Hello everyone. I'm Tsukui from WAITER-U, a café in Shimokitazawa that resembles a campsite. Today, I won't be talking about camping, but rather about my hobbies: movies and books.
I love watching movies, but I rarely delve deeply into the director's background or the historical context. However, there's one film director who completely captivated me to the point where I bought books and researched everything about him. That's Juzo Itami.
I first learned about Juzo Itami when I subscribed to CS broadcasting during my university days. Back then, there were plans that allowed me to watch specialty channels in addition to terrestrial broadcasting, so I watched FOX, ANX, Cartoon Network, and others. Among them was a Fuji TV-affiliated Japanese film channel, where I happened to see Juzo Itami's film "Supermarket Woman."
"Supermarket Woman" truly engrossed me. I watched it from beginning to end, so focused that I begrudged every blink. Afterward, I rented "A Taxing Woman" on DVD and experienced the same captivating feeling. And then, "Tampopo." All of Juzo Itami's works evoke similar emotions in me.
I thought, "This movie is amazing," and when I researched the director, I realized they were all by Juzo Itami. From then on, I became so deeply engrossed that I bought and read all of his essays, such as "Women" and "Women Again."
"Supermarket Woman" is a truly interesting film. It's set in a struggling, almost bankrupt supermarket where they routinely sell stale meat and display discolored products. A major supermarket opens next door to their customer-unfriendly service style, creating a crisis. The story is about their struggle to revive the supermarket, and it's filled with important elements related to business, commerce, and work. That was the trigger that made me love Juzo Itami's films, and I continued to watch his other works.
The protagonist in most of his works is the same actress, Nobuko Miyamoto. In fact, Nobuko Miyamoto was Juzo Itami's wife. I found out through research that she was struggling at the time to land leading roles, so he apparently cast her in his films by saying, "Then you can play the lead in my works."
Juzo Itami passed away in 1997. His death was ruled an accident, but various speculations circulated. After that, Nobuko Miyamoto reportedly did not appear in films for about 20 years, perhaps due to the shock.
The film that marked her return was the movie adaptation of Hiro Arikawa's novel "Hankyu Densha." I learned about Hiro Arikawa's novels because my novel-loving father was moved by them and recommended them to me. A few years later, I learned it was being made into a movie, and my family went to see it, but at the time, I knew nothing about the behind-the-scenes stories of Juzo Itami and Nobuko Miyamoto.
After watching the movie, I became interested in the Hankyu train, which was the setting. I was born and raised in Kanto and didn't know much about the train situation in Kansai, but the Hankyu train left a very elegant impression. It had a yellow wood-grain interior and elegant green seats. My friends in Kansai also often said, "Hankyu is great." I was always curious about what kind of train it was.
The setting is the Hankyu Imazu Line, and stations like Obayashi appear (I believe it was set on a line running from Takarazuka with Obayashi Station in between). I had opportunities to go on business trips to Osaka, but I never had the chance to ride the Hankyu. Then, last year, I had an errand in Kobe and had about half a day free. Kobe is served by various trains, including Hanshin and Hankyu. I decided to take the Hankyu train, which I had always wanted to ride, and boarded it from Kobe-Sannomiya Station.
That was the first time I traveled without a destination. I just decided to take the Hankyu train, so I got on an express train, stopped at Okamoto and Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, and went all the way to Juso, the final stop. Juso is a station where many Hankyu lines converge, and I suddenly felt like getting off. While looking at the route map there, I realized, "Wait, I can go all the way to Kyoto from here on Hankyu!"
I transferred there and headed towards Kyoto, which I hadn't planned at all. I took a train bound for Kyoto-Kawaramachi, transferred to the Arashiyama Line at Katsura, and went to Arashiyama. When I got off at Arashiyama, it was the beautiful Kyoto that people from Kanto imagine (though people from Kyoto might say there are other charms). I found a good seat at a restaurant by the Katsura River, enjoyed Kyoto obanzai with beer, and returned home satisfied.
Why am I telling this story? Because the catalyst for this trip to Kyoto was watching the movie "Hankyu Densha." I became interested in the movie, read the original novel, and then decided to go there myself. It's similar to the feeling of finding an interesting movie next to the one you were looking for at TSUTAYA, or being drawn to a book next to the one you were searching for at a bookstore. An unplanned encounter next to my original goal led to a wonderful experience.
In today's world, where things often go according to plan, isn't it important to act on intuition? Without fear of failure, the action of "let's just go" might lead to unexpected and wonderful encounters. If I had no interest in movies or books, this trip would never have happened.
I always say that I run a café centered around camping, but even if you don't go camping, I hope you discover something new through books, movies, records, or music. Having a small hobby is an important element that enriches life, and I'm reminded of that these days.
Yes, today is March 31st, the last day of March. Thank you very much to all the customers who visited us today and throughout March. From April, our staff will change a little, and we'll have more camping enthusiasts, so if you're in Shimokitazawa, please stop by our shop. See you next time.
