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TOKYO, A FEW DAYS AFTER THE 2011 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI
It's three in the morning.
You don't want to come to bed?
Did you hear me?
It's three in the morning.
What are you doing?
You should come to bed.
From what we've heard, Mika,
BREAKING NEWS LATEST EARTHQQUAKE NEWS
an ex-neighbor heard sounds coming from somewhere underground,
which, if confirmed,
would give us hope that there's still life
somewhere right below us.
Kyoko.
Trying to find my stuff, but then...
The sounds of hitting have been heard first
by an ex-neighbor on his bike
trying to save something from his devastated house.
Next to his house was a small factory.
Under the factory was a corridor
that is possibly the one
in which there might be someone still alive.
But for how long?
Back to you, Moriko.
Latest earthquake news!
Read all about it!
- TOKYO SECURITY TRUST BANK - Tokyo Times!
Death toll rises to 10,000.
Not at all?
She hasn't said a word since the earthquake.
She just watches TV. Just the earthquake news.
She, uh, hasn't come to bed in five days.
I haven't even seen her go to the bathroom.
Come on.
It's as though I don't exist.
Well, that's it. I have to get back.
I was just going through the rubble
trying to find my stuff. But then I definitely heard
like some hitting noise coming from below,
and then a voice shouting for help.
And you're positive you heard a voice coming from below?
There was no one around.
I was the only one who came back.
I was all alone.
That is a lot of money, Mr Katagiri.
I'm doing my best, my very best, it's just that...
Doing your best is not good enough
with a client such as Big Bear Trading.
The Tokyo Security Trust Bank
cannot just sit on a 700 million loan,
Mr Katagiri.
He's like really gettin' it today, huh?
Yeah.
Poor guy.
Poor old Katagiri.
They've ignored all our lawyers' letters.
I've tried everything that's in my power, sir, but for the moment...
Mr Yamamoto has called me personally about this loan
and is putting pressure on me.
It is your duty to get me results by next week.
Is that clear enough?
Yes. I'm sorry. Of course.
I'm telling you, leaving early is not a good idea these days
- with all the rumors, hmm. - Thanks for your concern,
but I just have to catch this train.
Where are you going anyway?
Relatives. My sister's family.
Mm. Is Kyoko going with you?
And another one for you.
Sorry.
- Have a nice weekend. - Yeah.
You too.
Lending Division, Mr Katagiri speaking.
Hi, it's me.
- Satsuki? - How are you today?
What do you want?
Can you lend me a little money?
What? Again?
Let me call you back.
I need to pay the bills
and I'm running real short of everything.
How's your husband doing with the job application?
Did he send it out?
You know very well he's trying his best.
Maybe this time his best isn't good enough.
Listen, if you don't want to send me that money, it's fine.
I'll go back to working at the Pink Pony.
I didn't say I didn't want to.
I don't have unlimited funds, that's all.
How are my little nephews doing?
Not so well.
They're ashamed to go to school.
Always wearing the same old clothes.
The other children make fun of 'em.
Mm-hm.
"I'm never coming back."
"The problem is that you never give me anything,
"or, to put it more precisely,
"you have nothing inside you that you can give me."
"You are good and kind,
"but living with you is like living with a chunk of air."
"It's not really your fault."
"I'm sure you'll find another loving woman."
"But please don't call me."
"I'll have someone pick up my old trunk
"and a few items I've put aside next week."
"Just throw out the rest."
"Please take care of Watanabe, who must be hiding somewhere."
"I can't find him."
Watanabe!
Call me Frog.
Come in, come in.
Nothing to be worried about. Please, Mr Katagiri.
Hurry up. Close the door and take off your shoes.
I must apologize for having barged in
while you were out.
I knew it would be a shock for you to find me here.
Finding a big frog waiting at home
would be a shock for anyone.
But I had no choice.
So...
How about a cup of tea?
I thought you'd be coming home soon,
so I boiled some water.
Calming down?
I know I should have made an appointment to visit you, Mr Katagiri.
But an urgent matter brings me here.
Please, forgive me.
- An urgent matter? - Well, yes, of course.
Why else would I take the liberty of barging into a person's home?
Such discourtesy is not my customary style.
Does it have something to do with me?
Well, yes and no.
- Do you mind if I smoke? - Hm, not at all.
Smoke and drink as much as you like.
Myself, I'm not a smoker, but, hey, it's your life.
You're not connected to some sort of gang, are you?
What gang is going to hire a frog to do their dirty work?
They'd be made a laughing stock.
Well, if you're here to negotiate a repayment,
you're wasting your time.
Only my superiors can do that.
Please, Mr Katagiri,
I have not come here on such petty business.
I am fully aware of your position
at the Tokyo Security Trust Bank.
No, this has nothing to do with the repayment of loans.
But then, if I may ask,
what are you doing here?
I'm here to save Tokyo from devastation.
Uh...
I know you are thinking that I must be mad
or that you're having some kind of dream,
but I am not crazy and you are not dreaming.
This is positively serious.
To tell you the truth, Mr Frog...
Please, call me Frog.
To tell you the truth, Frog,
I don't seem to be able to grasp the situation exactly.
Did you mind if I ask you a question or two?
Not at all, not at all.
Mutual understanding is of critical importance.
Ask as many questions as you wish.
Now, you are a real frog, am I right?
Yes, of course.
As you can see, I am a genuine frog.
Shall I croak for you?
Fine, fine.
You are, without question, a real frog.
Anyone claiming that I am not a frog
would be dirty liar!
And I would smash such a person to bits.
You said before that you've come here
to save Tokyo from devastation?
- That is what I said. - What kind of devastation?
Earthquake.
A very, very big earthquake.
It is set to strike Tokyo at 9:33am
on March 23rd, one week from now,
an even bigger earthquake
than the one that struck us all last week.
The number of dead from such a quake
would probably exceed 300,000.
Mostly from accidents involving the grid system.
The collapse of elevated expressways,
the crushing of subways,
the explosion of tank trunks.
Buildings reduced to rubble,
their inhabitants crushed to death.
Fires everywhere.
Pure hell.
The epicenter will be close to the Shinjuku Ward Office.
The Shinjuku Ward Office?
In fact, it will hit precisely beneath
the Shinjuku branch of the Tokyo Security Trust Bank.
And you are planning to stop this earthquake?
Exactly.
You and I will go underground beneath the bank
and do mortal combat with Worm.
Uh, who is Worm?
Worm lives underground.
He is a gigantic worm.
When he gets angry, he causes earthquakes.
And right now, he is very, very angry.
What is he angry about?
I have no idea.
Nobody knows what Worm is thinking
inside that murky head of his.
He is usually asleep.
That's what he really likes to do,
take long, long naps for years, decades,
in the warmth and darkness underground,
absorbing every little rumble and reverberation
that comes his way.
He replaces most of them with rage.
But right now,
with all the different kinds of hatred he has absorbed
and stored inside himself over the years,
his body and heart have swollen to gargantuan proportions.
What's more, this recent earthquake
shook him out of the deep sleep he was enjoying.
He experienced a revelation
inspired by his profound rage.
It was time now for him to cause a massive earthquake,
and he'd do it here in Tokyo.
So, what you're saying
is that you and I have to go underground together
and fight Worm to stop this earthquake.
Exactly.
I still don't get it.
Why did you choose me to go with you?
I have always had the most profound respect for you, Mr Katagiri.
All these years you have silently accepted
the least glamorous assignments,
carrying them off beautifully.
Unpromoted, unappreciated
by your superiors, your colleagues.
You have never once complained.
I almost wish I could beat them
to a pulp on your behalf.
But, Frog, I'm sure you can find somebody
a lot stronger than me to fight Worm in the darkness,
say, a karate master or someone in a commando force.
To tell you the truth, Mr Katagiri,
I do all the fighting.
But I cannot do it all alone.
I need you to stand by me and say,
"Courage! You're doing great, Frog!
"I know you can win!"
I may not return from this battle alive,
but I cannot run away.
As Nietzsche said,
the highest wisdom is to have no fear.
What I want from you, Mr Katagiri,
is for you to support me with your whole heart
as a true friend.
I know it must be difficult
for you to believe all these outlandish things.
That is why I intend to provide you with proof
that I exist.
Tell me, Mr Katagiri,
you've been having a great deal of trouble
recovering a loan the bank made to Big Bear Trading,
have you not?
That's true.
Well, those individuals are mixed up with the mob.
They're scheming to make the company go bankrupt.
They're into you to you for 700 million, am I right?
You certainly are.
Don't worry.
Leave everything to me.
By Monday morning,
old Frog will have your problems solved.
Relax and have a good night's sleep.
What time is it?
10:20.
Is your watch accurate?
- I think so? - Was it expensive?
No, rather cheap.
It was rather cheap, but it's pretty accurate.
Just because a watch is expensive doesn't mean it's accurate.
I used to have a pretty expensive one,
but it was always off.
I lost it a year after my parents bought it for me.
Now they won't buy me a new one.
Mm.
Must be annoying not to have a watch.
What?
Isn't it annoying not to have a watch?
Mm, not really.
I mean, it's not like I'm living in the mountains or anything.
If I want to know the time, I just ask someone.
What about a phone?
You don't have one?
Nah, they don't want me to get lost in games.
Right.
This is the right bus, isn't it?
Yeah.
As far as I know, there's still only one bus on this route.
Is this the bus you used to take when you went to school?
That's right.
Though, uh,
it was very different from this one.
I wonder if it's going to hurt this time.
Uh, the treatment?
Has it hurt before?
No, not really.
I mean, it wasn't totally painless, of course.
Sometimes it hurts a little, but nothing terrible.
It'll feel different having a new doctor treat you.
And the slight change in procedure might make all the difference.
I wouldn't give up so easily.
I'm not giving up, but...
But you're kind of fed up with it?
To be honest, I'm scared.
I spend so much time imagining the pain,
it's worse than the pain itself.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
When I see someone in pain,
I can imagine how painful it is,
but it's still very different
from the pain that person is actually feeling.
It's very subjective.
What's the most painful thing that's ever happened to you?
To me?
You mean, um, physical pain, right?
Have you ever experienced pain so bad
that you thought you just won't be able to stand it?
- I, uh... - "I'm never coming back."
I, uh...
I can't remember.
So you've been here before?
Yeah, once or twice.
You were sick?
No, not me.
Kyoko.
I was visiting Kyoko actually.
What was wrong with her?
Uh, let me think.
I think it was her rib.
Displaced rib, I think.
This was a while ago, long before we were married.
She wasn't even my girlfriend at the time.
So then why were you visiting her?
I already liked her... a lot.
But at the time,
she was the girlfriend of my best friend.
So, you were in love with her,
but she was in love with your best friend?
Yeah.
You could say that.
You still see him?
Hiroshi? No.
No, he died soon after.
- He died? - Yup.
Oh.
What happened?
It was a stupid motorcycle accident.
The doctors say he didn't feel a thing.
So, then what happened? She fell in love with you?
I guess. Kind of.
Oh, I better go, I'm up next.
- Okay. - Um, see you in a bit.
It'll be fine.
You couldn't even take it off.
- I could too! - Come on!
She told me she had to unhook it herself.
Please!
Stop making me laugh.
My chest hurts when I laugh.
Where does it hurt?
Over here.
Oh. Do you want me to massage it for you?
Stop it!
What's a blind willow?
There's a tree, one like that.
Never heard of it.
That's because I made it up.
There's these little flies that carry the pollen
from the blind willow to the woman's ear
and makes her fall asleep.
So, what do the flies do once they're inside?
They eat up her flesh, of course.
Munch, munch, munch, munch, munch, munch, munch, munch.
A young man climbs up the hill
to rescue the woman
the blind willow pollen had put to sleep.
The young man in your story,
it's me, right?
They used a new machine for my ear test,
but otherwise it was the same as usual.
They do an x-ray, check my brainwaves,
but when they can't find anything,
they start blaming it on me
as if I'm making it up or something.
So, what exactly happens when you stop hearing?
Well, it's like losing a radio frequency.
It comes and goes, and then it's completely gone,
and before you know it, it's back again.
- Does it bother you? - No, not really,
but hearing problem is only a part of it.
Part of what?
Have you ever seen a film, Fort Apache ?
Probably, a long time ago.
Well, it's this great film by John Ford.
In the beginning of the movie, there's this new colonel
who meets a group of soldiers at that rock in Monument Valley.
- Mm-hmm. - And then the captain comes out
to meet him when he arrives.
The captain is played by John Wayne.
- Okay. - Colonel doesn't know much
about life in the West, or even about the Indians.
They often attack the area.
Once he arrives to the fort,
the colonel turns to John Wayne and says,
"I did see a few Indians on the way up here.
"You better watch out."
But John Wayne, with his super cool voice,
replies, "Don't worry."
"If you were able to spot some Indians,
"that means they weren't really there."
Or something like that.
But do you get what he means?
Maybe that...
it's not what everyone can see
that's really important?
Well, whenever someone feels sorry about my ears,
that dialogue always comes up to me.
"If you were able to spot some Indians,
"that means they weren't really there."
Hmm.
Hey, do you mind having a look at my ears?
Your ears? Why do you want me to look at your ears?
Just in case you see something from the outside.
Alright.
Um...
Did you see anything special?
No, um, nothing... nothing special.
But did you sense anything... strange?
Uh...
Nothing strange.
So, how long are you staying?
I go back tomorrow.
Already?
Well, why don't you stay a bit longer?
Well, for what it's worth, I still have a job.
Anyway, I have to go back and find my cat.
Your hat?
My cat.
He's disappeared, he's probably somewhere
in the garden, but I have to go back and find him.
Can't she take care of him?
I mean, Kyoko?
Is it true she's been watching television nonstop,
like all the time?
Yeah, it's true.
Why do you ask?
Just curious.
This is it, right?
Huh? What?
This is our bus, right?
Yeah.
Are... you alright?
Yeah.
I'm alright.
Um, may I help you?
Mr Katagiri.
My name is Shiraoka.
I am an attorney with Big Bear Trading.
Oh... I see.
I received a call from my client
with regards to their pending loan matter.
He wants you to know he will take full responsibility
for returning the entire amount requested by due date.
I have brought you here a signed memorandum
to that effect.
His only request is that you do not send... Frog
to his house again.
- Frog? - Yes.
He wants you to ask Frog never to visit his home again.
I myself am not entirely sure what this is supposed to mean,
but I believe this will be clear to you, Mr Katagiri.
Am I correct?
You are indeed.
You will be kind enough to convey my message to Frog,
I trust?
That I will do.
Your client will never see Frog again.
Thank you very much.
I will transmit your message to my client
who will, at once, make arrangements for payment.
I appreciate it.
A week off?
I understand what you're going through, Komura.
Sure, I can give you a week off, but tell me one thing:
How long have you been working for us?
Uh... seven years, sir?
Seven years, right.
What was your position when you arrived?
Um...
I was in the lending department, sir.
So, same as now, am I right?
Right.
Komura, why don't you take this opportunity
to make a new start?
You're a good, pleasant employee, smart.
You've done some literary studies,
even played the piano.
I'll be frank with you.
There is no future for you here.
Half the department's going to be outsourced within a year.
I can make a nice offer so that you can take your time
and find something that really suits you.
But, um, this job suits me just fine, sir.
Can't I just take my week off?
Here's what I suggest:
Take your week off, Komura,
but think about it, okay?
A new start or a dead end.
"YOU ARE YOUR CHOICES" SENECA
- So what are you gonna do? - What should I do?
What the hell, why not make the best of it?
- Do something special. - Something special?
Well, you're not just gonna sit in your home alone
contemplating your misery, are you?
Well, I need to find Watanabe.
Watanabe?
My cat, you know?
Oh yeah, your cat.
I don't know, why don't you, um, take a short trip or something?
A trip?
I guess I could do that.
But where would I go?
Have you ever been to Hokkaido?
No, never.
Would you like to go?
Why do you ask?
To tell you the truth, I have this small package
I'd like to send to Kushiro, and I'm wondering
if you'd be willing to take it for me.
You'd be doing me a big favor,
and I'd be happy to pay your return ticket.
I could even pay for the hotel in Kushiro.
- A small package? - Yeah, about, um...
that size.
Is it something for work?
No, not at all, strictly personal.
I just don't want to post it.
I really should take care of it myself,
but I have no time right now.
Is it something important?
Nothing fragile or dangerous.
They're not gonna stop you at the airport for it.
I promise I'm not going to get you into trouble.
Just take it along with your ordinary luggage.
So, uh, who do I bring this package to?
My sister.
My younger sister. She, uh, lives up there.
...particular kind of earthquake
that are associated with the Earth's crustal deformation.
Tsunamis have a small-amplitude wave height
and very long wavelength,
often hundreds of kilometers long,
whereas normal ocean waves have a wavelength
of only 30 or 40 meters.
Tsunamis can be generated when the sea floor abruptly...
The Big Bear case is going well for you, I presume?
Everything okay, Katagiri?
Don't worry, you're the only one who can see me.
Tell me, Mr Frog...
Make that Frog.
Tell me, Frog, what did you do to them?
Oh, nothing much.
Just a touch of psychological terror.
As Joseph Conrad once wrote,
"True terror is the kind men feel towards their imagination."
But never mind that.
Tell me about the Big Bear case.
- It's going well, I assume? - Uh, seems to be.
So then, have I gained your trust?
Will you join me to fight Worm?
Uh, to tell you the truth, I...
I'm not too crazy about the idea,
but I don't suppose that's enough to get me out of it?
No, it's a question of honor and responsibility.
You and I must go underground and face Worm.
And if we happen to lose our lives in the process,
we will gain no one's sympathy,
and even if we manage to defeat Worm,
no one will praise us.
No one will ever know that such a battle even raged
far beneath their feet.
Only you and I will know, Mr Katagiri.
Only you and I.
However it turns out, ours will be a lonely battle.
You know, Mr Frog,
I'm just an ordinary man.
Make that Frog.
I'm an absolutely ordinary guy.
Less than ordinary.
I'm going bald.
I'm getting a potbelly.
I turned 44 last month, and my feet are flat.
The doctor told me recently that I have diabetic tendencies.
It's been three months or more
since I last slept with a woman,
and I had to pay for it.
I don't have a single person who likes me,
either at work or in my private life.
I don't know how to talk to people,
and I'm no good with strangers, so I never make any friends.
I have no athletic ability.
I'm tone-deaf, short,
phimotic,
nearsighted, and astigmatic.
I live a horrible life.
All I do is eat, sleep, and shit.
I don't even know why I'm still living.
Why would a person like me be the one to save Tokyo?
Because, Mr Katagiri, there is no one else
I could trust as much as you to fight by my side.
Alright then.
What is it you want me to do?
I want you to meet me on the 22nd at midnight
in the basement boiler room of your bank.
Stay on the pretext of working overtime.
From the boiler room, I'll take us down
a 150-foot ladder to a place where Worm lives.
What if I get scared at the last minute and run away?
What would you do then, Mr Frog?
Frog!
What would you do then, Frog?
I would fight on alone,
though my chances of beating Worm
would probably equal Anna Karenina's chances
of surviving that speeding locomotive.
Have you read Anna Karenina , Mr Katagiri?
- No. - Still, I do not believe
you will abandon me on the battlefield.
I can tell.
It's a question of...
of balls!
Which, unfortunately,
I do not happen to possess.
So you're positive?
Well, I really don't think so.
Right.
If she had a lover, she wouldn't stay at home
watching buildings crumble all night long, right?
Right.
And what about... sex?
What about it?
Well, I mean, do you still...
you know, fuck her?
Once in a while, even the wife needs a good fuck.
Everything... is fine.
And she didn't want kids right away
because financially, you know, we were a little...
But everything was fine.
So you still fucked her?
Well, not like in the beginning.
Oh, sure. I was married too, you know.
I mean, to tell you the truth,
lately we weren't really...
you know?
I mean, I don't know if she was ever really into it.
Right, or maybe she was never really into you.
Just kidding.
So where's she staying?
Do you talk?
No, nothing.
She doesn't answer her phone.
Tried her parents?
Another drink, gentlemen?
- Uh, sure. - No, I really should get going.
I have to work tomorrow.
Right, yeah.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Here it is.
And here's your ticket with the flight info.
My sister will pick you up at the airport
and take you to a hotel.
How will I recognize her?
Don't worry, it's a small airport.
Anyway, we'll talk.
Have a good trip.
Thanks.
Good evening.
Uh, this is Komura.
Is Kyoko there?
Can you tell me where she is?
So, you know where she is, but you don't want to tell me?
No, I need to speak with her.
Forget about it?
No, just tell me where she is.
I need to know how she is, and I...I...
No, I am not... drunk!
I just need to speak with her!
Where is she?
Living with you is like living with a chunk of air.
HOTEL ASTRAL
When Hiroshi died, to keep myself going,
I moved to Tokyo.
Komura followed me.
I knew he was kind of in love with me.
I let him take care of me.
He was good-looking, gentle.
We'd all three been like brothers and sisters.
We all three left each other, but in different ways.
I couldn't keep up with my studies,
so I got myself a part-time job working here.
You used to work here?
Well, it wasn't a hotel at the time.
What was it?
Do you remember your 20th birthday?
Not a thing.
It's too far away.
Do you?
I remember every moment
as if it was yesterday.
Huh, and it happened here?
- Mm-hmm. - Is that why you suggested
to meet here?
I felt like revisiting that very special moment.
Hmm, because you think it's related
to what's happening to you now.
Hmm, is that it?
Everything that happened on that day
was like an illusion.
I can't tell if it really did happen,
but somehow, I think there's a link.
What kind of link?
This used to be an old-fashioned Italian restaurant.
I worked as a part-time waitress.
The owner lived on the sixth floor
above the restaurant.
Every night at eight o'clock,
he got delivered a chicken dish with a glass of wine.
So you'd bring him up his food every night?
The manager did.
None of the other employees knew what the owner looked like.
On my birthday, my 20th birthday,
it was pouring with rain.
The restaurant was almost empty.
Good evening.
Thanks for braving the rain.
Good evening.
Could we have our usual table, please?
Of course, Mr Matsu...
Kyoko!
Could you please see to Mr and Mrs Matsui?
Tonight's special is the tortellini
with pancetta sauce.
What's wrong?
I'm okay, I just need to sit a moment.
Are you sure? You look terrible.
It's my stomach, I don't know.
It's so painful.
Return to the customers. I'll be fine.
I think you should go to the hospital.
I feel so weak.
I want you to take his dinner up to room 604 at eight o'clock.
Just ring the bell, say, "Your dinner is here,"
and leave.
Room 604, right?
At eight o'clock. Room 604.
It was a slow evening.
Nothing much going on.
Most reservations had been canceled
because of the rain.
A little before eight,
I went to the kitchen to pick up his dinner.
It had been such a dull evening
that I was almost excited by the idea
of finally getting to see him.
And one chicken to go.
604... 604...
Room 604.
Your dinner, sir.
Dinner?
Yes, sir.
The manager suddenly got sick.
I have brought you your dinner in his place, sir.
Oh, I see.
He's not well?
- Hmm. - Yes.
He got a stomachache suddenly,
and he had to go to the hospital.
He thinks he might have appendicitis.
Hmm, that's not good.
Not good at all.
Shall I bring your meal in, sir?
Oh, yes, of course.
As you wish.
If you would be kind enough to set the dishes
in the corridor, sir, I'll come and pick them up in an hour.
Oh, yes, of course.
I'll put them in the hall, on the cart,
in an hour, as you wish.
Will there be anything else, sir?
Well... hmm...
I can't think of anything.
Then I...
I'll get back to work.
Ah.
Just a moment.
Sir?
Would you be able to spare five minutes, young lady?
I would like to speak to you.
Uh, I think that's okay, if it's only five minutes.
By the way, how old are you?
I'm just turning 20.
Just turning 20?
Does that mean it just happened
or that it's about to happen?
I meant I just turned 20.
- Today is my birthday. - I see!
So today's your birthday.
That's right, sir.
That's good.
Happy birthday.
Thank you very much.
That's truly wonderful.
So, how about we make a toast?
Thank you, sir, but I have to go back to work.
Oh, that shouldn't be a problem,
and if I say it's okay, then no one can tell you off.
Anyway, just one sip
to celebrate this wonderful event.
One sip then.
Happy birthday.
May your life be rich and fruitful
and may there be nothing to cast a dark shadow on it.
You'll only experience your 20th birthday
once in your lifetime, young lady.
Yes.
And here you are,
on this very special day,
bringing me my dinner like a kind fairy.
Well, I was told to do so.
Even so, is it by chance that, on your 20th birthday,
you delivered me a nice, warm meal?
Don't you think this might be some kind of destiny?
Which is why I would like to give you a present.
A special birthday calls for a special present.
Oh, no, please, sir, don't even think about it.
I was simply told to bring you your dinner, sir.
I said present, but it's not an actual object,
and it's not worth anything, in terms of money, I mean.
I would like to grant you a wish,
my dear, beautiful, young fairy.
Any wish you have, I will make come true.
That is, if you do have a wish.
A wish?
Something you would like,
or you'd like to have happen, miss.
If you have a wish, one wish,
I will make it come true,
but you better think about it very carefully
because I can grant you only one.
Just one, and you can't take it back.
I have to wish for something,
and it will be granted?
Do you have a wish, young lady?
Or not?
This is exactly the way it happened.
I am not making it up!
And so, did you make a wish?
The thing is,
I wasn't really taking him 100% seriously.
But it was my 20th birthday.
All I had been doing was serve tortellini
with anchovy sauce,
so I figured it wasn't really a question
of believing or not believing.
- You understand? - Mm-hm.
Of course.
So I made a wish.
That is your wish?
Yes, that's my wish.
A bit unusual for a girl your age.
I was expecting something less reasonable.
Oh, if it's not good,
I can think of something else, I don't mind.
I can wish for something else.
No, there's nothing wrong with it, my dear young lady.
Not at all.
It's just a little surprising.
Don't you wish for something else?
Like say you want to be prettier or smarter or rich?
You're okay with not pushing for something like that?
Something an ordinary girl would ask for.
Of course I'd like to be prettier
or smarter or rich,
but I really can't imagine what would happen to me
if any of those things came true.
I could end up being rich and sick
or pretty and lonely.
Or smart and miserable.
Hmm. I see, I see.
So is my wish okay?
It's up to you to decide if it's okay or not.
That did it.
Your wish has been granted.
- Already? - Yes.
It was no trouble at all.
Your wish has been granted, lovely young lady.
Happy birthday.
You may go back to work now,
and don't worry,
I'll put the cart in the hall.
Hey, are you okay?
- You look spaced out. - No, I'm fine.
- So, how was he? - I don't know,
I didn't really get a good look at him.
It turned out the manager
just had a bad stomach disorder.
He came back to work normally the next day,
and so did I.
I never saw the owner again
and never returned to the restaurant after I'd left.
Not once.
Why not?
I don't know.
A kind of premonition.
I quit my job after New Years,
I went back to my studies.
I moved in with Komura
in the house his mother gave him.
We got married.
Do you mind if I ask you one question?
You want to know my wish.
But you don't want to tell me.
You're not supposed to.
Alright, I won't insist.
I would like to know, though, whether your wish came true
and if you ever regretted making that wish
and not another one instead.
Well, yes and no.
I had a gentle husband.
We were planning to have kids soon enough.
We had a nice house,
I played tennis with my girlfriends.
Not so bad.
That's what I kept telling myself.
What was your second question?
Oh, whether you ever regretted having made that wish
and not another one.
No matter what you wish for,
no matter how far you go,
you can never be anything but yourself.
Hm, that's so true.
How about you?
What would you have wished for in my position?
- On my 20th birthday? - Uh-huh.
I can't think of anything, it's too far away.
Nothing?
Not a thing.
That's because you already made your wish.
Hm.
But you had better think about it very carefully,
because I can grant you only one wish.
HUGE AREAS WITHOUT WATER OR ELECTRICITY COUNTLESS PEOPLE LEFT HOMELESS
NUMBER OF DEAD RISING
Living with you is like living with a chunk of air.
- Hi. - Hi! I'm Keiko.
My brother tells me how helpful you've been to him.
- This is my friend, Shimao. - Oh, nice to meet you.
- Hi. - How about a coffee?
Sounds great.
My brother tells me that your wife recently passed away.
No, she didn't die.
Oh, I just spoke to my brother the other day.
I thought he said quite clearly that you lost your wife.
I did, she left me.
As far as I know, she's alive and well.
Oh, I'm so sorry, I must have misunderstood.
- Please forgive me. - Don't worry about it.
Either way, she's gone.
Anyway, let me give you this important package
that I brought you.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
Do you mind if I excuse myself for a moment?
Not at all, go ahead.
Have you been to Hokkaido before?
- No. - I know.
It's a long way to come.
Funnily, it doesn't feel that I've traveled all that far.
Because you flew!
Those planes are too damn fast,
your mind can't keep up with your body!
You may be right.
Did you want to travel so far away?
I guess so.
Because of your wife?
Hm.
No matter how far you go,
you can't get away from yourself.
Hm.
It's like your shadow.
It just follows you everywhere.
That's right.
Are you hungry?
I'm not sure. Kind of.
Let's go and eat something warm, the three of us.
It'll help you relax.
This is one part of Hokkaido that doesn't get much snow,
but it's freezing cold!
Sometimes it feels like your ears will fall off!
You hear about drunks who freeze to death
sleeping on the streets!
Do you get bears around here?
Bears, he says.
Shimao has a great story about bears, don't you?
Tell me, is there something you'd like to do
while you're in Hokkaido?
My brother tells me you're going to spend a few days here.
Um, nothing special.
How about a hot spring?
Would you like to have a nice long soak in a tub?
I know a good little country place not far from here.
That's not a bad idea.
I'm sure you'd like it, it's really nice.
No bears or anything.
Do you mind if I ask you about your wife?
Um, no, I don't mind.
When did she leave?
Um, five days after the earthquake.
Do you think it has something to do with the earthquake?
Uh, I don't think so.
Still, I wonder if stuff like that
isn't connected somehow.
Yeah, it's just that you can't see how.
Right! Stuff like that happens all the time.
Stuff like what?
Like, say, what happened to somebody I know?
- You mean Seiki? - Exactly.
There's this guy, Seiki.
He's about 40 years old, a hairstylist.
One night, his wife saw a UFO.
She was driving on the edge of town
all by herself in the middle of the night
when she saw this huge UFO land in a field.
Whoosh!
Like in Close Encounters .
A week later, she left home.
They weren't having any domestic problems or anything.
She just vanished into thin air.
And it was because of the UFO?
I don't know.
She just walked out, no note or anything.
She had two kids in elementary school, too.
Well, my wife left a note,
and we don't have any kids.
So your situation's a little better than Seiki's.
Yeah, kids make a big difference.
Shimao's father left home when she was seven.
Ran off with his wife's younger sister.
Maybe Seiki's wife didn't run away.
Maybe she was captured by aliens from the UFO.
- Wow. - Wow.
Here we are!
Oh!
Wow, hm.
The owners are friends of mine,
so I had them get their biggest room ready.
It is a love hotel, I hope it doesn't bother you?
Oh, no, no, not at all.
I thought this would make more sense
than sticking you in a small room
in some cheap business hotel by the station.
Of course!
It's great.
Why don't you take a bath?
I'm filling up the tub for you.
Oh, yes.
Not a bad idea.
Thank you.
We'll just hang out here for a little bit
and drink a beer if that's okay with you?
Of course.
Keiko went home.
She wanted me to apologize and tell you
she'll be back tomorrow morning.
Do you mind if I stay here a little
and finish my beer?
It's fine.
You're sure it's no problem?
Like you want to be alone or something?
No. No, no problem at all.
Care for one?
Sure.
I saw the helicopters and boats.
They didn't see me.
TSUNAMI REACHES FUKUSHIMA
I spent two days in the water when a boat picked me up.
I don't know where they are.
Nobody can tell me anything.
Why do I get to...
Let's talk,
as long as we're here.
Sure.
Hm, what should we talk about?
Um...
In the car, you and Keiko said something about a bear?
Remember?
You said it was a great story?
Oh, yeah.
The bear story.
You want to tell it to me?
Sure, why not?
It's kind of raunchy, though.
You don't mind?
It's actually something that happened to me,
so it's a little bit embarrassing.
Uh, I'd like to hear it.
But only if you're okay with it.
Okay.
So back around the time I entered junior college,
I was dating this guy.
He was a year older than me, a college student also.
He was the first guy I had sex with.
One day, the two of us were out hiking in the mountains
way up north.
It was autumn, so the hills were full of bears.
That's the time of year
that they're getting ready to hibernate,
so they're out looking for food and they're really dangerous.
They did an awful job on a hiker
just three days before we went out.
MOUNTAIN NEWS MAN ATTACKED BY BEAR!
But in fact, they're pretty much vegetarians.
You're supposed to shake a bell when you walk
so the bears will avoid you.
- Get it? - I get it.
So that's what we were doing.
We were ringing this bell and we were walking along
and we got to this place where nobody else was around.
All of a sudden, he said he wanted to...
like, do it.
I kinda liked the idea, too,
but I was afraid of the bears!
I mean, imagine being killed by a bear
while you're having sex.
I would never want to die that way, would you?
No, I agree.
So we shook the bell from start to finish.
Which one of you shook the bell?
We would take turns.
We would swap when our hands would get tired.
I think about it sometimes even now
when I'm having sex, and I just start laughing.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
Oh, that's wonderful!
You can laugh after all.
Of course I can laugh.
When was the last time you had sex with your wife?
I'm not sure.
A few months ago?
And nothing since?
Nothing.
Not with anybody?
Mm.
You know what I think?
You need to lighten up
and learn to enjoy life a little more.
I mean, think about it.
Tomorrow there could be an earthquake.
You could be kidnapped by aliens.
You could be eaten by a bear.
You never know what's gonna happen.
True.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
LATEST EARTHQUAKE NEWS
You must've been thinking about your wife.
Mm.
These things happen.
Mhm.
You shouldn't let it bother you.
I'll try not to.
Men always let these things bother them, though.
You said your wife left a note, didn't you?
I did.
What did it say?
That living with me
was like living with a chunk of air.
A chunk of air?
What does it mean?
That there's nothing inside me, I guess.
Is it true?
Could be.
I'm not sure.
What would something be?
Yeah, really.
What would something be?
My mother used to be crazy about salmon skin.
She used to wish there was a kind of salmon
that was made of nothing but skin.
So in some cases, it might be better
to have nothing inside.
Don't you think?
I'll tell you this, though.
I don't know whether or not you've got something inside you,
but I think you're terrific.
I bet the world is full of women who would understand you
and fall in love with you.
It said that, too.
What, your wife's note?
- Mm. - No kidding.
And come to think of it,
what was the something inside that box
I brought up here?
Is it bothering you?
It wasn't before, but now,
I don't know, it's starting to.
- Since when? - Since now.
All of a sudden?
Yes, all of a sudden.
I'll tell you why.
It's because that box contains the something
that was inside you,
your empty soul.
You didn't know that when you brought it here
and gave it to Keiko with your own hands.
Now you'll never get it back.
Relax!
I was just kidding.
I said the first thing that popped into my head.
I'm sorry. It was a lousy joke,
I didn't mean to hurt you.
Are you starting to feel
as though you've come a long way?
Yes.
A very long way.
But really, you're just at the beginning.
Oh!
I'm going to die.
True terror is the kind men feel
towards their imagination.
IMAGINATION ON-OFF
Excuse me.
Oh, good!
You're finally awake.
What time is it?
- It's 9:15. - AM?
Don't be silly, it's night!
9:15pm?
On March 23rd?
Precisely 9:15pm, March 23rd.
Wasn't there a big earthquake in Tokyo this morning?
In Tokyo?
Yes, in Tokyo.
Not that I know of!
Oh.
How's my wound doing?
- What wound? - Where I was shot.
- Shot? - Yeah, near the back entrance
to the Trust Bank,
some guy shot me right here on the shoulder.
Mr Katagiri, you have not been shot.
I haven't?
- Are you sure? - As sure as I am
that there was no earthquake this morning.
Then what the hell am I doing in the hospital?
Someone found you lying in the street unconscious
in the Kabukicho neighborhood of Shinjuku.
You didn't have any external wounds,
you were just out cold,
and we still haven't found out why.
The doctor's going to be here soon,
you'd better talk to him.
So what you're saying is I've been lying in this bed
since early evening yesterday.
- Is that right? - Right.
And you must've had some awful nightmares,
Mr Katagiri.
I heard you yelling, "Frog!"
"Hey, Frog!"
You did it a lot.
You have a friend nicknamed Frog?
Frog?
Frog? Frog?
I meant to meet you in the boiler room at midnight
as I promised, but I had kind of an accident
and they brought me here.
I know, it's okay, don't worry.
You were a great help to me in my fight.
- I was? - Yes, you were!
And I have to thank you for our victory.
I don't get it, I...
I was unconscious the whole time.
I don't remember a thing!
It's just as well.
This whole terrible fight occurred
in the area of imagination.
That is the precise location of our battlefield.
It is there that we experience our victories and our defeats.
We all eventually go down to defeat,
but as Ernest Hemingway saw so clearly,
the ultimate value of our lives is decided not by how we win,
but how we lose.
You and I together, Mr Katagiri,
were able to prevent annihilation of Tokyo!
We saved 300,000 lives from the jaws of death.
How did you manage to defeat Worm
and what did I do?
We gave everything we had,
all the courage we could muster.
Darkness was our enemy's ally.
You brought a projector to fill the place with light.
He tried to frighten you away with his phantoms of darkness.
He coiled himself around me
and bathed me with his horrid slime.
I tore him to shreds, but still he refused to die.
I could only prevent him from...from...
Mr Katagiri, do you mind if I take a brief nap?
I'm utterly exhausted.
Please, Frog, take a long, deep sleep.
You know, we were finally able to defeat Worm,
but to tell you the truth...
What?
What you see with your eyes is not necessarily real.
My enemy is, among other things,
the me inside me.
Inside me is the un-me.
It's all becoming a little muddy.
The locomotive is coming.
You're tired, Frog, go to sleep.
You'll get better.
I'm slowly returning to the mud.
And yet...
Sleep, Frog.
As soon as I get out, I'll buy Anna Karenina .
Then we'll have a nice, long literary discussion.
Frog?
Frog!
Oh!
No, no.
Mr Katagiri!
Another bad dream, eh?
Poor dear.
There.
What were you dreaming about, hm?
What you see with your eyes is not necessarily real.
That is so true,
especially where dreams are concerned.
Frog.
Did something happen to Frog?
He saved Tokyo from being destroyed by an earthquake.
All by himself.
That's nice!
We don't need any more awful things happening in Tokyo,
we have plenty already.
You were very fond of Frog, weren't you, Mr Katagiri?
More than anyone.
A locomotive.
We've only revealed his first name: Toshiro.
Toshiro is the survivor
from the mysterious underground corridor.
TOSHIRO "THE SURVIVOR" ALIVE!
Can you tell us, Toshiro, how you managed to stay alive?
It's a miracle I'm here.
It was total darkness.
The air was thick with dust.
I thought I was dead.
I felt some dampness, underneath the sewers
as if it were leading somewhere.
I couldn't turn around.
With my hand, I managed to lift up
little quantities water.
And that's what kept you alive, Toshiro, right?
I only gradually realized where I was,
the underground corridor I was walking in,
the earthquake.
I thought I was just going to die alone, unnoticed,
would make no difference to anyone.
I was lying there in pain.
I saw my life go by.
Why haven't I given more,
taken more from it when I could?
It's only when I had nothing left
that I saw it so clearly.
I was just a ghost without a soul.
And that's when I heard some faint footsteps
somewhere up there, and I felt it screaming and screaming...
I suddenly realized the meaning of being alive.
- Hello? - So,
have you made up your mind?
Oh, hello, Mother.
About work? Uh, no, I haven't.
I might have found something for you.
Oh, yeah? Like what?
You remember my very good friend Mitsuko?
- Mm-hm. - Well, she has a friend
who publishes a story magazine for girls.
They're looking for somebody to pick and revise poems
submitted by readers
and to write a short poem every month
for the front piece.
Pay is not bad for an easy job.
Easy job?
I know nothing about writing poetry.
But, darling, you used to write such beautiful poems
when you were in high school.
You could do it with your eyes closed.
Surely you could.
Listen, I can't write poetry eyes closed or open.
I'm not writing poetry for young girls.
For what it's worth, I still have a job.
I'm only trying to help.
By the way, did you go looking for Watanabe?
Oh, no.
- Totally forgot about the cat. - Oh, darling.
To think of him lost somewhere.
- Well... - Poor Watanabe.
Listen, um, do you mind if I call you back later?
- I just want you to be happy. - Thanks, Mom.
Don't forget the cat, and think about the poetry.
You never know.
MOTHER
MIZUMACHI BOOKS
Watanabe!
Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.
Watanabe?
Rather hot, right?
Yes.
Very.
Could you spare a cigarette?
Yeah, sure.
You live around here?
Yeah, just back there.
Uh-huh.
I'm looking for my cat.
What kind of cat?
It's a big cat with brown stripes,
and the point of his tail is a little bent.
- Name? - Noboru Watanabe.
No, not your name, the cat's name.
That is my cat's name.
Oh, very impressive.
Well, actually, it's my brother-in-law's name,
but the cat sort of reminded us of him.
How does the cat remind you of your brother-in-law?
I don't know, just in general. Um, the way he walks.
And his blank stare.
A brown-striped cat with a bent tail, huh?
And a black collar.
Maybe I did see a cat like that.
I don't know about a bent tail,
but it was a brown cat, and I think it had a collar.
- When did you see it? - I don't know,
a few days ago?
I need to sit down, but why don't you wait here with me?
All the cats eventually pass through our place.
And somebody's bound to call the cops
if they see you hanging around like that.
Wouldn't be the first time.
- Well, I... - Come on.
Come on, we can sit in the sun
and wait for your cat to show up.
I've got 20/20 vision.
Okay, why not?
I got thrown off the back of a motorcycle.
Oh.
What a big yard.
Must be a pain to take care of.
Must be.
You know, I used to work for a lawn mowing company
when I was a kid.
Hm.
- Are you always alone? - Yeah, always,
except when the maid comes mornings and evenings.
During the day, it's just me.
- Don't you go to school? - Don't you go to work?
No work to go to.
Lost your job?
They are outsourcing my department,
and they want to fire me,
but right now, I'm just taking a week off.
Oh, cool.
- You like your job? - Suits me fine.
I mean, is that what you wanted to do?
My job?
Whatever, I mean, I don't really think
there's anything I wanted to do, so...
You're married?
Well, technically, yes.
And your wife, she's at work?
Uh, she left me.
Uh, we're divorcing.
That's why I'm taking a few days off.
My parents got divorced too, like, three years ago.
My mother was having an affair.
I came home early one day
and I found them there doing it.
Tried hiding it from my dad for a while,
but then he found out anyway.
- Is she having an affair? - My wife?
Not as far as I know.
Hear that strange bird sound?
Oh, yeah, it's the wind-up bird.
Is that what it's called?
That's what my wife used to call it.
She said it was there every morning
to wind things up in our little world.
Right over there is where the cats go through.
They come under the fence at that point,
cut across the grass, and go into the vacant house.
They always follow exactly the same route.
- There many cats in there? - Yeah.
All kinds of cats.
Some losing their fur.
Some with one eye, and where the other eye used to be,
a lump of raw flesh.
Yuck.
I've got a relative with six fingers on each hand.
She knows how to keep it folded up
so most people don't notice.
Really pretty girl, though.
I left my phone inside.
That's my father.
He always checks on me around this time.
I'll go and get myself a Coke.
Care for a beer or something?
No thanks, I'm fine.
Mr Katagiri...
Mr Suzuki would like to see you right away.
Right away?
Right away.
You asked to see me?
Sit down, Mr Katagiri.
I'm sure by now you've heard the rumors
about outsourcing our department.
I don't pay much attention to rumors.
Well, you should.
They're quite true.
We're about to outsource half the department
within the next six months.
What's more, I've been advised by Mr Yamamoto
to begin the process this very day.
I...I see.
Many of our employees, one out of two to be precise,
will therefore have to leave either on early retirement
or with severance packages.
The lending division is therefore directly affected
by this program.
- Is it? - Yes, Mr Katagiri.
I'm afraid one of the first designated employees
for early retirement is...
your superior, Mr Mitsuda.
We also discussed your case with Mr Yamamoto.
- My case? - Yes, Mr Katagiri.
And to tell you the truth...
Okay, put him through.
Yes, have you had time to think things over?
Yes, Mr Suzuki.
And if the offer is still available,
I would like to take advantage of it.
And you'll do well.
I'll get the paperwork and your check ready.
You can come in anytime.
Okay, I'll come in tomorrow.
Thank you, Mr Suzuki.
Mr Katagiri,
how would you feel about changing jobs?
Uh...
I'm not sure I quite follow you, sir.
Mr Yamamoto has expressed his satisfaction
with the swift and fine handling
of the Big Bear case
in which you succeeded almost magically
in recovering the entirety of the loan with interest.
For that, as for all the fine work
you've done over the years, I want to thank you.
I would therefore like to promote you as of today
to the position of chief officer of the second section
of the lending division.
ANNA KARENINA
Seen any cats?
I just quit my job.
Cool.
So, if you were in love with a girl
and she turned out to have six fingers,
what would you do?
I...I don't know.
Maybe sell her to the circus?
- Really? - No, I'm joking.
I don't think it would bother me.
And what if she had four breasts?
Um...
I don't know.
- How old are you? - Just turned 16.
So, you wouldn't mind marrying a girl with six fingers
but not with four breasts?
No, I didn't say that, I just...
I don't know.
Why don't you know?
I don't know, it's hard to imagine such a thing.
Can you imagine a girl with six fingers?
Yeah.
Yeah, I guess I can.
So why not four breasts?
What's the difference?
Do I ask too many questions?
Do people tell you that?
Yeah, sometimes.
You can sleep if you like.
I'll wake you up if I see your cat.
Can I tell you something?
You don't need to answer.
- Yeah, sure. - Shh.
It's just some stuff I've been thinking about these days.
Mm-hm.
I'd like to be able to look inside a dead body...
open it up with a scalpel
and find the core of what he was.
I'm sure there's something like that inside,
a kind of squishy, dark something
hidden in there.
Don't worry.
I'll let you know if Noboru Watanabe shows up.
I'm sure he's walking around here someplace.
He'll be here any minute now.
He's coming.
I know he's coming...
through the grass...
under the fence...
stopping to sniff the flowers
along the way.
He's almost here.
He's getting closer and closer.
Noboru Watanabe...
where did you go?
SEND TO KYOKO?
And there we go.
And a little signature here, if you please.
Okay, that's it.
- Have a good one. - Thank you.
ONE NEW MESSAGE KOMURA
WHERE DID YOU GO?
DID THE WIND-UP BIRD FORGET TO WIND YOUR SPRING?
Watanabe!