tohyarara, tohyra...
:...suto-suto-sutoton, stuton-ton.
:NAOKO: (OFF/VO)
:In spite of you working hard to come up with those extra
:lines...
:TAEKO: (OFF/VO)
:In fact, they weren't so good, so I gave them up easily...
:but that didn't mean I had lost my will. I realized that I
:could still express myself with actions in the parts with no
:dialogue.
:(1966: Play night)
:ANNOUNCEMENT
:Next is "KOBUTORI JII-SAN" by the fifth grade class.
:ALL 4 (unison)
:Yaaaay!
:CROWS (OFF)
:Caw caw caw!
:TAEKO:
:Oh, the crows are returning home.
:TAEKO:
:First one...
:BOY 1
:...second one...
:TSUNEKO:
:...third one...
:BOY 2
:...fourth one.
:ALL 4 (unison)
:Yaaaaay!
:(1982: the sunset)
:TAEKO:
:That was it. But it was worth making the effort, and my
:acting actually got a good reputation anyway, believe it or
:not.
:My mom was asked if I belonged to a child actor's troupe,
:teachers from other classes praised me, things like that.
:However, something even far more fantastic happened...
:(1966: Okajima Residence)
:STUDENT
:Excuse me..?
:MOTHER (OFF)
:Yes?
:DON GABACHO (TV--OFF)
:...oodles of dynamite exploded with a "KER-POW!!" right in
:front of me, don'tcha know?
:TAEKO: (with cast on TV, unison)
:Don'tcha know?
:{This program is Hyokkori Hyohtan Island (Popped-up Gourd
:Island), a televised puppet show very similar to a cross
:between "Beany and Cecil", "Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood", and
:the "Muppets" set on a floating island. It ran an impressive
:1224 episodes over a span of five years, between 1964 and
:1969. It attracted many viewers with its modern-day
:storyline and songs, as well as with its fresh wide cast
:of characters. The character "Don Gabacho" seen here is the
:self-proclaimed President (only recognized by himself as
:such) of the island. He also loves chickens, and it is part
:of his daily schedule to behave like one. He also makes the
:sound of the endangered Toki crane. He is played by Arihiro
:Fujimura.}
:{Taeko is eating "Meiji Marble Chocolate", at that time
:including a free "Tetsuwan Atom" ("Astro Boy") decal inside
:its package.}
:MOTHER (OFF)
:What? You mean Taeko?
:DON GABACHO (TV--OFF)
:The three of us--myself, President Kid, and Granny Dokonjo--
:were digging for potatoes, and what a surprise, the pototoes
:were actually dynamite!
:MOTHER (OFF)
:Well...but....
:STUDENT (OFF)
:In fact, a child actress is necessary for the play we will
:perform at our school festival...and....as a student-
:community collaborative production {*}....I mean...
:Whatever the cost, we want Okajima Taeko-chan [Miss Taeko
:Okajima] to perform...
:{* If this sounds a little contrived, that's because it
:probably is--he sounds like he's trying to make his student
:production sound a lot more important than it really is,
:and is probably desperate.}
:MOTHER
:I...see...
:TAEKO:
:A child actress!
:STUDENT (OFF)
:In her case, we will practice early like in the daytime on
:Saturdays, so...
:MOTHER (OFF)
:Well....But.....
:STUDENT
:Ah...I will escort her back home every time, so..
:DON GABACHO (OFF, TV), SINGING
:{Koke Kokko no Uta ("Cock-a-doodle Song")}
:"Ko-ke kokko ko-ke kokko ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke ko-ke
:kokko" <Rooster sounds>, I crow in a loud voice,
:Announcing the hour, my day begins.
:"Au-an-an-aah," how invigorating---my day will be!
:Then I--"splish, splash"--wash my face,
:Then--"rub-a-dub"--with a dry towel,
:Then I "gobble, gobble" breakfast down--
:This is the beginning of my day...!
:"Au-an-an-aah," how invigorating---my day will be!
:Ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke, ko-ke kokko!
:(Repeats this line several times, ending with the line Taeko
:joins in on.)
:TAEKO:
:Am I going to perform in a grown-up's play!?
:Not with amateurs like those guys.
:I can perform with grown-ups!
:...A star!
:{Taeko appears on covers of Margaret weekly girl's comic
:magazine (published by Shueisha as the self-proclaimed "Queen
:of Girls' Weekly Magazines") with celebrities Yuzo Kayama and
:Yoko Naito (taken from a REAL Margaret cover), Margaret Mode,
:another magazine with the Hyokkori Hyohtan Island puppet
:cast, inside a celebrity magazine, and a cover feature with
:"A look at Taeko-chan's room".}
:TAEKO: & GABACHO (singing in unison)
:Ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke-ko-ke, ko-ke-kekko!
:{Music changes to ending credit music.}
:TAEKO:
:M..Mom...!
:So, so...?
:MOTHER
:That gentleman from NICHIDAI <Nippon University> said he
:wants you to perform for their play.
:You really shined at the school play.
:TAEKO:
:And...and...?
:MOTHER
:He was quite insistent, and begged for my approval {*}.
:{* More literally: "I was bowed to by his head many times and
:he begged for my approval." In other words, she was
:flattered.}
:(1966: at dinner)
:NANAKO
:Wow, it's great, isn't it?
:YAEKO
:I guess everyone has at least one strong point.
:MOTHER
:Wait, she's also good at compositions.
:GRANDMOTHER
:Taeko may have a talent in those areas rather than for
:arithmetic.
:TAEKO:
:That's right, that's right!
:NANAKO
:In my case, I played an old man for "Shitakirisuzume"
:{another similar folk story}, but nobody paid that kind of
:attention.
:TAEKO:
:I see, I see...
:YAEKO
:So will you...?
:NANAKO
:Maybe it could be a chance for you to become a professional
:child actress.
:TAEKO:
:Ah...
:YAEKO
:Why don't you join Takarazuka?
:NANAKO
:Sure, you might be able to join it if you begin preparing
:now.
:FATHER
:Acting is no good.
:FAMILY
:Huh...?
:FATHER
:Show business is no good.
:NANAKO
:Come on, now, "show business" is going a bit too far...
:MOTHER
:That's true, isn't it?
:FATHER
:No way. Now, serve.
:MOTHER
:...Right.
:(1966: after dinner)
:NANAKO
:Father is real stubborn, isn't he?
:TAEKO:
:Hey, why did you have to say "professional child actress"?
:NANAKO
:Can I take my bath first?
:MOTHER
:Sure, that's okay.
:TAEKO:
:You said "Takarazuka"
:and "show business", so Father...
:Hey, why did you have to say all that? Nanako `ne-chan
:[Nanako], jeez!
:NANAKO
:Lay off, would you?
:(1966: the next day)
:TORAHIGE (TV--singing)
:{"Poor Boy", re-enacted by Ichiro Nagai*}
:"Po--or boy," "po--or boy,"
:Poor me, Torahige.
:"Po--or boy," "po--or boy,"
:So far away from me home.
:Oh I...,
:When sailin' the seven seas,
:Wuz workin' real hard too.
:And now...
:Hyokkori Hyohtan Island's where I've come.
:Hey, look--must I work on 'n on?
:Or if not, will I be shippin' off somewhere again? Hmm?
:Waaaah--ahhh-aaah--ah.
:"Po--or boy," "po--or boy,"
:Poor me, Torahige.
:"Po--or boy," "po--or boy,"
:Far away from me home.
:"Pooo--oooor boyyyyyy--y!"
:{* "Torahige" is another Hyokkori Hyohtan Island character,
:originally voiced by the late Kazuo Kumakura, and re-enacted
:by the talented Ichiro Nagai (a voice in many Hayao Miyazaki
:works, particularly Captain Dyce in Future Boy Conan, and
:best known by anime fans as being the voice of Cherry in
:Urusei Yatsura). Formerly a pirate, he makes the minor
:change to being Treasurer/Secretary of Finance of the island
:as delegated by Don Gabacho. In the meantime he also runs a
:department store. Both characters often collaborate on
:elaborate schemes and scams to make money which always
:inevitably backfire on them.}
:STUDENT (OFF)
:We're not asking for much of your time, so...
:MOTHER
:Um...well, but...
:STUDENT
:Please grant this small favor.
:MOTHER
:...she's embarrassed, herself...she's shy, so...
:I'm terribly sorry you've had to come here so often.
:(1966: shopping)
:TAEKO:
:Um...Aoki-san [Aoki] from room 1 was chosen instead of me,
:after all.
:MOTHER
:Mm-hmm.
:TAEKO:
:Aoki-san [Aoki] is bragging to everyone about it, now.
:MOTHER
:Uh-huh.
:TAEKO:
:Like today, her mother came to our school. She changed to
:formal clothes, and her mom took her to Nichidai.
:Her dress had frills that fluttered alllll over the place!
:MOTHER
:Taeko.
:TAEKO:
:Huh?
:MOTHER
:You can't tell anyone at school that the young gentleman came
:to us first.
:TAEKO:
:What...?
:MOTHER
:If Aoki-san [Aoki] heard that, she would feel bad.
:Understood?
:Do you UNDERSTAND?
:TAEKO:
:Uh-huh...
:TV (OFF) (Hyokkori Hyohtan [Popped-up Gourd] Island Theme
:Song)
:Waves splash, splash, splash, splash as they are parted.
:Splash, splash, splash!
:Clouds zip, zip, zip, zip, as they speed past.
:Zip, zip, zip!
:Where is Hyohtan Island going?
:Where is it headed, as it brings us along?
:Where the sea meets the horizon of the earth,
:TAEKO: and TV (unison, singing)
:Something must be waiting.
:You may have hard times,
:You may have sad experiences,
:But we will never be discouraged:
:We don't want to cry, so let's laugh--
:Go ahead!
:Hyokkori Hyohtan Island, Hyokkori Hyohtan Island,
:Hyokkori Hyohtan Island...
:(1982: the sunset)
:NAOKO:
:I feel sorry for you, Taeko-chan [Taeko].
:TAEKO:
:I joined the drama club as soon as I entered high school. I
:guess I couldn't be expected to forget that experience.
:NAOKO:
:And?
:TAEKO:
:It was really fun. I actually got to perform as an actress,
:too.
:TAEKO:
:But I wasn't fit for acting. So, it's not really true that I
:missed the chance to become a star, unfortunately.
:NAOKO:
:But...
:TOSHIO:
:Dads--either in Tokyo or the country--used to be very
:similar, I believe... When I was in high school, I wanted to
:go to Tokyo at any cost, and, well...
:I had sent a letter to Mitsuo-san [Mitsuo] for advice about
:my course of action, in fact.
:TAEKO:
:Oh, really...?
:TOSHIO:
:Even after I gave up, when I saw my former classmates, who
:hadn't been as good at school as me, coming back from Tokyo
:and putting on airs, I was really quite humiliated.
:Oh, I've changed since then. Now I have a little bit of
:respect for Dad, at least. As my senior in farming.
:Anyway, I can really understand Taeko-chan's [Taeko's]
:feelings.
:TAEKO:
:Oh, no--I wasn't serious about that.
:TOSHIO:
:No--it's the same thing. I can understand.
:"But, we will never be discouraged."
:"We don't want to cry, so let's laugh," right? It's
:interesting--I also used to watch "Hyokkori Hyohtan Island".
:TAEKO:
:Oh, really?!
:TOSHIO:
:Yeah...Machine-Gun Dandy--he was cool, wasn't he?
:TAEKO:
:Wow, he was my idol!
:{Machine-Gun Dandy, on the police blacklist, came to Hyokkori
:Hyohtan Island seeking refuge, and wound up becoming an
:unlikely hero there. A chain smoker, he preferred "King
:Yomogi" brand cigars, if he could afford them, and if not,
:then "Saisei" ("Revive") brand cigars. He was Taeko's #1
:favorite famous guy in 1966, followed by anime characters
:"Super Jetter," "Meteor Boy Pappy," and "Eightman" as #2, #3,
:and #4, respectively, and Akira Mita as #5, while her
:classmates were more interested in popular singers, including
:the new foreign ones like the Beatles or the Monkees (who
:went over quite well in Japan). Yes, Taeko might be
:considered part of one of the earliest generations of
:"otaku"...)
:TOSHIO:
:I can imagine. Oh, it reminds me that we used to have so
:many encouraging songs back in those days--don't you think
:so? Ummm, there was the another one in "Hyokkori Hyohtan
:Island"....Oh!
:TOSHIO:
:"If today is not good,
:There will be tomorrow."
:"If tomorrow is not good,
:There will be the next day."
:BOTH (unison)
:"If the next day is not good,
:There will be the day after that."
:"There will be tomorrow,
:No matter how much time passes.
:Don, Don Gabacho, Don Gabacho."
:NAOKO:
:Weird song...!
:NARRATOR
:Toshio-san [Toshio] has been keeping the memory of the song
:in his mind as a positive song, even though it was really a
:song about procrastination which meant, "If today is not
:good, why not put it off until tomorrow?" From this, I could
:get a nice picture of his way of thinking.
:(1982: the farmhouse)
:BANCHA
:I'm afraid you're headed back tomorrow.
:TAEKO:
:Yes.
:I really must thank you for having me for so long. Please
:take care of yourself too, Obaa-chan [Auntie].
:BANCHA
:Thank you so much.
:Taeko-san [Taeko], do you like it here?
:TAEKO:
:Yeah, a great deal. I feel completely at home, here.
:BANCHA
:Really...I've only lived here since I was born and the
:wedding of Mitsuo to your sister was the only opportunity for
:me to go to Tokyo...but do you really like it here more than
:Tokyo?
:TAEKO:
:Sure, why not?
:Tokyo is messy...only buildings and cars everywhere you can
:see...
:It doesn't seem like a place for people to live at anymore.
:For me, being from Tokyo, this is like a whole different
:world here.
:BANCHA
:Honestly...? You really like this place so much?
:TAEKO:
:Sure, because of the rich nature here...
:And also the very kind people here...
:BANCHA
:Then, Taeko-san [Taeko], would you mind if I asked you to
:become...Toshio's wife?
:TAEKO:
:Huh?
:BANCHA
:Mitsuo's living in Tokyo, you love this place, so naturally
:you could live here in his place. What do you think?
:KIYOKO
:Ban-chan [Ban]!
:KAZUO
:Mom! You shouldn't blurt things out like that...
:Can't you tell Taeko-san [Taeko] is upset?
:BANCHA
:Please think about it, Taeko-san [Taeko].
:KAZUO
:Sorry, never mind her, she's just kidding.
:Right, you're just kidding, aren't you, Ban-chan [Ban].
:BANCHA
:No, I'm very serious. And I know both of you would like what
:I asked her, wouldn't y'all?
:KAZUO
:Listen here...it doesn't matter at all if we want her to
:change or...
:KIYOKO
:Of course we'd like to do that. But y'know, Taeko-san
:[Taeko] is clearly a Tokyo woman, so...
:KAZUO
:And that's it.
:KIYOKO
:But y'know, Taeko-san [Taeko] likes it here, an' works hard
:in the fields, so it's fine with us. In fact, of course it'd
:be great if she became Toshio-san's [Toshio's] wife.
:KAZUO
:What, you too--what're you saying? Don't you think this is
:rude to Taeko-san [Taeko]? Think: Taeko-san's [Taeko's] got
:a job already in Tokyo, and Toshio is younger than her, to
:boot.
:KIYOKO
:Oh, but she could find a job in Yamagata, too, couldn't she?
:Taeko-san [Taeko], please don't get angry, just hear me out.
:All young wives of farmers have other jobs on the side, these
:days, so...
:KAZUO
:Why did you have to bring all this up? Besides, Taeko-san's
:[Taeko's] only visited here twice to enjoy her vacation.
:You're only embarrassing her by saying this kind of thing out
:of the blue.
:KIYOKO
:So you're against us, then.
:KAZUO
:That's beside the point. I'm trying to say you should face
:this kind of thing realistically. We haven't even asked
:Toshio about his feelings, anyway, so I wonder how Ban-chan
:[Ban] can come off and say...
:BANCHA
:I can tell right away just by looking at Toshio.
:KIYOKO
:Right. Instead of assuming its impossible from the start,
:like you, why don't we ask how Taeko-san [Taeko] feels...
:Taeko-san [Taeko]!
:KAZUO
:Leave her alone. See what I've been saying? You should know
:better and build up to that kind of question more slowly.
:BANCHA
:I don't think I was wrong.
:(1982: the road to the main farmhouse)
:NARRATOR
:Becoming a farmer's wife. I never imagined that before...
:Yet the fact its possible for me to live in such a manner was
:enough to give a strange impression.
:"If you don't mind..." Just like in some movie I'd seen
:before. How wonderful it would be if I could speak with such
:an open heart. But I couldn't.
:My vague belief that I love the country, and my playing
:at work in the fields made me have a guilty conscience all at
:once. I was ashamed of myself, always saying "what a nice
:place" without knowing hard winters or the reality of
:farming.
:I wasn't prepared for anything. And everyone knew this from
:the start.
:I felt too awkward to stay.
:ABE (OFF)
:I'm not gonna shake hands with you.
:TSUNEKO: (OFF)
:Hey, hey, the shirt Abe-kun's wearing today--
:PIGTAILED GIRL (OFF)
:What, what?
:TSUNEKO: (OFF)
:It's the exact same one Tanaka-kun [Tanaka] wore when he was
:in the fourth grade.
:BOB-HAIRED GIRL (OFF)
:Wha....?
:TSUNEKO: (OFF)
:Keep it secret.
:PIGTAILS (OFF)
:You know what? When its Abe-kun's [Abe's] turn to feed the
:ducks, he takes the bread crumbs home for food.
:BOBBED HAIR (OFF)
:Say what?
:Have you seen Abe-kun's [Abe's] palms? Incredible!
:PIGTAILS (OFF)
:I'm sure glad my seat's not near him.
:BOBBED HAIR (OFF)
:I feel sorry for you, Taeko-chan [Taeko].
:TSUNEKO: (OFF)
:Why don't you ask the teacher to have your seat changed?
:PIGTAILS (OFF)
:Right, Right. Boys ought to sit with boys... right, Taeko-
:chan [Taeko]?
:TAEKO:
:I...I don't mind. It's rude to Abe-kun [Abe] to act like
:that.
:BOBBED HAIR
:You really don't mind?!
:PIGTAILS
:Say what? Aren't you the goody-goody?
:TSUNEKO:
:You better keep this conversation a secret, all right?
:ABE
:You want to get beat up?
:TAEKO:
:Abe-kun! [Abe!]
:TOSHIO:
:What're you doing out here?
:TAEKO:
:Nothing. I needed to walk around a little.
:TOSHIO:
:You're all soaked. But c'mon, hop in.
:It's a present, I just... Its pickled vegetables my mom
:made.
:TAEKO:
:Um, don't go back to the farmhouse.
:TOSHIO:
:Huh? How come?
:TAEKO:
:Please. Anywhere but there.
:TOSHIO:
:Is something the matter?
:TAEKO:
:I had a friend, a boy named "Abe-kun" ["Abe"].
:He transferred to my school. He got the seat next to me.
:Abe-kun [Abe] once said, "I'm not gonna shake hands with
:you."
:Abe-kun was, you see...
:I guess his family was quite poor, so he didn't even have a
:P.E. uniform. He was filthy, and wiped his nose noisily on
:his sleeve or picked it.
:And if you tried to keep from looking shocked by him, he
:threatened you by saying "You want to get beat up?" I hated
:it and could hardly bear it, so I was looking forward to the
:Summer vacation--we wouldn't be able to change our seats
:until then.
:When we danced the "Oklahoma Mixer" {yes, the American square
:dance}, I hated to hold his hand, and I also hated how he
:forced me to lend him my notebook when he didn't bring his
:homework.
:The girls gossiped about Abe-kun [Abe], whispering things
:like anti-contagion hexes <"engacho", like against
:"cooties">.
:However, at least I didn't join that group. Because I felt
:it was the worst thing to hate someone by talking about them
:behind their back. However...
:Before the summer vacation, it was time for Abe-kun [Abe] to
:move to another school again, and our teacher decided that
:all his classmates should shake his hand, one by one, to say
:good-bye.
:The feeling that no one really wanted to do this spread out
:immediately.
:Some lines of dirt were visible on Abe-kun's [Abe's] palm.
:He walked around shaking everyone's hand, but it was obvious
:that Abe-kun [Abe] was being teased a lot.
:He was supposed to shake hands with me at the end. But when
:I reached out, Abe-kun [Abe] said, "I'm not gonna shake hands
:with you."
:"I'm not gonna shake hands with you..."
:The one who was thinking the most... that Abe-kun [Abe] was
:dirty, was me.
:Abe-kun [Abe] must have known this, in fact. So that's why
:he didn't let me shake his hand...
:TOSHIO:
:May I ask what happened at the farmhouse?
:TAEKO:
:I have been such a person since I was a child, and I still
:am.
:TOSHIO:
:Ah-ha.
:You seem strange today. It's not like the Taeko-san [Taeko]
:that I know.
:Anyway, its not my business what you've been saying at the
:farmhouse.
:TAEKO:
:Um,
:Don't misunderstand--its not related to the farmhouse at all.
:I'm sorry. I remembered my time in elementary school, and
:immediately was ashamed of myself.
:TOSHIO:
:This "Abe-kun" ["Abe"] guy was a fool if it's true. It could
:have been that he liked you and didn't want to leave, so he
:didn't shake your hand, couldn't it?
:TAEKO:
:Huh? No way! The one Abe-kun [Abe] liked was Kobayashi-san
:[Kobayashi], the girl class president {see the homeroom
:debate part of this film}. He was always bullying me.
:He'd put his hands in his pockets and say things like,
:"Grown-ups are people who can spit or tear leaves off bushes
:if they feel like it, tsk!" when I met him.
:And then he'd saunter off.
:TOSHIO:
:See, I thought so--I can understand Abe-kun's [Abe's]
:feelings. I also have made a girl whom I liked cry by teasing
:her on purpose.
:TAEKO:
:It wasn't like that! He shook hands with all the other
:classmates. I was the only one he didn't shake hands with.
:TOSHIO:
:Well, that's the trouble with you girls. You just don't
:understand the way boys feel at all.
:TAEKO:
:...jeez, don't act so presumptuous.
:TOSHIO:
:Well, can't I say the truth?
:Abe-kun [Abe] wasn't so strong, was he? He couldn't bully
:boys around. And as a transfer student, he didn't have any
:friends.
:Taeko-san [Taeko], you sat next to him, so it was much easier
:for him to bully you. He was dependent on you, Taeko-san
:[Taeko], as someone he could tease.
:Essentially, he must not have wanted to shake hands with
:everyone, right? But with you, Taeko-san [Taeko], he could
:express himself honestly, like, "I'm not gonna shake hands
:with you."
:(1966: Street marketplace)
:ABE'S FATHER
:Don't act so foul!
:{Taeko is carrying a 1966 February 20th issue of Margaret
:magazine, featuring singer Kazuo Funaki on the cover.}
:TAEKO: (OFF)
:I...
:(1982: Toshio's car)
:TAEKO:
:I felt guilty about Abe-kun [Abe], and tried behaving like
:him.
:But it was too late, in spite of my actions.
:Because I can't amend the fact I hurt him by avoiding him.
:TOSHIO:
:Oh, its stopped raining.
:TAEKO:
:Hey, you're right.
:TOSHIO:
:The moon's come out.
:Quite often you can see tanuki <raccoon dog> or martens <ten>
:if you drive around here.
:TAEKO:
:Wow...
:TOSHIO:
:Should we head back, now?
:TAEKO:
:Oh! This is terrible, they must be all worried about me.
:TOSHIO:
:Whoops. I wonder if there'll be wild rumors flying around
:now?
:TAEKO:
:I'm sorry. I needed your help to recover, Toshio-san
:[Toshio].
:TOSHIO:
:I wonder what really did happen at the farmhouse, anyway...
:TAEKO:
:Oh, uh, please, don't ask a single thing about it when we
:get back, okay?
:TOSHIO:
:Then...shall I play some folk music?
:{The music is "Stornelli" a traditional Italian folk song
:performed by "Italie Eternelle." The accompanying image is
:thus of a hayride in Tuscany.}
:NARRATION:
:For the first time, I was trying to think about what my
:feelings about Toshio-san [Toshio] were, and Toshio-san's
:[Toshio's] feelings about me.
:Even if it was accidental, what a surprise it was that my
:closed-off heart was fixed by Toshio-san [Toshio].
:It was a kind of mystery to me how I could rely on Toshio-san
:[Toshio] so much.
:I felt as if Toshio-san [Toshio] was older than me. The one
:whom I wanted to shake hands with...was Toshio-san [Toshio].
:Merely "shake hands"...?
:What could this feeling be...? Feeling Toshio-san [Toshio]
:near me, I was absorbed by this question.
:(1982: Takase train station)
:{Takase Station, in the Yamagata Prefecture, is one of the
:stations along Sendai's (of the Miyagi Prefecture) Takase
:Line. It is 10 minutes from the Yamagata station Taeko
:arrived at. }
:BANCHA
:Have you forgotten anything?
:TAEKO:
:No, it's all right.
:TOSHIO:
:Okay, I'll be waiting for you this Winter.
:TAEKO:
:Sure, I'll study a bit more on farming until then.
:TOSHIO:
:Huh? Wasn't it supposed to be skiing? In any case, you
:can't learn more about skiing without doing it.
:BANCHA
:Consider what I said, okay, Taeko-san [Taeko]?
:TOSHIO:
:Huh? What, Ban-chan [Ban]?
:NAOKO:
:What's this?
:BANCHA
:Oh, nothing.
:It's Taeko-san's [Taeko's] and my secret.
:TOSHIO:
:Well, you seemed different yesterday, so...
:TAEKO:
:I'm sorry. I'll be okay next time. I won't bring my fifth-
:grade self along anymore.
:OLD MAN:
:Wait up!
:{His cassette player is playing an old popular song, "Suki ni
:Natta Hito" (One Whom I Loved) which made its singer, Harumi
:Miyako, quite famous long before this 1982 setting (a little
:temporal confusion..?) She also will be singing the brand
:new ending credit song, a translation of "The Rose", of this
:film!}
:TAEKO:
:Take care, Naoko-chan [Naoko].
:NAOKO:
:Goodbye...!
==Credits==
:{This song is also sung by the 1991 Harumi Miyako, and is a
:Japanese-language version of "The Rose" called "Ai wa Hana,
:Kimi wa Sono Tane" (Love is a Flower, You are the Seed).
:"The Rose" is the title song of the movie by the same title,
:performed by Bette Midler, who starred in the role of Janis
:Joplin in this pseudo-biography of her life.}
:Washing away tenderness,
: love, it's a river.
:Cutting the soul to pieces,
: love, it's a knife.
:An incessant thirst,
: love is, they say, but
: love is a flower, the flower of life;
: you are the seed.
:Afraid of being discouraged,
: your heart never dances.
:Afraid of waking up,
: your dream never takes chances.
:Hating to be taken away
: your heart won't give.
:Afraid of dying,
: you cannot live.
:Long night, all alone,
: long road, all alone.
:Love doesn't come
: when you think it will;
: please remember, though
: it's buried under the snow in winter,
: in spring, with the sun's love,
: the seed blossoms into a flower.
:{The station Taeko transfers at is at Yamadera (see the part
:of this film before she went to Zaoh).}
:(ending credits)
:The End
Category:Transcript
Category:Only Yesterday