"TOHO CO., LTD." "TOHO 20TH ANNIVERSARY FILM" "ARTS FESTIVAL SELECTION-1952" "IKIRU (TO LIVE)" "PRODUCED BY SOJIRO MOTOGI" "SCREENPLAY BY AKIRA KUROSAWA, SHINOBU HASHIMOTO, HIDEO OGUNI" "CINEMATOGRAPHY BY ASAKAZU NAKAI" "MUSIC BY FUMIO HAYASAKA" "CAST:" "TAKASHI SHIMURA" "DIRECTED BY AKIRA KUROSAWA" "This stomach belongs to the protagonist of our story." "At this point, our protagonist has no idea he has this cancer..." "PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION CHIEF" "My child has sensitive skin, and that water gave him an awful rash." "PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT" "Plus it breeds mosquitoes like crazy." "And it stinks, besides." "Can't you do something?" "It would make a great playground if you filled it in." "Please wait a moment." "Sir, they've come to complain about a sewage pond." " Engineering Section." " Yes." "Ah, here is our protagonist now." "But it would only be tiresome to meet him right now." "After all, he's simply passing time without actually living his life." "In other words, he's not really even alive." "Odagiri, how dare you, during business hours?" "But it's so funny." "Funny?" "What is?" "It's the "Liar's Club." Someone sent it around." "Read it to us." ""I hear you've never even taken a vacation." "Is that because City Hall couldn't function without you?"" ""No, because everyone would realize that City Hall doesn't need me at all."" "Oh, no, this will never do." "He might as well be a corpse." "In fact, this man has been dead for more than 20 years now." "Before that, he did live a little." "He even actually tried to do real work." "A PROPOSAL FOR I NCREASING DEPARTMENTAL EFFICIENCY" "SUBMITTED 1930" "But now, there's barely a trace of his old passion and ambition." "He's been worn down completely by the minutia of the bureaucratic machine and the meaningless busyness it breeds." "Busy, always so very." "Busy." "But in fact, this man does absolutely nothing at all." "Other than protecting his own spot." "The best way to protect your place in this world is to do nothing at all." "Is this really what life is all about?" "Is this really what life is all about?" "Before our friend will take this question seriously, his stomach has to get a lot worse, and he'll have to waste much, much more time." "But any proposal for creating a park goes to the Parks Department." "This really seems to be a question of hygiene, so you'd better try the Health Department." "Go to the Sanitation Department." "See Environmental Sanitation." "Department of Prevention." "Infectious Diseases." "Lots of mosquitoes?" "That's a job for the Division of Pest Control." "The problem is seeping waste, which means it's a problem for the Sewage Department at City Hall." "Originally, it was a ditch with a road running over it, which means the Roads Department." "We're waiting on a decision from City Planning." "Go to Ward Reorganization." "The Fire Department objected to draining that cesspool." "There are water pressure problems in that area." "Are you kidding?" "All we need's a good water supply." "There's no reason it has to breed mosquitoes and cause rashes." "Think what a time we'd have getting that filth out of our hoses." "Of course, we'd love a kiddie pool in that neighborhood." "Try the Education Department." "They should have a Child Welfare Committee." "But the problem doesn't only affect children." "We've had enough trouble just rebuilding all the schools." "A problem this big belongs with your Ward Representative to the City Council." "I'll give you an introduction to the Deputy Mayor." "Show him my card and he'll meet with you immediately." "Please, sit down." "Thank you for all your hard work." "The truth is that we truly appreciate folks like you, who know to bring such complaints directly to our attention." "That's precisely what inspired our new Department of Public Affairs." "Don't skimp on your complaints." "Hey, you." "Show these folks the Public Affairs desk." "You'll need to take that up with Engineering." "Desk 8." "How dare you?" "Stop giving us the runaround." "What the hell's this poster mean?" "To help us kill time?" "We call people like you time-killers." "All we want is to get that stinking cesspool cleaned up." "If it's Engineering, Sewage, Health, Sanitation or the Fire Department," "Public Affairs should sort it out." "Forget it." "We won't bother you anymore." "You're just laughing at us." "What a mockery of democracy." "Let's go." "Um, excuse me." "Unfortunately, the section chief took the day off, and it'd be easier for us if you'd put this in writing." "PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION CHIEF" "What do you think?" "The section chief never takes days off." "Yes, he's been kind of listless recently." "But we really can't have him taking extended time off." "Exactly." "It's not like him to take a day off over a little cold." "Nothing moves unless he stamps it." "Yes, you're right." "I must say, it's a terrible shame." "One more month and he'd have broken the record of 30 years without a single absence." "Trust me, some people are happy to have him gone." "Only a bureaucrat schemes to replace his boss as soon as he's out." "What's that medicine he's been taking?" "Stomach medicine." "He always slurped his noodle bowl to the bottom, but lately, he barely touches it." "Plain noodle soup." "In all these years, I've never seen him eat anything else." "And if the worst happens, who'll replace him?" "What's the rush?" "Lots more guys have to die before it's your turn." "X-RAY LAB" " Hiraoka-san..." " Yes." "Your stomach?" "Yeah, my stomach's bad, too." "It's what they call "chronic."" "These days I hardly feel alive unless my stomach hurts." " Suzuki-san..." " Yes." "That man over there..." "His doctor told him he's got an ulcer, but trust me, it's stomach cancer." "In a word, that very thing." "And stomach cancer is practically a death sentence." "The doc usually says it's just a mild ulcer, and that there's no real need to operate." "And that you can eat whatever you want as long as it's easy to digest." "If that's what he tells you, you've got a year, at most." "But if you've got these symptoms, you won't last a year:" "First, if the pain is kind of heavy." "Second, if you can't stop burping unpleasantly." "And your tongue's always dry." "You can't get enough water and tea." "And then there's the diarrhea." "And, if it isn't diarrhea, well, then you're constipated." "Your bowel movements go black." "And then, that meat you used to love so, you can hardly touch it anymore." "And whatever you eat, you vomit half an hour later." "And when stuff you ate last week comes up when you vomit, well, then you're done for." "You've hardly got three months..." "Watanabe-san." "Watanabe Kanji-san." "Watanabe-san." "Yes." "Sit down." "Um... it looks like you've got a mild ulcer." "Honestly... please tell me... the truth." "Tell me it's stomach cancer." "I just told you, it's a mild ulcer." "What about an operation?" "Can't you operate?" "Oh, no, there's no need to operate." "It'll heal on its own." "And my diet?" "Well, just use your common sense." "As long as it's easy to digest, you can eat whatever you like." "Does that patient have a year?" "No, I'd give him six months." " Six months?" " Yeah." "What would you do if you had only six months left to live, like him?" "What about you, Aihara?" "The barbiturates are over there." "Is there a blackout?" "The street lights and neighbors'are lit." "How strange." "I wonder if Dad's out." "Where's the key?" "In your handbag." "Did Hayashi-san forget to lock up when she went home?" "She's only a part-time maid." "Full-time would hardly break the bank, but a thief sure would." "That's just like Dad, the petty bureaucrat." "Man, it's freezing." "Just as cold inside as out." "I just hate Japanese houses." "Have a great time out and come home to this dump." "We need a modern home." " Honey..." " Yeah." "A house of our own would cost 500,000 yen, right?" "Use father's retirement bonus as collateral..." "Yeah, it ought to be worth 6 or 700,000 yen by now." "Plus a monthly pension of 12 or 13,000 yen." "And another 100,000 in savings." "But you think he'd agree?" "If he doesn't, we'll tell him we're moving out." "That'll clinch it." "Besides, even Pop wouldn't want to take all that money to his grave." "What's wrong, Dad?" "Oh, nothing." "Nothing at all." "That was strange." "Listen, honey." "It's not fair." "What isn't?" "He heard our whole conversation." "It's really not fair." "It may be his house, but this is our room." "I can't believe he snuck in here while we were out." "Besides, if he's got a gripe, he should come out with it." "Not go around acting like a crabby kid." "Stop being so moody." "Forget about your dad." "He has his life." "We have ours." "Love me." "How sad." "She was so young, and to leave such a sweet little boy behind." "She must have regretted dying." "Cut it out." "The same broken record." "Hurry, hurry." "Mommy's leaving." "You can't use Mitsuo as an excuse not to marry again." "As soon as that boy grows up, he'll never love you the way you loved him." "And when he gets married, they'll squeeze you out." "You've got to think about your own future." "I'm telling you, find another wife now." "Besides, my wife says, the thought of you and your oily skin keeping up with the laundry is too disgusting to bear." "Dad." "Mitsuo." "Good night." "You'll lock up down there, right?" "Mitsuo." "What do you say?" "What a great hit." "You know, the batter is my..." "Mitsuo, Mitsuo." "That idiot." "What's he thinking?" "Mitsuo." "Mitsuo, be brave." "It's only your appendix." "No worse than pulling a tooth." "Can't you stay for the operation, Dad?" "Well, I've got some other things to do and..." "Mitsuo, Mitsuo." "Banzai, Banzai." "Banzai, banzai." "Dad." "Mitsuo." "CERTI FICATE OF APPRECIATION" "IN RECOGNITION OF 25 YEARS OF DISTINGUISHED CIVIL SERVICE" "Watanabe-san left for work as usual." "What?" "But he hasn't been in at all." "It's been five days now, but he hasn't called in sick either." "The sub-section chief asked me to check up on him." "Madam." "Madam." "What?" "Impossible." "But it's true." "The man from his office said so." "What could Father be doing?" "It's incredible, but it's really true." "The people at his house were flabbergasted." "What a bother." "When the section chief's out, I can stamp your paperwork." "But he has to approve any resignations, right?" "Don't tell me you want to quit?" "I don't belong here." "Uncle, he even withdrew 50,000 yen from his account." "That miser?" "Maybe he's got a woman." "That would be quite something." " Now, dear." " Never." "Oh, there's no telling when it comes to love." "The least likely ones have the highest risk." "If you ask me, he's actually always been a real lech." "What they call a sullen lech." "But he's stayed single these 20 years for you." "It makes sense he'd explode sooner or later." "Oh, no." "He's lost a lot of weight recently, and his skin's strangely dry and flaky." "I bet there's another explanation." "You saw him recently?" "Four days ago." "He turned up that morning." "I thought there was definitely something wrong." "But you know your uncle." "He just said, "Why the glum look?" "If it's a loan, forget it."" "Hey, don't tell me he had good news." "Not with that long face." "Now, honey, it's just that my husband thinks all men are self-indulgent, like him." "Say, Mitsuo-san." "Did something happen at home?" "No... nothing in particular." "Hey." "Deliver this to my place." "My editor's waiting outside." "And get some sleeping pills at the drugstore." "There's a prescription in my name." "But sir, the drugstore's already closed." "Is it that late?" "Around here, they close up shop after dinner." "What to do?" "I can't get to sleep unless I take them with my nightcap." "Um, I don't mean to be rude." "But I happen to have some sleeping pills with me." "Well, much obliged." "May I pay you the official price?" "No, no." "I was planning to throw them away." " But..." " No, really." "Really?" "Then let me pick up your tab." "Oh, no." "You can drink, right?" "Please, have another." "You hardly seem tipsy." "Why, thank you." "I throw up everything anyway." "In other words, my stomach..." "I have stomach cancer." " Stomach cancer?" " Yes." "That's a shock." "But then, what you're doing is crazy." "Yes, it's embarrassing, but..." "But..." "It's suicide to drink when you have stomach cancer." "But..." "I can't die." "I'll just up and die on them." "I want to, but..." "I can't... die." "In other words, I can't bring myself to die." "I don't know what I've been doing with my life all these years." "No children?" "Your stomach hurts?" "No, it's not my stomach..." "It seems you're carrying a heavy load indeed." "No..." "It's just..." "I'm such a fool." "I'm just... so furious with myself." "Until just a few days ago," "I'd never even bought a drink with my own money." "It's only now that I don't know how much longer I've got to live that I finally..." "I understand." "I understand." "But drinking is plain crazy." "Besides, does it even taste good?" "No, it doesn't." "But... for a little while, I can forget my cancer, and all the other painful things." "Drinking... this expensive sake is like paying myself back with poison" "for the way I lived all these years." "In other words," "I mean, it feels awful, but it feels good at the same..." "I can understand." "Oh, why..." "Actually, I..." "I have 50,000 yen here with me, which I'd like to spend all at once." "But embarrassingly enough, the thing is, I don't even actually know how." "So what I'm trying to say is..." "You want me to show you how to spend it?" "Yes, I realize it's terribly forward of me..." "But..." "No, this money..." "It took me dozens of years to set aside this money." "All the more reason now to..." "What I'm trying to say..." "I understand." "But please put your money away." "Tonight's on me." "But that's not..." "I..." "Just leave things to me." "Truly fascinating..." "I realize it's rude to call you fascinating, but you're an extremely rare individual." "I'm a half-baked fool who writes meaningless novels." "You've really made me think tonight." "I realize what they say about the nobility of misfortune is true." "Because misfortune teaches us the truth." "Your cancer has opened your eyes to your own life." "We humans are so careless." "We only realize how beautiful life is when we chance upon death." "But few of us are actually able to face death." "The worst ones know nothing of life 'til they die." "You're splendid." "Rebelling against life at your age." "Your rebellious spirit moves me." "You were a slave to your own life." "Now you will become its master." "I'm telling you, it's our human duty to enjoy life." "Wasting it, you desecrate God's great gift." "We've got to be greedy about living." "We learned that greed is a vice, but that's old." "Greed is a virtue." "Especially this greediness for life." "Let's go." "Let us go reclaim the life you have wasted." "Tonight it will be my pleasure to act as your Mephistopheles." "A good Mephistopheles who seeks no reward." "With a black dog to guide us." "Show us the way." "Listen." "These silver balls, they're you." "They're your life itself." "This machine liberates people who strangle themselves in their daily lives." "A vending machine of dreams and infatuations." "Over here, sweetie." " Not so fast." " But..." "You don't know, but these women are the greediest of all mammals." "It'll cost you close to a dozen hats to get that old one back." "Besides, it's time to buy a new hat to switch to a new self." "Welcome." "Welcome." "We haven't seen you in a while." "The same for your friend?" "What are you laughing at?" "It's the honest truth." "He really has cancer." " Then why's he drinking?" " You idiot." "That's why you'll never get it." "Ecce homo." "Behold this man." "This man bears a cross called cancer." "He's Christ." "If you were diagnosed with cancer, you'd die on the spot." "But not this fellow." "That's the moment he started living." "Right?" "Isn't that so?" "Listen, the thing is, that's the etiquette." "Listen, you, over here, here." "Anybody want to request a favorite?" ""Life is Brief."" "What?" ""Life is Brief."" "Fall in love, maidens" "Oh, that love song from back in the nineteen teens." "Life is brief" "Fall in love, maidens" "Before the crimson bloom" "Fades from your lips" "Before the tides of passion" "Cool within you" "For those of you" "Who know no tomorrow" "Life is brief" "Fall in love, maidens" "Before your raven tresses" "Begin to fade" "Before the flames in your hearts" "Flicker and die" "For those to whom" "Today will never return" "That's the spirit, man." "Life is brief" "Striptease." "Now, this is what I call art." "No, it's more than art." "It's more direct." "In other words, that female body gently undulating up there on stage is a juicy steak, a glass of liquor, a bottle of camphor, streptomycin, uranium..." "Please, stop." "Hey, stop the car." "What?" "Had enough?" "I think he's throwing up." "What a drag." "Say, let's sing something." "I hate feeling blue." "C'mon a my house a my house" "I'm gonna give you a Christmas tree" "C'mon a my house a my house" "I'm gonna give you a marriage ring and a pomegranate too" "C'mon a my house a my house" "C'mon a my house a my house" "I'm gonna give you a peach and a pear I love your hair" "Section Chief." "I thought it was you." "I hardly recognized you in that new hat." "But I'm glad." "I was looking for your place." "Are you off to work?" "No, I'm..." "Do you have your seal?" "No, my seal's back at home." "I want to quit the civil service." "I'm in a rush 'cause I found a new job." " Then come to my house." " Sure." " Why are you quitting?" " Boredom." "It's killing me." "Each day is as predictable as the last." "Nothing new ever happens." "Still, I put up with it for a year and a half, but the only novel thing that happened was you taking a few days off, and now this new hat of yours." "That was it." "In any case, don't say anything when Dad gets back." "I've nothing to say." "What I mean is, don't reproach him about anything." "If you hadn't brought up his pension..." "You're so self-centered, blaming it all on me." "You brought up his savings." "Said even he wouldn't take them to his grave..." "But it just doesn't make sense that that's all it took to set Dad off." "Dad's never stayed out all night." "Let's stop this now." "We don't even know what he's up to, let alone if it's got anything to do with us." "I'll be going then." "Oh, c'mon in." "Honey!" "Thirty years." "Thirty years in that awful place." "It kills me to think of it." "I'm sorry." "No, it's just, recently, every time I see that award, it reminds me of that joke you read us." "No, no, that joke hit the nail on the head." "No matter how hard I try," "I can't remember a thing I've done in that office over the last thirty years." "All I remember, what I mean is, I was just busy, and even then I was bored." "I had you all wrong, Section Chief." "You actually get it." "What a shock." "That's crazy." "Whatever uncle says, I know Dad best." "But..." "I can't even imagine Dad with such a young girl." "This is the wrong form." "Are you going in to the office?" "Yes, I've got to deliver this." "Then will you post my sick leave?" "Why are you staying out of the office?" "It's a hot topic around there." "Like you mutated or something." "I just..." "Are you really sick?" "Actually, you look kind of pale." "It's just that what I mean..." "I didn't think so." "So where do you go when you pretend you're going to work?" "You don't fool me." "But how odd." "Don't you know?" "Sakai-san came here yesterday and spilled the beans.," "Who cares?" "After 30 years with an unblemished record, you deserve at least six months off." "Besides, I'll cover for you." "I'm not like that Fish Kite." " Fish kite?" " Yes, he's a human Fish Kite, that Sakai-san is." "His lips are always moving, but he's just hot air inside." "Besides, he acts like he's some high flyer." "He makes 200 yen more a month than I do, so he looks down on me." "Bye, then." "Say, wait, I'll go with you." "Madam." "Madam." "You're so lucky." "I wish I could live in a house like yours." "Our place crams three generations in two rooms." "It's like civil war." "And you have a wonderful son, right?" "In any event, where do you buy ladies' stockings?" " You're buying some?" " Yes." "Western clothing stores carry them." "They're for your daughter-in-law, right?" "I've heard she's very pretty." "According to our Mr. Fish Kite's report." " They look wonderful." " I'm all dizzy." " They make you that happy?" " So happy." "To buy them myself, I'd have to live on sardines for lunch for three months." "But why did you buy them for me?" "In a word, your stockings had holes." "But the holes in my stockings don't bother your legs." "It's just that I..." "No, no." "I didn't mean that." "I know how kind you are." "But right now, I feel kind of awkward, so I made that awful remark." "I'm sorry." "Want to hear something good?" "Something good?" "I got so bored I had to give everyone at work a nickname." "Want to hear them?" "Sea Slug." " Sea Slug?" "Can you guess?" "Someone who's slippery and evasive." "Ohno-san, the sub-section chief." "Sea Slug... indeed." "Ditch-cover-board, damp and soggy all year round." " Would that be Ohbara?" " Bingo!" "Next comes Flypaper." " Flypaper?" " You know, sticks to everything." "Get it?" "Noguchi-san." "Next is Saito-san, the manager." "See if you can guess his nickname." "Saito, huh." "Saito would be..." "Saito's main feature is that he's so featureless." "I don't really know..." "Daily Special." " Daily special?" " At the cafeteria." "Then what about Kimura?" "Rice noodles, always timid and trembling." "Say, I had a nickname for you, too." "But I'm not going to tell, 'cause I had you all wrong." "No, don't worry, just tell me..." "Oh, dear." "No, I'd rather you broke it to me." "Okay, then." "The Mummy." "I'm sorry." "Oh, no..." "In other words, I'm..." "I'm going." "Thank you so much." "Do you really have to tender your resignation today?" "If you could make it tomorrow, why not spend today..." "You're not eating anything." "No, it's just..." "You look so tired." "But I had a truly marvelous day today." "But you snored through the best part of the movie." "It's just that I overdid it a little last night." "Kimura-san..." "I really can't..." "This isn't the sort of thing" "I can tell just anyone." "It's quite embarrassing, but..." "In other words, the reason" "I worked like a mummy these last 30 years..." "Oh, no, it's not that I mind you calling me a mummy." "Because that's exactly right." "In other words, I don't blame you." "It's just that the reason" "I made myself into a mummy..." "In other words, I did it all for my son's sake." "But as it turned out, my son doesn't seem to give a whit." "But you can't blame it all on your son." "Isn't that right?" "Not unless he asked you to make a mummy of yourself." "Parents are all the same." "My mom gives me the same kind of line sometimes." ""The things I've suffered for you."" "And I'm grateful she had me." "But it's not my fault I was born." "What's the matter with you, bad-mouthing your son to me?" "It's just..." "You know you still adore him." "No end in sight for the electricity shortage." "Is that a fact?" "They say we haven't had such a heat wave in 30 years." "I see." "The thing is, there's something" "I'd like to tell you." "I know I should have told you sooner, but it's not very pleasant business." "Father, let's drop it." "You see, I discussed it with Uncle today, and we have to address this to avoid complications later." "For instance, we have our rights as your heirs." "To avoid misunderstandings..." " Mitsuo!" " Fact is, she's fleeced you out of 50,000 yen in a few days." "Young girls these days..." " What are you..." "Father, we respect your right to freedom of expression." "We accept your degenerate behavior." "But we do have some basic conditions." "Think of Kazue or, putting her aside, of her family back home." "How dare you bring a woman like that home." "And holding hands with her in your room." "I could hardly face the maid." "It's been two weeks now since our protagonist abandoned his spot." "During that time, various rumors and speculations have swirled around our Watanabe-san." "All these rumors and speculations coincide perfectly with the notion that our Watanabe-san is being very." "Foolish indeed." "But Watanabe himself has never taken his actions so seriously in his entire life." "This isn't the city office, where you waste a whole day on an hour's work." "It's more serious." "It's just, I..." "Every minute I waste here costs me money." "Then I'll see you tonight..." "I'm exhausted at night." "I'd rather sleep than go out." "Besides, why are you always taking me out?" "It's just..." "Let's stop doing this." "It doesn't feel right." "But, then, just one more night, okay?" "No, it'll never end." "I'm sorry." "After tonight, no more, okay?" "Shall we go for a stroll?" "I've had it." "Next it'll be a sweet shop, then a sushi or noodle joint." "What's the point of it all?" "I feel badly that you keep treating me, but I've had it up to here." "Besides, we've both run out of things to say." "There's that face again." "The truth is, you give me the creeps." "What's going on?" "Why do you chase me around like this?" " In other words..." " In other words, what?" "In other words, I really enjoy spending time with you this way." "Keep your old man's infatuation." "No, it's just that I..." "Why can't you spit it out, instead of always dribbling?" " Are you mad?" " No." "I don't even know myself why I keep following you around." "It's just, all I do know is..." "You see, I'm going to die soon." "I've got stomach cancer." "It's right here." "Can you understand?" "No matter what I do, I've only got six months or a year left." "Ever since I've known that, the way I felt about you became like..." "I know." "I nearly drowned in a pond once when I was a child." "I felt exactly the same way then." "Everything seems black." "No matter how I struggle and panic, there's nothing to grab hold of, except you." " And your son?" "Don't talk to me about my son." "I have no son." "I'm all alone." " But..." "No, you really don't understand." "My son is somewhere far, far away." "Just as my parents were when I was drowning in that pond." "It hurts me even to think about him now." "But why is anyone like me so..." "It's just that, that, you're, I mean..." "When I look at you, it warms me up right here." "This old... this old mummy..." "In other words, you're like, you seem like my family..." "No, that's not right." "You're young and you're healthy, so that's why..." "No, that's not right." "In other words, in other words, why are you so incredibly alive?" "You're just so alive." "That's why I'm envious." "This old mummy envies you." "Before I die, I want to live just one day like you do." "I'll live that way before I die." "Until I've done it, I can't just give up and die." "In other words, I just..." "I just want something to..." "I want to do something." "But it's just that, I don't know what." "But you do know." "No, maybe you don't, but you..." "But I don't..." "No, tell me, how can I be like you?" " But all I do is work and eat..." " And what else?" "That's all." "I mean it." "All I do is make these little things." "Even making these is so much fun." "Making them, I feel like I'm playing with every baby in Japan." "Why don't you try making something too?" "What can I possibly make at that office?" "You're right." "It's just impossible to make anything there." "So quit and go..." "It's too late." "It's not too late." "No, it's not impossible." "I know I can do something there." "I just have to find the will." "There is something I can do..." "It's a matter of time before he resigns." "His son came yesterday about his pension." "Which means you'll finally be section chief." "Well, you never know." "Good morning." "Section Chief." "Ohno, I'd like you to..." "PETITION BYTHE WOMEN'S COMMITTEE TO REPAI R AND FI LL I N CESSPOOL" "THE ENGI NEERI NG DEPARTMENT IS HEREBY DESIGNATED I N CHARGE OF..." "THIS MATTER." "But this belongs to Engineering." "No, this is just the sort of matter that Public Affairs must take the lead on." "This isn't just Engineering's problem." "Parks and Sewage also have a responsibility." " Say, get me a bicycle." " Yes." "I'm going out to survey the site." "Put together a report today." "I think that's a little impossible." "No, not if you set your mind to it." "Five months later." "The protagonist of our story." "Has died." "Let us see the deputy mayor." "He's here, right?" "Five minutes." "Just fiive minutes, please." "What should I tell them?" " But why press it when nothing's wrong?" " Are you sure?" "Our claim is based on thorough research." "Deputy Mayor, sir." "Although technically the Parks Dept." "And the Ward Committee built that park with your backing, wasn't it really Watanabe-san who built it?" "That's the word." "But Watanabe was section chief of Public Affairs." "The Park Department builds parks." "Sure, we understand that." "But actually, we're talking about the man who kept the plan alive and saw it through." "The community residents believe that was Watanabe-san." "They're all worried about why Watanabe-san... died in the park he created." "What do you mean?" "Well, they had reservations long before this." "You never mentioned Watanabe-san in the speech you gave at the park's opening ceremony." "They don't even call it a speech." "What was it, then?" "Electioneering." "And also, that Watanabe-san was snubbed at the ceremony and seated in the back row." "In other words, general sympathy for Watanabe-san has given rise to a special interpretation of his death at the park." "Meaning that his was an act of silent protest against city officials." "So you're saying that Watanabe committed suicide, or at least was prepared to, when he froze to death there?" "More or less." "It was snowing last night." "Sounds like a scene right out of a play." "However, the truth is, an autopsy has clearly established Watanabe's cause of death." "He neither committed suicide nor froze to death." "He died of stomach cancer." " Stomach cancer?" " Right." "Intestinal hemorrhaging." "Watanabe died suddenly, when he himself had no idea." "If you've any doubts..." "Ohno, refer them to his hospital." "It doesn't sit right." "These newspapermen and their lack of sensitivity." "Actually, it applies to the general public." "Their fundamental antipathy towards city officials will never do." "They just don't understand how we function." "Take that little park in Kuroe, for instance." "Apparently the public seems to believe that Watanabe built it." "But that's ridiculous." "I hate to say this at his wake." "And maybe I shouldn't, in front of his family and relatives, but I'll go ahead because I know Watanabe himself would disagree." "Watanabe certainly went to great pains to make that park." "I take my hat off to his passion." "But all his efforts were in the context of his office." "The idea that he went beyond the scope of his office to facilitate citizens' desires, and actually made the park himself, is nonsensical to those who understand our bureaucracy." "I'm sure Watanabe himself is wincing." "However, given that such rumors are surfacing, perhaps we may have been remiss." "Everyone focused on that historic project that rushed through construction." "Maybe we should have singled out someone's service." "For instance, section chief of the Parks Department." "Or his superior, the division chief in Engineering." "That's what you say, Deputy Mayor, but here's what I think." "All the Parks' section chief and I did was follow the dictates of our office." "But when you bear in mind your own struggles to rein in that notoriously political City Council, and realize the park's construction, it's you, Deputy Mayor, who should be singled out." "None of that, now." "Some people have even criticized my speech at the opening ceremony." "Isn't that right, Ohno?" "Some even say I was electioneering." "Excuse me." "The residents of Kuroe are here asking to burn incense for the deceased." "Dear." "Mitsuo-san." "It sure is cold." "May I pour one for you?" "Oh, no, I'll go get warm sake." "What do you say?" "Why don't you all move closer down here?" "Why not?" " Over here, please." " Thanks." "Hayashi-san." "Here, Ohno-san." "Have all the big shots gone to a meeting?" "Yes." "No, they couldn't stand to stay here." "I don't care what anyone says." "It was Watanabe-san who made that park." "In their hearts, the deputy mayor and his people know..." "That's going too far." "As the deputy mayor said..." "That's right." "I'm not saying this because I'm in the Parks Department, but we planned, budgeted and built that park." "No, that's not what I mean." "Let it go." "I can understand your feelings, but..." "The point is, he was in Public Affairs." "How dare he even think aboutmaking a park." "Violating our bureaucratic turf." "No, if you've got to credit something, it was coincidence that made that park." " But in that..." " Just listen." "City council members had an upcoming election to consider, and the concession owners sniffed a possible restaurant row, and all that sure sped up work on that landfill site." " That's right." " Yes." "That's exactly right." "But I just can't figure it out." "Why would anyone with his personality suddenly up and change like that?" "Right, it's a total mystery." "That's right, exactly." "In other words, with the benefit of hindsight, it's obvious." "Watanabe-san must've known he had stomach cancer." "That's why..." "Oh, we were just discussing whether or not your father knew he had stomach cancer." "Well, if he'd known, I'm sure he would have told me." "I see." "But I believe my father was fortunate to die without realizing he had cancer." "Because that disease is a death sentence." "I see." "Well, that knocks out Saito's theory." "What's that theory?" "It's just that five months ago, something transformed him." "You're right." "And none of us could make heads or tails of what had changed him." "Well, that's the woman's touch." "A young mistress' hormones can temporarily revive an old man." "Happens all the time." "Put a real sheen back on his cheeks." "The truth is, he'd recently found a way to buff that sheen." "Right." "That explains that rakish hat." "You're right." "Frankly, that hat was quite a shocker." "Section Chief, I think that's a little impossible." "No, not if we set our minds to it." "But..." "My point is, there was something extraordinary about his dedication." "Yes, that's right." "I don't mean to argue, but a woman's touch alone can't account for..." " But..." " Dear." "The thing is..." "Just doesn't..." "Not to change the subject, but there were times when his dogged dedication threatened to derail it all." "That's city hall for you." "Gotta guard your turf." "What I just can't wrap my head around is why a 30-year veteran of the place suddenly..." "That's because Watanabe-san..." "In any event, hawking that park proposal of his around every section practically guaranteed everyone would dig in their heels." "Including our own section chief." "Parks were our business, not Watanabe's." "We have our own proposals for new parks." "Can't you reconsider?" "This site is really terrible." "But making a park isn't as simple as you outline in your proposal." "No, this proposal is just a..." "I understand." "I'll take my time and go over it thoroughly." "But the thing is, ultimately, the parks' section chief caved in to his peculiar determination." "You've got a point there." "Our section chief gave in, too." "He was something." "Watanabe waited days for the answer he wanted." "Our section chief used to sneak around, trying to avoid him." "That's right." "Engineering Section Chief, Section Chief." "Couldn't believe he stooped to flattering peons like me." "Won't you please..." "Isn't there a way..." "Finally, we took pity on him." "That's right." "In the end we all took pity on him." "But, hey, you guys in Administration, you were the worst of all." "That's not..." "No, I always went with him, so I know." "You made us beg for two weeks." "How could I forget?" "I'm sorry." "But then, remember that shocker?" "Yeah, what a shocker." "DEPUTY MAYOR'S OFFICE" "But you know what was even more shocking?" "The thing with the deputy mayor?" "I heard, I heard." "What a shock." "A lowly section chief openly defying the deputy mayor." "Made history at City Hall." "About that new park." "It's one thing to show initiative, but you don't want people to think of you as self-aggrandizing." "And the City Council's got problems of its own." "I think it's best you give up that proposal." "Last night, we were treated to a geisha party." "Man, geisha these days are appalling." "One of'em spent the whole evening sulking and clammed up." "The madam said she was a student, a moonlighter." "That's a laugh." "Won't you please... reconsider this proposal..." "What did you just say?" "Yes." "Um..." "About that park, won't you reconsider your decision?" "But the thing is, when you think back, was it worth his taking it that far?" "He was crazy." "It's just that in City Hall everyone's guarding his own turf." "But after that, the deputy mayor did reconsider." "So..." "No, because the City Council rode him." "Coincidence, in other words." "It's too sentimental to attribute it alldto Watanabe-san's dedication." "Sentimental..." "Is that so?" "I don't see it that way." "The point is, the world is a dark place if his dedication was pointless." "It is a dark place." "First of all, just the sight of Watanabe-san." "It was like he kept himself going with nothing but work." "Wasn't that how it seemed?" "Sometimes he even gave me the chills." "When was that?" "I was..." "It reminds me of seeing him at that construction site." "How can I put it?" "The way he gazed out over the site, like a father or grandfather tenderly watching a favorite child..." "Of course it was." "Because Watanabe-san cherished that park." "So, in that case..." "It's exactly what I told you before." "Whatever anyone may say," "Watanabe-san built it..." "But if the City Council and deputy mayor hadn't been facing an election, they'd have ditched the proposal." "Watanabe-san had nothing to do with the crucial decisions." "No, that's not actually true." " Oh, really?" " Really." "The folks who wanted that restaurant row hated having Watanabe in their way." "The thing is..." "Section Chief." " Hey, you Section Chief of Public Affairs?" " Yes." "Just the man I wanted to see." "Old man, you keep your fat trap shut." "What on earth are you trying to..." "Don't fuck with me." "No hard feelings." "Just shut up and back down." "Hey, say something." "You're risking your life." "This is him, Watanabe." "I just don't get it." "Why would anyone like him just..." "I just don't..." "No." "Watanabe-san knew he had stomach cancer." "I'm positive." "But..." "I just suddenly remembered..." "This is just inexcusable." "We've been at this for two weeks." "At least they could tell us whether or not the funds are there." "Administration's just cruel." "They'll allocate the funds anyway." "It's not their personal money." "Now, now, there." "But doesn't it make you furious when they walk all over you this way?" "No." "I can't afford to hate people." "I haven't got that kind of time." "Meaning..." "Say." "Speaking of that..." "I've got another one like that." "How beautiful." "How truly beautiful." "In the last 30 years, I'd all but forgotten about sunsets." "But I haven't got time for this now." "Thought so." "Now I see." "Knowing he didn't have long left to live..." "It makes everything clear as day." "Otherwise, it makes no..." "Well, that explains his extraordinary passion and his outrageous behavior." "How else could he have been?" "Absolutely." "We'd have done the same." "But any one of us could suddenly drop dead." "Listen here." "Hey, Section Chief." "I mean you, the newly appointed Public Affairs Section Chief." "Don't you hear me?" "I haven't been promoted yet." "Hey!" "Ohno!" " Cut it out." "What the hell did you just say?" ""We would've done it, too?"" "Don't make me laugh." " Hey, cut it out." "You couldn't have done what Watanabe-san did." "Make me laugh." "Say, Ohara-san..." "The thing is..." "I may look like this..." " I only graduated middle school..." " Watanabe-san..." "So I'll never make section chief in my life..." "Compared to Watanabe-san, we've all just..." "We're just worthless scum." "Hey, you assholes, too..." "Why, that's..." "That's right, we're all scum." "But some of us were okay when we started out at City Hall." "But the longer you stay..." "Even I didn't used to be like..." "You're not supposed to do anything there." "Doing anything but nothing is radical." "We have to act like we're doing something but do nothing." " That's right." " That's exactly right." "The thing is, in order to clean up a garbage can somewhere, you need a garbage can full of paperwork." "That's exactly right." "That's just an excuse." "We're robbing people of valuable time." "The public's upset by bribes and 40,000 cars and so on, but those are just farts next to this invisible, colossal waste of time." "Now you listen here." "I worry about these things, too." "But the thing is, inside that complex system, it's impossible." "Besides, there's never time to think in there." "Idiots!" "No, but the thing is," "Ohara-san, even within a system here you can't get a thing done, and battling stomach cancer at that," "Watanabe-san managed to accomplish so much." "That's it." "That's what I'm trying to say." "That's why I get so angry." "That's what I'm saying." "That Watanabe-san, with no expectations..." "Exactly." "When you remember how Watanabe-san staked his life..." "Who dares claim his achievements!" "The deputy mayor." "Spit it out!" "That's going too far." "Listen." "How do you think he felt dying all alone in that park?" "Just thinking about it..." "A policeman brought this." "He said he'd found it in the park." "And he really wants to light incense for the deceased." "Thank you for taking the trouble." "Come in." "You don't have to go." "Thank you for your trouble." "Let me pour you one." "Actually, I..." "Last night, I was on patrol in the new park" "when I met him." "It was 10:00 o'clock no." "_" "Nearly 11:00." "He was on the swing, and what with all that snow," "I just assumed he was some drunk." "No, it was a dereliction of my duty." "If only I'd taken him in, like I first intended, he'd never have ended up..." "How can I apologize to you?" "But he seemed to be so perfectly happy." "How can I explain?" "He poured his whole heart into that song of his." "His haunting voice... pierced... the very depths of my own soul." "Life is brief" "Fall in love, maidens" "Before the crimson bloom" "Fades from your lips" "Before the tides of passion" "Cool within you" "For those of you" "Who know no tomorrow" "Hey, last night, under the stairs, I found an envelope with my name on it." "It had Dad's bankbook and seal inside, along with forms for expediting his retirement bonus." "So he left it before he went to the park?" "But Dad was so cruel." "If he had stomach cancer, why didn't he tell us?" "Hey, his girl never showed up." "You think that was for real?" "I'll do it." "I swear." " Line up behind him." "We can't waste Watanabe-san's death." "I'll work at it like I'm a man reborn." "Sacrifice the self to serve the many." " Don't forget this feeling." " I'll do it..." "PUBLIC AFFAIRS SECTION CHIEF" "Section Chief." "The sewage main break in Kisaki is overflowing into Takao." "Engineering." "Your complaint is a matter for Engineering, desk 8." "Kenbo, Yoko." "Yoko, Kenbo." "Suppertime."