Hello everyone. I'm Tsukui from WAITER-U, a cafe in Shimokitazawa that's designed to resemble a campsite. Today, however, I'd like to talk not about camping, but about my hobbies: movies and books.
I love movies and watch them often, but I don't usually delve deeply into the director's background or the historical context of their films. However, there is one film director whose work I became incredibly engrossed in, even buying books and researching extensively. That director is Juzo Itami.
I first learned of Juzo Itami's name when I subscribed to a satellite TV service during my university years. At the time, there was a plan that allowed me to watch specialized channels in addition to terrestrial broadcasting, and I watched channels like FOX, ANX, and Cartoon Network. Among them was a Japanese film channel affiliated with Fuji TV, and it was there that I happened to see Juzo Itami's film "Supermarket Woman."
I was completely engrossed in "Supermarket Woman." I was so absorbed from beginning to end that I didn't even want to blink. Afterwards, I rented "A Taxing Woman" on DVD and watched it, and I experienced the same feeling of being drawn in. And then there was "Tampopo." All of Juzo Itami's films evoke similar emotions in me.
I thought, "This movie is amazing," and when I looked up the director, I found out it was all Juzo Itami. From there, I became so deeply engrossed that I bought and read all of his essays, including "Women" and "Women Again."
"Supermarket Woman" is a truly fascinating film. It's set in a struggling supermarket that's on the verge of bankruptcy, where they casually sell meat that isn't fresh and leave discolored products on display. With a customer-unfriendly service style, they face a crisis when a large supermarket opens next door. The story follows their struggle to turn the supermarket around, and it's full of important elements about business, commerce, and work. That's what got me hooked on Juzo Itami's films, and I've continued to watch his other works as well.
The lead role in most of his films is played by the same actress, Nobuko Miyamoto. It turns out that Nobuko Miyamoto is actually the wife of director Juzo Itami. I learned through research that she was struggling to land leading roles at the time, and apparently, she agreed to appear in his films, saying, "Well, then you can play the lead in my films."
Director Juzo Itami passed away in 1997. While his death is officially ruled an accident, various speculations surround it. Following his death, Nobuko Miyamoto reportedly did not appear in films for about 20 years, perhaps due to the shock she experienced.
The film that marked her return was the movie adaptation of Hiro Arikawa's novel "Hankyu Train." I first learned about Hiro Arikawa's novels when my father, a novel lover, was deeply moved by them and recommended them to me. A few years later, I learned that it was being made into a movie, and my family and I went to see it, but at the time I had no idea about the behind-the-scenes stories of Juzo Itami and Nobuko Miyamoto.
After watching the movie, I became interested in the Hankyu Railway, which is the setting for the film. I was born and raised in the Kanto region, so I wasn't very familiar with the train situation in Kansai, but the Hankyu Railway gave me a very elegant impression. The yellow wood-grain interior and the elegant green seats. My friends from Kansai often said, "Hankyu is great." I've always been curious about what kind of train it is.
The setting is the Hankyu Imazu Line, and stations like Kobayashi Station appear (I believe it's a line that departs from Takarazuka, with Kobayashi Station located along the way). I've had opportunities to go on business trips to Osaka, but I never really had a chance to ride the Hankyu line. Then last year, I had business in Kobe, and I had about half a day free. Kobe is served by various train lines, including Hanshin and Hankyu. I thought I'd take the opportunity to ride the Hankyu train, which I'd always wanted to ride, so I boarded at Kobe Sannomiya Station.
That was the first time I'd ever taken a trip without a destination in mind. I decided to just take the Hankyu Railway, so I boarded an express train, which stopped at Okamoto and Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, and went all the way to the last stop, Juso. Juso is a station where many Hankyu lines converge, and I suddenly felt like getting off. As I looked at the route map, I realized, "Wait a minute, I can go all the way to Kyoto from here on the Hankyu line!"
I changed trains and headed towards Kyoto, a direction I hadn't planned at all. I boarded a train bound for Kyoto Kawaramachi, changed to the Arashiyama Line at Katsura, and went to Arashiyama. When I got off at Arashiyama, a beautiful Kyoto unfolded before me, just as people from the Kanto region imagine (although people from Kyoto might say it has a different kind of charm). I went into a restaurant by the Katsura River where I happened to get a good seat, drank beer with Kyoto-style obanzai (traditional Kyoto home cooking), and went home feeling satisfied.
The reason I'm telling this story is that the initial impetus for this trip to Kyoto was watching the movie "Hankyu Railway." I became interested in the movie, read the original book, and then decided to actually go there. It's similar to the feeling I used to have when I was looking for a DVD at TSUTAYA and noticed an interesting movie next to it, or when I was in a bookstore and my eyes fell on a book next to the one I was looking for. An unexpected encounter next to my intended destination led to a wonderful experience.
In today's world, where things often go according to plan, perhaps it's also important to act on intuition. Acting without fear of failure, simply "going for it," might lead to wonderful, unexpected encounters. If I had absolutely no interest in movies or books, this trip wouldn't have happened.
I always say that I run a cafe centered around camping, but even if you don't go camping, I hope you'll leave with a new discovery, whether it's through books, movies, records, or music. I've been realizing more and more lately that having a small hobby is an important element that enriches life.
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 will have more members who love camping, so we would be delighted if you would stop by our store when you come to Shimokitazawa. See you next time.
