When people finish their day
and hurry home,
my day starts.
My diner is open from midnight
to seven in the morning.
They call it "Midnight Diner."
Do I even have customers?
More than you would expect.
Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories
HAM CUTLET
Let's eat.
It was Mr. Nakatsuka's first time at my diner.
He ate ham cutlets so fondly that he made a strong impression.
You make my mouth water.
This is how ham cutlets are supposed to be.
The ham should be thin, but the batter should be thick.
These days many restaurants use a thick slice of ham.
Am I right?
I've ordered it at a Western restaurant, but I was so shocked.
Their ham was so thick.
And it was very high quality.
Played with your little brother, huh?
If you lost at Othello,
you had to go out and buy two ham cutlets.
Have some more.
I don't have any brothers,
so I envy you.
Well, he's not a real brother.
What?
My brother is the son of my father's second wife.
We were only brothers for four years until they got divorced.
I was still in elementary school.
It was several decades ago.
Were you close, despite that?
He was hot-tempered but very friendly at the same time.
He was so sweet.
It was so tough
when we were separated.
It's a good story. Don't you think, Master?
And where is your brother now?
After our parents were divorced, I lost track of him.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen him for decades.
-Hello. -Welcome.
Beer for starters.
Sure.
Hey, Master.
I think you can tell
someone's true character if you see how he departs.
Here you go.
What happened?
My friend is getting a divorce.
They're having an ugly fight over their pet rabbit.
-Dumping it onto each other? -No, the opposite.
Both want to keep it.
-Sounds like a kid. -I know.
They're holding their ground.
According to law, a pet is considered property.
Whoever keeps the pet has to relinquish other property
or give money to the other person.
That's how most cases are settled.
Really? I didn't know that.
Sorry to jump in your conversation.
I'm...
Nakatsuka.
ATTORNEY YUKIO NAKATSUKA
You're an attorney?
Your office is in this area?
Has it been there for a long time?
Yes. For 35 years.
Thirty-five years? Wow?
But I'll be closing the office next month.
May I ask why?
Because times have changed.
"Old soldiers just fade away."
In a municipally-owned apartment that will be torn down next January,
government officials tried to convince
a resident who refuses to leave to come to the negotiating table.
Mr. Ishibashi. Please. Mr. Ishibashi.
Please.
Go away!
Calm down, Mr. Ishibashi, please.
This is my home.
My late mother and I worked so hard to keep it.
Nobody can take it away from me.
Government officials said that demolition work will start soon--
I've sorted out all the financial documents.
Take a look at the rest to decide which ones you keep at home
and which ones you dispose of.
Sure.
Administrative subrogation could be an option--
Go away!
-Thank you for the meal. -Thank you for coming.
I saw that on the evening news.
The government will appeal to administrative subrogation.
It's just a matter of time.
I guess so.
What are you talking about?
To build the Olympic stadium,
they have to demolish an old municipally-owned apartment.
An old man refuses to leave and is causing trouble.
Chu, you hadn't heard?
The old man is obnoxious and curses down at the government officials.
No electricity, no gas. Yet he stays there by himself.
But it's a municipally-owned apartment, right?
He doesn't own the property.
He has to leave sooner or later.
It must be a special place to him.
Don't you feel any sympathy?
-I have, but... -Here you go.
-Enjoy your ham cutlets. -Thank you.
Ham cutlet, huh? It's a good old-fashioned dish.
I often ate it at a local butcher's shop when I was a kid.
The community was tight back then.
It was the good old days.
Come on, Chu. Don't be so nostalgic.
You're too young to understand.
If you glorify the past,
you won't be happy with the present and the future, which are more important.
You're right.
The young lady is absolutely right.
Young lady?
People finish their day
and hurry home.
But sometimes they don't want to go straight back home,
so they drop in somewhere on the way home.
Have some.
Thank you.
I don't mean it.
You gave me a whole melon,
but I can't finish it by myself.
I've run a small law office by myself.
I believe that I worked hard,
but the number of my clients has declined drastically.
You've worked for 35 years.
It's an accomplishment.
I started the firm with my wife.
Two years ago,
I lost her.
I think I may have lost my passion after that.
Would you like ham cutlet?
Wait.
Not tonight.
I see.
An unusual day, huh?
I've found my little brother.
Really?
I'm happy for you.
He actually lives nearby.
-Really? Then-- -No.
I've wanted to see him so badly,
but I got intimidated when the moment arrived.
Why?
The other day,
I talked about the game Othello, right?
Yeah.
You played against your brother for ham cutlets.
I always won
and made my brother pay for ham cutlets.
He ran out of his allowance
and extorted money
from his classmate.
When the school found out,
he was questioned.
But he didn't say anything about our game.
He protected me.
I guess...
he didn't want to upset his newly-acquired big brother.
My father hit him so hard
as punishment.
I felt so guilty.
It was my fault.
I watched silently as my brother...
was beaten.
I was scared of my father.
I was afraid that he might abandon me.
Just like my real mother.
My little brother...
smiled at me
when my eyes met his,
as he was being beaten.
He was saying:
"I'm okay."
You can't shake the guilty feeling, huh?
Well...
my remorse is
like a hangnail, nothing too serious.
They say...
that you might get tetanus
if you don't treat the hangnail.
Go away!
Go away, asshole!
Please do not upset him.
Go away!
Let's discuss it over there.
Who the hell are you?
If you don't go, you'll get wet.
Kenta.
It's me.
Long time, no see.
Big brother?
Really? You're a lawyer, huh?
I'm proud of you.
I failed the bar exam so many times,
you shouldn't be proud.
-Here you go. -Just like the good old days.
Let's eat.
It's delicious.
How long are you planning to stay there?
Why do you ask?
The electricity and gas were already cut off.
How can you survive?
Leave me alone.
It's none of your business.
They will start the demolition soon.
They will...
remove you by force.
Go ahead. I'm not worried.
Even if my body is ripped by a power shovel,
I won't leave that place.
You're still so stubborn, huh?
Is this...?
It's the one we played with.
I kept it.
Master, you don't mind if I open it here?
Not at all.
What do you think? Want to play?
Play for what?
If you win,
I will buy as many ham cutlets as you want.
And beer.
If I win,
you must leave the apartment.
It is not the best place for you to live anymore.
Fine. Then I'll beat you.
Brother,
I'm better now.
We shall see.
When I grow up, I'll be rich and build a huge house.
And live with Mom.
Brother, you can live with me.
Dad can't, because he beats Mom.
Good. I won. Go and buy the usual ones.
Give me another chance. If I lose again, then I'll buy.
-Please. -No. Crying won't erase your loss.
Fine. I go and buy it, right?
I'll win the next one anyway.
This one... and this one.
Is the house we used to live in still there?
No. It's gone.
A tall building stands there now.
I see.
Why is that apartment so important to you?
I've lived there for most of my life.
Mother died there.
I'll die there, too.
You haven't changed much.
You have no strategy for playing this game.
I'm not interested in a tiny victory.
I still have a chance to come from behind to win.
Oh, no...
Here you go.
Do I have to pass?
Look.
I lost.
What's wrong with you, brother?
You've lost it in your old age, huh?
Master, beer, please.
-Two bottles. -Sure.
Don't be bothered. I'll get them myself.
Let me open the bottle.
Master, would you like some beer?
-What do you say? -But...
-Go ahead. -I'm really sorry.
You can't do that.
"Crying won't erase your loss." You always said that.
I just watched while my father beat you up.
I'm so sorry.
It was a long time ago. I forgot about it.
I will negotiate with the government
and get you the best compensation
in return for vacating the apartment.
I'm a lawyer.
Let me do what I can.
Come on. I won.
That's not what we agreed on.
I've already found a new place for you.
It's smaller than your current place,
but it's tidy and has good sunlight.
And the rent is cheap.
If you don't like it, I can find another.
Or you can live with me...
if you don't mind.
I have an extra room anyway.
Both of us are single.
It'll be nice for us to spend a quiet post-retirement life together.
We can play Othello once in a while.
Idiot!
Don't spoil me.
Just think about it.
-See you later. -Thank you.
-Bye. -Hey, brother.
After that,
Mr. Nakatsuka negotiated with the government
and brought both sides to terms on how to solve the issue.
His brother finally agreed to leave the apartment.
That means...
I was preparing to live with him at my place.
But he wanted to take the biggest gamble of his life
with the compensation money for his forced removal.
And he won big at a casino
and bought a mansion with a pool overseas.
Unbelievable.
He wants...
me to go over there and live with him.
Are you going?
-Hello. -Welcome.
Mr. Nakatsuka, regarding the case I talked to you about the other day...
I have some information here.
My friend has a personal debt issue
and I want to ask Mr. Nakatsuka for advice.
Even though I closed the office, I still have a license.
I can still work.
Let's see...
This document is here.
This is a table of contents.
Both of you have a good look.
When you make ham cutlets,
most importantly, make sure that the flour doesn't get lumpy.
Coat it with bread crumbs evenly and firmly.
Here you go.
What's the best strategy to win?
I don't know.
THIS STORY IS FICTION