いとしいこと

Previous   TOC   ─── Last Take The location where Shunji Tokame’s rundown old house once stood was now occupied by a three-story building, so the actual filming took place in an empty lot by the river. The wind was fairly strong, causing the actors’ hair to flutter out of place. There was some discussion about putting up windbreaks, but the natural atmosphere was too good to disrupt, so they left it as it was. Playing Shunji from his high school years through age twenty-five was a high schooler with no acting experience. Shunji had been surprised to hear that the actor was Ninomiya’s son, but after the camera test, he couldn’t imagine anyone else in the role. His acting was natural, and his presence lingered in a way that was hard to define. To be honest, Shunji didn’t think the boy looked much like him, though Wakibuchi repeatedly insisted, “He’s got Shunji’s exact vibe.” Meanwhile, the actress playing Koharu had such short hair during initial rehearsals that her silhouette h...

Previous   TOC   Next ───Take 6 When Shunji Tokame woke up, he saw Yorozu Shirosaki gazing absentmindedly out the window, his yukata loose and disheveled. It was still early dawn. Through the small gap in the slightly opened shoji screen, flakes of snow drifted softly to the ground. Rising slowly, Shunji walked to the window. At the sound of his footsteps, Yorozu turned and gestured beyond the glass, saying, “The snow is beautiful.” It was indeed beautiful. The cold, white blanket covering everything appeared both breathtaking and merciless. From behind, Shunji wrapped his arms around Yorozu, who exhaled softly, the warmth of his body palpable against Shunji’s own. From the end of December through mid-January, Yorozu had been scurrying around like a mouse—managing his younger brother’s wedding and various hotel events for the holiday season. Even in his sleep, he’d mumbled about “special menu items” or “New Year’s decorations.” This New Year, they had spent time at Yorozu’s fa...

Previous   TOC   Next ───Take 5 After ten o'clock, the office tucked inside the hotel was empty. Yorozu Shirosaki, just about ready to leave, heard the familiar ping of a message notification. Where are you right now? The message was from his friend Kasuga. Yorozu replied, Still at work. Heading out soon. What's up? Kasuga messaged back with an emoji of a person bowing deeply in apology: I need to pick up the collection. Can you hang around the office a bit longer? Please! Not thrilled about staying late, Yorozu slumped back in his chair. Since college, he’d been roped into Kasuga’s countless requests, and somehow, the friendship endured even now into their thirties—he’d even delivered the best man’s speech at Kasuga’s wedding. Not that Yorozu thought much about it, but to the outside world, this might look like one of those inseparable, almost fated friendships. “…Wait, so he’s picking up the collection.” Yorozu took a key from his desk drawer, unlocking the door in the cor...

Previous   TOC   Next ───Take 4 On what was supposed to be just a half-day of work, a new issue cropped up on the production line. Hiroshi Ninomiya spent the rest of his supposed day off frantically reaching out to departments, troubleshooting left and right until he finally made it home a little past 4 p.m., by which time the sun was already low in the sky. “Man, I’m exhausted,” he muttered, letting out a weary sigh. Then he noticed two pairs of unfamiliar shoes—clearly men’s—lined up at the entryway. Guests? Yukina didn’t mention anything about guests, he thought. If they were friends of mine, she’d usually shoot me a text… though, come to think of it, my phone died earlier. “I’m home!” he called out. His wife, Yukina, appeared at the end of the hallway, hurrying toward him with quick steps. “Hiro-kun, do you have your phone?” Really? And here I was expecting a ‘Welcome home.’ He sighed, but replied, “Sorry about that. Forgot to charge it, so it died before noon. Was there...

Previous   TOC   Next ───Take 3 “And… cut!” The assistant director’s voice echoed through the set, a replica of a traditional tearoom. The director, Tokame, reviewed the actors’ performances on the monitor and called out, "OK." With that, they had wrapped up filming all eight scenes. Though the cast was relatively unknown, their skill and efficiency had kept the shooting on track. Isono Soukichi, in charge of props, was the first to step onto the set, carefully gathering the tea utensils, scrolls, and vase. The set might be a fake, but the items he handled were genuine—and valuable. Some of these tea bowls alone cost tens of thousands of yen, a fact he couldn’t exactly shout about. If one of these breaks, that's half a year’s salary gone in an instant. The producer had suggested they could afford to be less meticulous, since this was, after all, just a reenactment in a documentary. But Isono had insisted, saying, “I’ll take full responsibility.” This was a three-part docu...