Only Yesterday/Transcript

Opening

 * Omohide Poro Poro (1991)
 * (Memories with Teardrops):
 * "Only Yesterday"


 * Omohide Poro Poro: Only Yesterday
 * []


 * (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" [] {*} 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 []
 * 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 [ ] {*}.


 * {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 .


 * 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 {} 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 {}, 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 .


 * 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" {*} ?


 * {* 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 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! 


 * 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" , 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  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 or martens
 * 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