Thank you so much!
You're welcome.
Thank you.
Hi, Ethan.
Hey, you.
I'm sorry I'm late again, I turn to the wrong station.
No worries.
Abby, this is Mio, Jin, Asami.
Nice meeting you.
Wanna get a drink?
Hell yeah.
Bye, bye.
I'll be right back. Business.
- Hi, I'm Abby! - Hi, it's Charlie.
So you guys know Ethan?
Who doesn't, sugar?
I'm Gretchen.
You sound like you're from the South?
No, I just like to talk this way.
So, Abby, fresh from the plane, I hear.
Two weeks, actually.
So wild.
I never thought I'd end up in Tokyo.
But Ethan work is here.
And I just can't stand long distance relationship, you know.
Abby, need work?
No, thanks. I'm all set.
I got this job as a copy editor.
At a Japanese law firm.
How prestigious.
Please, it's a joke. They barely gave me anything to do.
So, what do you guys do?
I drink, and Gretchen's geisha.
I'm not a geisha. I'm a goddess.
She's a hooker.
I'm a hostess, okay?
What's that?
I am paid to look good good and to entertain businessmen.
Here you go.
Cheers. Welcome to Japan.
Thanks.
Aren't you glad I'm here?
So, what's going on?
I got a new client.
I gotta move to Osaka.
They need their website up and running.
How about I come with you?
Don't you have to work?
I hate my stupid job.
You work and I'll be the tourist.
Come on, we could just play all weekend long.
This is going to be non-stop 24/7.
I'm not gonna have any time to hang out, at all.
When are you coming back?
Not sure.
You know, it could be a while.
As in...
A week... a while?
Ethan?
You asked me last night if I was glad you came.
Yeah?
Well, I really wanted to say yes, but I couldn't...
and that's messed up.
You know, it just gotten really intense with you in the Tokyo,
and you gotta admit it happened really fast.
What do you mean? We talked about this.
No, we didn't talk about this. You just called and said you were coming.
You said you wanted me to come.
- No, I never said that, Abby. - Yes, you did.
- No, I know I never said that. - Yes, you did.
Abby, I'm just not feeling it.
So now, I'm gonna do what I need to do, okay?
I gotta go.
So, you're not coming back, then?
I never said that.
This is crazy.
Abby, I'm sorry. I know this stinks.
But I have to do what I have to do. I'm a traveler.
I'm proud of the fact that I can pack my life in two suitcases.
Cheer up. Cheer up.
I might be back.
Ethan, get off. Get lost, you jerk.
See, I thought of all people in the world you'd understand this.
Keys are by the bed.
Please, wait.
It's Ethan. Leave a message.
Hi, it's me.
Look, I'm really sorry about everything.
I know that this is all my fault.
You were right.
I put a lot of pressure about me coming here.
So, I just wanna tell you I'm sorry.
And I would love to talk about this.
So, call me, okay?
I'll be up.
Well, I hope everything's going good.
Thanks. Bye.
Excuse me.
Is anybody here?
Hi.
I don't understand.
Are you open?
I don't know what I'm doing with my life.
I'm a complete mess.
My cousin, Heather, just got her PhD.
Here I am. Four years out of college.
Phi Beta Kappa.
And I've got nothing to show for it, not one single thing.
And I thought I was so brave coming to Tokyo.
But...
Ethan...
just left me.
I'm...
I'm so alone.
What?
Thank you.
Eat.
It's delicious. Thanks.
Thank you.
How much?
Are you sure?
Thank you.
No, I'm fine, thanks.
I live across the street. Right down.
Thank you.
Do you know how to cook Ramen?
Me? Of course not. It much too difficult.
You have to training to do it.
I have your umbrella.
And I have less than 24 hours now.
And I really don't wanna go home.
Please, please call me back, okay?
I'll talk to you soon. Bye.
Can I help you?
You need a rest.
Your foot.
Here you go.
No, I don't wanna go.
I wanna stay here.
No.
I wanna cook ramen.
No, you teach. Teacher.
Please, let me help you around here.
Let me help you. I wanna help. Be my teacher. Teach me.
I wanna make people happy, the way you do.
I wanna make people laugh like you do.
And I know Ethan's coming back.
If I leave then I may never see him again.
- Tomorrow 5:00 a.m. - Yes.
It's 1:00 a.m.
Hi. Good morning.
It's 5:00 a.m.
You told me to come by at 5:00.
So, what would you like me to do first?
Where should I start?
What?
I'm sorry, what did you just say?
What?
Oh, sorry.
Finish.
I mean, I figured you want me to
clean all the stuff, so
I did. I hope that's okay.
I mean, I didn't put them away, I didn't know where they went.
So...
Do you want me to chop?
No.
I washed those already.
It's washed.
I'm so sorry, I didn't see that.
I scrubbed, and I scrubbed it.
Let me do it.
Please.
I want to work, please.
It's okay. I'll do it.
Okay, can you just stop yelling at me?
I'm flushing your toilet.
I thought you want me to clean your toilet.
No?
What? No.
Over there? What's over there?
Jerk.
Sorry.
Good night.
Gosh, what a hard day.
What?
You want to clean those now?
Of course you do.
I'm still here, doing all the work.
Would you please call me?
Bye.
You are just drunk.
You're supposed to be teaching me.
That was our deal, remember?
Ramen.
Me. You teach me to cook ramen.
Screw this.
This is ridiculous.
Nobody, nobody without any self respect
would put up with you.
You fascist.
I'm outta here.
What?
I'm sorry, how can I possibly forget that?
Clean.
Clean the floors.
Clean the pots.
Clean the toilet, clean.
I don't understand what the hell you're saying.
And I'm sick of trying.
Goodbye.
Clean.
My dad told me I never stick to anything.
He's right.
I never manage to hold a job more than four months.
I came here because I wanted to be with my boyfriend.
And since he left...
...I've just been hanging around, waiting for him to come back.
I will clean for you.
I'll clean the windows, the pots, the floors, whatever.
I stayed up trying to think of the reason why I wanted to stay...
and the only think that I could think of...
the only reason...
was...
What?
You need it?
Right.
The floors.
Am I fired?
- Ethan is such a jerk! - We could have told you that?
But you didn't.
I must have left him least a hundred messages.
I don't think he listened even one of them.
What happened to you?
I walked into a door.
So, what now? You're going home, back to America, the Beautiful?
America, the bland, beige and boring.
I rather die than go back there.
No, I'm staying.
Has that job at the law firm got any better?
No, I'm not doing that anymore.
So, what are you doing?
I'm training.
To become a...
...a ramen chef.
- Isn't that the noodle stuff? - Abby has gone off the deep end.
Yes, ramen.
I have no ida.
Who cares. Look at him, he's so gorgeous.
You are really studying ramen?
I'm trying to, yeah.
That's awesome.
Dime, where did you learn to speak English?
I lived in Los Angeles for one year when I was a college student.
So what do you do now?
Our job is very exciting.
In America...
I think you call it "pushing papers".
These are my colleagues, Akira.
I am Akira.
And Kuma.
Call me Kuma.
- I am Abby. - Abby.
- Charlie. - Gretchen.
Toshi.
It's a pleasure to meet you all.
- Whose side do you think he plays on? - It's hard to tell, he's Japenese.
So, Toshi, where to next?
Ramen.
Bye, Gretchen.
- Bye. - Good night.
- Nice to meet you. - Bye.
Do you guys have any cigarettes?
Here you go.
Thanks, Charlie. What time is it anyway?
It's 5:00.
Thank you for taking us out tonight.
You are welcome.
See you again?
I'll give you my card.
Thank you.
Toshi Iwamoto.
Thanks.
Good night.
- Have a beautiful morning. - Nice meeting all of you.
- Call me. - What's he doing?
Witch!
Call me.
She's priceless.
Let me try.
The spinach.
Here.
Pork
This...
at 2:00.
What are you doing?
Can you show me? Show me.
Please tell me what you mean.
What, are you crazy?
I'm so freaking wasted I'm about to collapse.
You got any beer?
Sure.
Thanks.
Drama. Total fucking drama.
You would not believe the stuff I've been through tonight.
The creep who pays the rent on my apartment keeps bringing home his assail friends,
asking me to do them favors and stuff.
Once in a while, okay, I mean it's a great freakin' apartment,
but there is a limit.
Tonight, I get back from the bar, there he is with Godzilla man,
asking me to do him another favor.
I lost it.
If you think I look terrible, you should see the apartment.
So, do you think I could crash here?
You?
Hi.
Hi, Abby.
Hi.
What a coincidence.
Gretchen didn't tell me you are living here.
Gretchen is full of surprises tonight.
She's right in here.
- Please, come in. - Thanks.
Where should I put the suitcases?
Anywhere you want, doesn't matter.
Gretchen.
I really need to sleep, honey.
Toshi's here.
Great.
- She's a sleep. - Yeah, she looked really tired.
What happened? - She called me and asked me if I have a car.
Yeah? - She sound very upset. Her life is very complicated.
Tell me about it.
Well... probably I should go.
- Sorry to bother you. - No.
Wait.
Do you want something to drink before you go?
I mean you come all this way.
Personally, I could really use a beer.
Yeah, me too.
Okay.
That's the ramen shop where I work.
- Easy commute. - Oh, yeah.
Your boss, he speaks English?
- Not a word. - Really?
I can't understand a word he tells me,
not to mention he's psychotic.
He keeps trying to kill me.
Why do you stay?
Maybe it's because I have nowhere else to go?
That's just pathetic.
No.
I think you're on a path to something.
One day I'm sure I will taste Abby's ramen.
God, I hope so.
Yes.
So, what about you? What's your path?
My path.
Typical Japanese.
Work in a big company...
get married, have children...
grandchildren...
grow old, then die.
That's just grim.
Back in college I learned music.
- I had band. - That's cool.
Most of the time we just got really drunk.
And we were talking about how we are going to make revolution
in the Japanese music world.
Then of course, we became salarymen.
It's what our parents wanted.
My parents would only be happy
if I became a partner at a major law firm.
Strange.
Who'd to think we have the same problem?
That's right. Interesting.
Somewhere along the way...
I just forgot what I wanted to do with my life.
Sometimes... when I wake up in the morning I can't breath.
That's probably why I started this icky habit.
Sorry, I smoked your last one, then. I don't have any.
Wanna take a walk?
It's monsoon.
I guess I should go home now.
Almost the morning.
Have you ever been to the ramen museum in Yokohama?
There's a ramen museum in Yokohama?
You kidding me.
I'm not kidding you.
Really?
- Yeah, really. - Okay, I have to see it.
Let's go there next weekend.
Yeah, okay.
- Great. - I'll let Gretchen know.
I don't think she's intsrested.
Yeah, but it woud be awkward.
She's my friend. I have to let her know.
You guys are going out and all.
The first night you took a taxicab home together.
No. No, no, no.
She just share the cab with me.
So it's okay I call you?
Yeah.
It's okay, you call me.
I don't understand you.
Merry Christmas!
Yankee, go home now.
I'm sorry, I thought the decoration would look nice.
I bought them at the market.
Look.
Look at the color.
The texture.
I think corn can be beautiful.
Merry Christmas.
Hey, Japan, I was fired tonight.
On Christmas Eve.
Heartless Japanese.
Cold blooded Japan.
I'll tell you one thing.
Nobody is running this goddess out of town.
The longer I'm here...
the more I realize... I don't understand anything or anybody.
Like, my boss.
I used to think it was the language.
And now... now I realize I just don't get him at all.
It's a bowl of soup. Tell the man to get over it.
No, no.
There's something about the Japanese and making the perfect bowl of soup.
It's kind of beautiful. It's like, with each bowl...
you try to get closer to perfection.
I think that's beautiful.
- Ain't that beautiful? - It's insane.
Listen to me.
The only way you're going to survive in this country,
is to do what everybody else does...
Drink.
Merry Christmas.
I'm so full.
When I was a kid,
I came here one time with my school.
The other kids always made fun of me because
my grandparents came fom Korea.
I wanted to run away from those kids
and sneak onto that ship.
I want to go away from Japan, to somewhere.
Where?
I don't know.
I just want to go away from Japan.
You are cold.
I should take you home.
No, I don't wanna go home.
I'd rather be here with you.
I don't understand you,
and stop hitting me.
I don't understand, I don't understand.
Who's that guy in the photos?
You know, the one you cry over.
He's handsome.
Paris.
Don't hit me.
Where are you going, tough guy?
Tough guy?
What? You can dish it out but you can't take it?
Yes, I gotcha!
What? What's wrong?
I don't understand.
You look so serious.
My boss wants me to go to Shanghai.
Oh, no.
I've heard this before. For how long?
- Three years. - Three years?
- How long have you known about this? - Since a couple of days.
You're not going, are you?
I have to go. It's my obligation.
My God.
You did it again.
I don't want to leave you. - Then tell them to send somebody else.
That's not how it works in Japan.
If the company wants you to go, you have to go.
Then how can you spend three more years in a job that you can't stand? How?
Why don't you just tell them to go to hell and do something.
Something that you really love, something for yourself?
And don't say it's because you're Japanese because that's just not an excuse.
I am Japanese.
Why do Americans think everybody should be like them?
Right. I've said everything that I can say. Really.
- Abby. - What?
Would you please come with me?
Where? Shanghai?
Yes.
We could be together.
Please, don't do this to me.
Please, Abby.
Please
come with me.
Please, will you taste my broth?
Please, Sensei.
What are you doing?
I did everything I saw you do.
Everything.
I'll miss you.
I'll miss you too.
Are you sure you won't come with me to the airport?
No, no.
That'd be too sad.
Can you just tell me again...
just one more time...
you really, really want me to go with you?
Go.
I could miss your flight.
Sensei, wait.
Sensei, please help me.
I keep trying and I never get it.
Please.
Teach me how to have
But how?
I don't know anything about love.
Everytime I feel it...
it's gone.
It disappears.
And all I have left is...
pain...
and sadness.
I just needed to create something for myself.
Myself.
Successor.
You... my successor.
I'd be honored.
Where's sensei?
I can't leave without saying goodbye to sensei.
4 Tokyos, 1 Goddess and 1 Maezumi special.
In a minute. - Abby, there's a guy, he says he knows you.
- Who is he? From where? - I don't know.
I hated my job, so I did what you would do.
I quit.
I started to write music again.
Welcome to my Ramen Shop.