The only reason I accepted the boss's request
to handle a personal matter for him on my precious day off
is because his home
is here in Sakura-Shimmachi.
Sakura-Shimmachi is an old suburb.
As the name implies,
the beautiful main street is lined with Yoshino Cherry trees,
and called the Sakura Tunnel.
There are sweets in this town that I have set my sights on.
I promised Naoki to go out with him, but this suddenly came up!
And my wife is on a spa trip with her housewife friends.
That's why I need this favor. Sorry!
Please babysit Naoki for me!
Leave it to me.
I really appreciate this!
Ouch!
OHAGI
Babysitting the boss's son, Naoki.
That is the mission assigned to me on my day off.
It is absolutely necessary for me
to quite naturally slip out of this house while conducting this mission.
This must be done by noon.
Naoki, I have been assigned to look after you today.
My name is Kantaro Ametani. Your father is my boss.
-It's nice to meet... -Gross!
From the very start, his surly attitude has a rather sharp edge to it.
However, today,
I have the patience of a saint, so I can forgive even you.
Who said you could inspect my house?
My apologies.
I only wanted to check my surroundings.
He considers me his enemy. This could be trouble.
But, I did gain a clue.
I did not spot any sweets in the house, which means...
What is your favorite kind of sweets, Naoki?
You can't win me over with sweets!
I'm not allowed to eat sweets, except what Mom buys.
If you try to feed me some, I'll tell on you!
I see. His sweets are controlled by his mother.
This child is like who I used to be.
Kantaro, you haven't been eating any sweets, have you?
My apologies. I didn't know that.
Until Dad gets home,
I'm not eating anything! Especially not sweets.
Then I'll tell on you.
"He didn't feed me anything!"
What an irritating boy!
However, boy, do not underestimate an adult.
Could you possibly give me one chance to please you?
Give you a chance?
I will buy you something that I am sure you will enjoy.
If you think you can, then go and get it.
But I'll still tell on you. I'll say that you abandoned me.
Understood. I shall be back soon.
I hate you, Dad!
Yes! I successfully escaped!
It's exactly noon as well.
What a foolish boy.
I only need to bring back some food.
If you don't eat it, your father will simply decide
that you were being fussy.
However, that is still not enough.
The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud once said,
"A mark of maturity
is our ability to accept ambiguity."
Children are unable to.
If they hate one thing, they hate them all.
But this world is full of ambiguities!
Let me add this as well.
"A mark of maturity is our ability to accept sweets."
All of that leads right to this place.
Today's objective, the ohagi specialty shop,
Takeno to Ohagi.
The owner of the wine bar and deli next door, Aprons Food Market,
opened this shop because he felt the memorable ohagi
his grandmother made should be available for everyone to enjoy.
And the name of his grandmother is
Takeno!
I enter through the classy glass front which makes it look like an art gallery.
Welcome.
Wooden boxes sit in a row.
Inside, there are neatly arranged ohagi.
Such a modest, yet beautiful display!
This is precisely a shop of ohagi, by ohagi, for ohagi.
There are the classic koshian and tsubuan, plus five daily varieties.
Since I arrived just after it opened at noon, they're all still available.
This shop's greatest attraction is the five daily varieties.
The lineup changes every day, so each ohagi is uniquely precious.
May I have two of everything?
Certainly. One moment please.
Which tape would you like?
This one and this one.
Certainly.
How pretty!
Attention to detail in every way.
Careful consideration, without overdoing it.
Very enlightening!
Thank you.
I have returned.
You came back?
I really thought you were going to run away.
Of course, I returned.
Once I have been entrusted with a task,
it is my belief to carry it out to the very end.
So, what did you get?
Are you curious?
You're the one who told me to give you a chance!
You are absolutely correct.
Then, I shall show you.
What I have bought is...
TAKENO TO OHAGI
ohagi.
What's wrong?
I'll never eat that!
What?
Ohagi? That is boring!
Ohagi is such a stupid food! I won't eat it.
Okay, that's it!
I'm telling on you to Mom and Dad!
That's double the trouble!
I see.
That's a pity.
Then... I shall have them alone.
What? You're going to eat those?
Yes.
Such smooth sweet bean paste!
Blended within is the clear texture of adzuki beans.
They taste fresh
because the Toyomi Dainagon beans were cooked just this morning.
The base is made of glutinous and non-glutinous rice.
They are perfectly molded so the rice grain texture remains,
giving them a fluffy, fresh feel that's easy to eat.
Ohagi are classified by rice.
The fully crushed type that leaves no grains
is called "total death,"
while the half-crushed rice that leaves partial grains
is called "half-death."
Which will it be? Half-death or total death?
He's still young. Half-death is best.
No, I believe total death would be better than half-death.
Half-death, please!
All right, as you wish. Half-death!
-Half-death! Half-death! -Half-death! Half-death!
Glutinous rice of half-death,
-sweet bean paste of half-death. -Sweet bean paste of half-death.
Grain of Adzuki beans.
Grain of glutinous rice.
The firm texture of the grain.
The firm texture is what makes them ohagi.
-Ohagi! -Ohagi!
Well, what state is the boy in now?
He's completely taken in!
Just push a little more.
No, pull a little more.
Excuse me.
I will go to the next room to write a few e-mails.
Pardon me.
Just... one...
This is ohagi?
I get it! He lied about them being ohagi.
Okay! I have to check to see if he's a liar.
This is not ohagi.
But, it is ohagi!
Anyway, it's delicious!
Normally, he can't have much sweets,
so he has no resistance at all!
That one is apricot and vanilla.
Made of a vanilla bean paste and seemingly topped with flower petals.
This beautiful delight looks so elegant.
I ate the whole thing.
But, I'd better check them all.
Wow! How refreshing!
Is this ohagi, too?
It's quite clearly ohagi!
Coconut and lemon peel.
The refreshing flavor of coconut that suggests the South Pacific
is accompanied by the cool tartness and aroma of lemon peel.
Is this sakura?
It's a little sour too.
And how come it tastes so much like spring?
That's right! It's seaweed salt and yaezakura.
It's the ohagi that embodies the sakura town, Sakura-Shimmachi itself.
The flavor and aroma of sakura
contrast with seaweed salt and salt-pickled yaezakura.
What a pretty green marble design!
Depending on the side, each bite is different!
It's different!
This bite, too!
Those two shades of green are mugwort and matcha.
The aroma of mugwort, and the bitterness of matcha,
their balance changes like its marble design,
giving it a flavor gradation.
Yes! That's the way of accepting ambiguity.
Due to its ambiguity, the broad variation of flavor is limitless!
These are nuts!
I taste all kinds of nuts!
He can tell the difference in nuts?
These nuts are organically grown
almonds, walnuts,
hazelnuts, and pistachios!
It's studded with four types of nuts.
It's a quartet of nuts!
What do you think of this marriage of multiple ingredients?
If you've come this far,
then surely you can taste the difference in the classic types of ohagi.
The ambiguity of half-death, which is neither just rice or rice cake.
That's exactly what grandma Takeno's ohagi are!
The ohagi of Takeno!
I thought they were boring,
but ohagi are really very delicious!
And this rice!
It's not rice, and it's not rice cake either.
What is this? I didn't know any of this before!
That's so bright!
Where am I?
That's far enough, Naoki Miyake.
What?
You've come to a place where you don't belong.
Where is this, anyway?
Look behind you.
Behind me?
STAIRCASE TO MATURITY
Staircase to...
maturity?
Yes, you have climbed the staircase to maturity.
Beyond this point is the mature world.
Mature world?
You have experienced mature flavor.
You tasted a variety of different flavors.
What's more,
you enjoyed those differences.
Enjoy... differences?
That's what mature flavor is!
Naoki Miyake, if you go any farther,
I will arrest you for trespassing into the mature world!
SALES & MARKETING DEPT
DOBASHI - Maintenance Observation
I'm perfect in my predictions about Amablo.
What? There's a new post.
Takeno to Ohagi? It's in Sakura-Shimmachi.
What? Sakura-Shimmachi?
EMERGENCY CONTACTS
I knew it! That's where the boss lives.
Oh! Come to think of it, yesterday...
Kantaro, I have a favor to ask.
Do you have plans for Saturday, tomorrow?
No, not especially.
That's it!
The boss tells Kantaro where to do his sales visits.
That explains why
the locations of the Amablo posts and Kantaro's visits match.
Those two are working together?
My Amablo post took me a little while.
Now...
How was it? Did you enjoy the ohagi's...
mature flavor?
I would be very happy if you understood...
those differences.
Naoki.
This is a secret between just you and me.
Don't tell either your father or mother.
It's our secret.
My perfect crime is complete!
What's more, I have stolen this boy's...
sweets virginity.
Will this boy follow the same path of infatuation with sweets as I have?
Only...
Sweet heaven knows!
Wow! It sure is hot!
I'm sorry about this, Kantaro. It must have been hard.
Wasn't it?
No.
He was a very good boy.
I will be going now.
Thanks, Kantaro.
Naoki is so hard to please. But if he won him over,
then there is still much I don't know about the abilities of...
Kantaro Ametani.
Kantaro
BASED ON THE COMIC BOOK KANTARO: THE SWEET TOOTH SALARYMAN
THIS STORY IS A WORK OF FICTION BASED ON ACTUAL PLACES AND SWEETS.
Subtitle translation by Brian Athey