It was a cold night
at the end of October
when Aunty Yukiko's son, Daisuke, secretely left Furano.
I too learned that afterward.
More importantly, on that same night,
something shocking was happening to me.
It's an emergency case. There is a free bed in room 201, right?
Yes
Please call Dr. Kimoto.
OK
To this bed, please.
Uncle
She suddenly started to suffer.
Do you know her?
She is like an aunt to me.
Did you know about it?
No
I see
The cancer has reached the liver.
I told it to her husband a month ago.
She doesn't know it herself.
I see.
Hey
I've already told your dad.
While she is still fine,
I want to let her see Sumie's wedding.
So I asked Goro to hurry up to build their new house.
I don't know if others know that as well,
but everyday...
a lot of neighbors...
come to help us with the house
though I didn't even ask.
I don't know what to say...
I have no word.
Last night, she was admitted to the hospital again in emergency.
It seems like the disease is progressing fast.
How about you? Are you doing well?
Actually,
I can't say I'm doing well.
I knew it.
Why?
Your complexion is not as bright as before.
Have you already written a will?
A will?
Yes
That is for those who have a fortune.
Don't be stupid! Every one has to write one!
Have you written one as well?
Of course I have! It's normal to prepare one when you are over 60.
I've not only written one, but revised it again and again.
Let me tell you. Once you write a will, you'll get into that.
Writing a will makes you want to rewrite it anew.
For instance, you can write things like "I won't leave a penny to my first son"
or "I will leave a lot to my sweet daughter"
But sometimes things change.
Hey, what is her attitude today toward me?
I will cut down her share by 60%!
I enjoy thinking stuff like this.
Write one, you too.
But I have no fortune to leave to my descendants.
No, that's not the point.
This is like assigning a grade
to your kids and relatives based on
how they treat you while you are alive.
Assigning a grade, huh?
That's right,
When I die, they will hold a wake in the night and open my will.
Then they finally learn the grade assigned to them, and will be shocked.
I will be watching them...
from under the roof through a tiny hole in the ceiling and chuckle to myself.
Will you see your own funeral from under the roof?
That is my dream.
I will see how much people gave me as a funeral offering and only after that I'll go to heaven!
Just the thought of it makes you excited, right?
Yeah, I'm a little excited.
Then write one, as soon as possible.
But I can't even write a decent letter...
I'll introduce you to a good teacher.
A teacher?
Mr. Yamashita was the principal of Furebetsu Junior High. He is a man of character.
And he is an expert of writing a will.
I will introduce him to you. So start writing one.
Last...
Will
Oh
I...
seem to have a cancer.
I feel...
I can't live long.
So...
I've decided to write a will.
I have...
nothing to leave, yeah.
Wow, it's nice and simple!
Oh, is it?
Yes, your sentences fully convey your feelings.. and there is no superfluous adjectives.
But...
What?
There must be something you can leave to them. Please think about it much harder.
Even trifle stuff could cause troubles later.
Oh, I see.
Please rewrite it and show it to me again in three days.
Yes
Mr. Yamashita, may I ask you one thing?
Now that I became your disciple,
how can I repay you?
Oh, regarding that,
I have a favor to ask of you.
Please let me become your disciple.
Huh?
In Rokugo, you are...
building houses using only trash, right?
Mr. Narita told me.
It's wonderful! In this day and age, it's hard to find someone like you.
I've been respecting you a lot.
I would like to receive your guidance in that field.
Oh, you are very good! That's it!
Oh, you look like a carpenter.
I leave 4 sheep to Jun
and 2 sheep to Hotaru.
Huh?
Oh, there is also Kai!
Don't pack them so hard. You have to leave some space for air.
Oh, yes
No, not like this!
You stick to sheep too much. There must be something more.
Besides, there are too many wrong characters.
I give you an old dictionary.
Oh, I can't accept it.
Thank you so much.
Pour it more delicately! Without hurry, more delicately!
Yes, I'm sorry.
You are so clumsy.
Your sentences are losing the simplicity they had before.
I can see you are trying to appeal to readers. It's distasteful!
Sorry!
Put it down, put it down.
Mr. Yamashita, pull the rope.
Oh, no! You are pulling too much. Give it some slack!
Phew!
Let's make a scaffold.
Pull it up. Pull it up.
Please go get wood for the scaffold!
Got it.
Oh, Sumie, you don't have to do that.
Mr. Yamashita, please hold that end.
Are you OK? Then let's go.
Sumie, be careful.
Excuse me.
Hey, we don't have time to waste, hold that end!
Huh?
Hold that end!
Three, two, one, go!
Then let's lower it slowly. Slowly, yes, OK, stop!
Mr. Yamashita, pull the rope.
Oh yes.
Please!
OK
Hey, you there. Is that OK? Give us directions.
Give us directions!
Keep pulling! A little more!
All right, that's OK.
Mr. Yamashita.
Thank you very much.
Oh, no, I'm learning a lot every day.
It will start to snow soon, so I stay here to do a little more work.
Oh
About my homework...
could you wait a little longer?
I can't do that.
You never know when people die.
Work is work. The will is the will.
I totally took it wrongly. I'm so sorry!
You are still here?
Huh?
You can go home today. You must be tired..Thank you for the good work.
Do you want some tea?
I've never seen your face. What is your connection with Naka?
No, I'm just a tourist seeing around here.
I'm sorry...
I didn't know it at all. I took you for one of the workers.
I'm so sorry.
You are amazing.
You are an amazing person.
What are you saying?
Please have some tea.
All of these were thrown away somewhere, right?
I'm embarrassed to say, but yes.
Thank you for the tea.
Who are those helping you before?
They are neighbors around here.
We are exchanging help. We call it Temagaeshi.
How much are you paying them?
We don't pay any money.
For what they helped us with labor,
we pay them with labor.
We don't pay money or give things in return.
Oh, it started to snow..
Where is your hotel?
I haven't decided yet.
Are you from the mainland?
No, from the hinterland.
Here is the hinterland as well.
Will you come to my place?
What?
Would you like to have a drink at my place?
It's really messy, but if you haven't booked a hotel yet, you can stay at my place.
It costs to stay in a hotel in the town.
You are an amazing guy.
Oh, please stop it.
By the way, my name is Takamura.
Oh, I forgot to introduce myself as well.
I'm Kuroita, My friends call me Goro.
Is this house...
Oh, everyone is making fun of it.
Did you build it yourself as well?
Oh, the soil around here is full of stones.
So I picked up thrown away stones and made this.
Were you born here?
Yes, I'm a descendant of settlers.
Though both of my parents have been long dead.
You mentioned Temagaeshi before.
Oh, yes.
In fishing villages, we call it Moyai.
I see.
People in the mainland call it Yui.
Yui is written with the character meaning "connection".
I'm surprised to find that this habit still remains here.
Yui, huh?
May I ask about your family?
Are you living here alone?
My wife died.
I have one son and one daughter.
My daughter has a son, but they live in an apartment in town.
How about your son?
Now he lives far away from here.
He is a poor son.
He couldn't stay in Furano anymore because of the debt.
How did he get into debt?
He...
had to shoulder the debt of someone else.
It can't be said that it was his fault.
A guy he adored like a big brother died,
and he was made to take over his farm, but...
it turned out that this farm had an enormous amount of debt...
It went bankrupt.
Well,
life is full of ups and downs.
Oh
It started to snow quite heavily. Do you still have sake?
Yes, I do.
Would you like to take a bath? The bath is the only thing that I can brag about.
Yes
But please have another cup before that.
I was dreaming.
It was that dream again.
I don't know if I should call it a dream or a hallucination.
Why don't you go back to Furano? Who cares?
What? It's your fault!
It's because of your debt!
I want to tell him so.
But his ghost won't let me speak,
and keeps squeezing my neck.
And he keeps cackling.
How can a ghost be so cheerful?
Go back to Furano!
Hello.
Yui
Hey
My dad goes out to the sea on his boat tomorrow morning,
and want you to come with him.
Oh, but I have to work tomorrow.
Just skip your work!
Yes
I'll be at your place at 5 sharp in the morning.
Oh!
What?
Next morning, I was abducted by Todo and went out to the sea.
It was the first time that I went out to the winter sea.
It was icy-cold on the boat.
The boat was a small one used to hunt Steller sea lions.
It was being steered by his business partner,
an awfully taciturn man called Geeyan.
The boat proceeded rapidly along the coast
until the road ended
and I could only see the rough mountains of Shiretoko covered with snow.
Haver you ever come out to the sea?
Not in the winter.
It will soon be the season for Alaska polloks.
Yes
Although these years their number is less than 1/10 of the past.
They fished too much.
In addition to that, Russian trawlers came here to fish
and emptied the sea.
Fishing industry is in crisis,
although there is an abundance of forests. Now we are paying for the bubble economy.
Um... when will Steller sea lions come?
They will come soon, before the drift ice arrives.
Um.. I once heard from someone,
..is it true that they have a harem?
One male with more than 100 females.
It must be exhausting.
I also love to do it with women, but I can't do that much.
Males after breeding season are totally haggard.
I see.
Have you done it with my daughter-in-law?
No, I haven't. Of course, not!
Has your dad ever seen the drift ice?
I don't think so.
Then why don't you invite him here?
Yes
You owe him what you are now, don't you?
Invite him with your money!
Yes
If you don't have money, I lend you some.
No, I can spare money for that.
Invite him.
Yes, I'll invite him.
Thank you very much.
Soon the drift ice will arrive here.
As soon as it arrives, invite him.
Yes
Dad, sorry for not having written to you for a long time.
I enclosed this money for you to come here in Rausu.
I really want you to see the drift ice.
Please go to Shimukappu by car,
park the car there and take the Sekisho line.
It's 6510 yen from there to Kushiro.
You can take a bus from Kushiro station to Rausu.
It's 4790 yen for one way.
I send this much for now.
I'll give you money for the return when you'll come here.
Please let me know when you fix the date.
Please get off the bus in front of the cityhall.
I'll be there to pick you up.
Hey
What happened?
The doctor said
Mizue will not make it until the spring.
So...
we are planning to hold the wedding of Sumie next week.
I'm afraid...
but we won't invite anyone to the wedding,
you neither.
She...
can't show up in public anymore.
How longer will it take you to finish the house?
One week..
I'll try to finish it roughly.
I'm counting on you.
Thank you.
She is looking forward to this new house..
When she has less pain,
she talks about the furniture, kitchen tools and other things she want to put in this house
and she makes me take notes of them.
One of these days, when she'll be relatively fine,
I want to let her see this house finished.
I'm afraid to ask
but could everyone be absent on that day?
Including you.
I'm so sorry.
OK
That's it.
Sorry.
I'm really sorry.
Naka
Leave everything about this house
to us...
You..
stay with Mizue as much as possible.
The guys are...
really working hard for this house.
It's thanks to...
the way.. how you usually treat people.
Thank you.
Jun,
I received your invitation.
It made me really glad.
I'll go to Rausu this winter with the money you sent me.
It'll be my first time to see the drift ice.
As soon as I finish the work I'm doing now...
It's so cold!
Warm yourself by the fire.
Yes
I have to go soon, it's so late.
My dad in Furano wrote me. He will come to Rausu when the drift ice arrives.
Did you tell him about me?
Not yet.
Thump.. thump..
Hey, you came back!
I just heard from him.
Tt...todo's son?
Yeah, it was Hiroshi.
He was at Hamanasu with his fellows.
I see, Thank you.
I'll be careful.
Yes
Yui
It's him.
At least say hi to him.
Don't avoid me so much.
I'm back.
Wait.
If you have something to tell me, tell your dad.
Wait!
Leave me.
Leave me!
I have nothing to do with you anymore.
But officially, we are still married.
Stop kidding. You are the one who ran away from home.
I'm thinking to come back to you.
Don't be absurd. I have no intention to get back with you.
Well, having a new guy made you aggressive.
Who is that?
Where does that brat come out from?
Do you want me to talk to him and settle the matter?
I'll go tell him to stay away from my wife.
If you do, I am going to make you pay for it.
Sounds interesting. What would you do to me?
Well, let's talk peacefully.
I'm staying at Sanpei's place tonight.
Do you want me to call your dad?
He is inside.
Hello
Excuse me.
It was Yui.
She told me to be carefull, because her ex-husband had come back
and there's no telling what he might do.
I was upset.
She told me to be carefull, but what can I do specifically?
I am born to be a pacifist...
Uh!
Stand up.
Are you the one who is flirting with my wife?
Who are you?
Who am I?
What a weakling you are!
At least...
fight!!
Hey!!
If you want to rob someone's wife,
you should be prepared and willing to fight!
Jun! You are here, aren't you? Please open the door!
Hey, open the door, Jun! Please! Open this, Jun!
Please leave me alone.
Why?
I don't want to show you my face. It's so ugly.
Let me see your face! Was that him!? Did he do that!?
Jun, please! Open the door! Let me see your wounds!
Don't you have to go to a hospital? Aren't your bones broken?
Jun, please!
Yui
Where is he now?
What?
I mean your husband.
Please tell me where he is now.
What will you do?
I won't do anything.
I'll just talk to him.
About what?
I...
am tired
of hiding from everyone.
I've been always like this.
I've been running away from the troubles since I can remember
not trying to confront them
but avoiding them in silence.
That is how...
how I've been living until today.
I don't want to live like this any more.
I don't mind if they beat me.
I don't want to run away.
I want to see him again and talk to him.
He is not the type of person who listens to you obediently.
I will keep talking until he listens to me.
He's at the place of one of his fellows. They are going to beat you again.
I don't mind!
I will talk even if they beat me.
I see.
Then I'm coming with you.
No, don't.
I want to go alone. Just tell me where he is.
No, I'm coming with you! Absolutely!
I also...
want to talk to him properly.
I'm coming with you.
A rifle is not good.
It's OK, He is that kind of person.
Is it.. loaded?
Yes
Yui
Are you the type of person who goes crazy?
I do go crazy sometimes.
Every once in a while.
Please...
leave the rifle in the car, Yui?
OK?
You bastard! What do you want!?
Oh, no!
No! It's not like that!
I just wanted to talk with you, quietly!
Besides, it's originally my fault.
I was totally unaware that Yui was married.
It's true, I swear to gods! I'm telling the truth!
I learned it after a long while.
But at that point, I was completely in love with her.
Oh, I haven't done it! I've never done it with her!
I haven't done anything to her.
I'm just having a clean relationship with her.
So, please. Please!
Let me beg you formally.
Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.
My name is Jun Kuroita.
I don't hide nor run away.
I'm 31 old, single.
I'll definitely make her happy.
Please, please... please give me Yui!
Please let me marry her!
Please, I beg you!
Please let me marry her!
Please, I beg you!
Please let me marry her! I beg you, please!
Please, I beg you!
Please let me marry her!
Please, please, please!
Please let me marry her! I beg you, please!
When I woke up the next morning,
There was no sound from the waves on the coast in front of the hut.
...the drift ice arrived to Rausu.
The drift ice covered the sea from the next day,
and it changed the view of Rausu completely.
From the mountains of Shiretoko,
white-tailed eagles and Steller's sea eagles came down to hunt.
When the wind changes, the drift ice is instantly driven away offshore.
But the next morning, the harbor can be completely covered by it again.
It was such a frozen evening of February when My dad came from Furano.
What happened to your face?
I just fell.
I saw him after such a long time. He looked a lot older than before.
The meal is ready.
Wow, wonderful! This is wonderful!
Isn't it?
That one over there...
Oh, it's Kunashiri.
So is there a border between here and there?
Yes
Is the border...
a red string or stuff like that?
How are you doing?
Yeah
I heard from Hotaru that you are not doing well.
Yeah
It's not a big deal.
How is Kai?
He's really sweet. He's so cute that I can almost eat him.
Please don't eat him.
Still no letter from Shokichi?
No
But...
it seems like he is paying back the debt every month.
How about you?
I'm slacking off.
I'm not paying back.
Really...
I'm so hopeless...
I met grandpa Misawa the other day.
When I mentioned your debt, he laughed and said, "I forgot about stuff like that".
He...collapsed the other day.
He can't stand up...
so he's bedridden.
He said he wanted to see you
with his eyes filled with tears.
He is truly...
like a buddha.
Putting aside the debt for a moment,
why don't you go see him?
Dad
Yeah?
About that,
I've been thinking for long.
I've been thinking...
that I can't continue living like this.
I feel like I've been running away.
I've always been running away.
That's what I think.
I've always been running away.
But...
I've started to think
that there is no use in running away,
and it doesn't change anything.
I'm thinking to go back to Furano
and...
settle down once and for all.
In fact,
there is someone I want to marry.
I want you to meet her tomorrow.
Her and her father.
Actually,
he is not her real father
but
the father of her husband.
To tell the truth,
she is married.
Last autumn, when I went to see the salmons coming up the river,
I accidentally met Miss Ryoko.
Wait, wait, wait!
I don't get it.
No,
What does she have to do with salmons?
Oh, never mind the salmons.
You said she is married?
Yes, yes, but...
Is she someone's wife?
She still is, but...
No, Jun.
It's not good.
Hey, listen to me.
Do you know what's a criminal conversation?
criminal...!?
It's a criminal conversation!
It's adultery!
No, Jun! I can't allow you to do that! Absolutely not!
It's not what you think, dad!
No!
It's not like that! Listen to me!
No!
Listen, please listen to me!
It took me one hour to explain to him.
I explained about how we met at the place of Miss Ryoko, about obento,
about Todo, about the arrival of her husband,
about the day in which he beat me up and I went to talk to him...
I omitted the fact that Yui pointed a rifle at him.
It looked like he finally understood me.
Though he understood me,
he didn't say a word.
When I looked at him, his eyes were filled with tears.
I don't know why he was crying.
Was it because he was shocked about my girlfriend being married
or because he was happy to hear
that I would finally settle down?
I don't know the real reason, but his eyes were filled with tears.
She has come!
Huh?
She has come!
Who?
Probably that married woman.
Oh, I'm coming right now!
It's so early.
I'm sorry.
I'll introduce him to you. This is my dad.
This is Yui Takamura.
I'm Yui. Sorry to bother you this early in the morning.
No problem at all. Please take a seat!
Uh...
Jun, can I?
What's wrong?
My dad didn't come back.
What do you mean?
Yesterday morning, he went to hunt Steller sea lions. He said he would be back home around noon.
I told him that your dad is here.
So he went out with Geeyan saying "I'll treat him to a Steller sea lion"
because the drift ice was offshore yesterday morning.
I understood. Wait a second.
What happened?
She says Todo (Steller sea lion) doesn't come back.
Do you mean that animal in the sea?
I'll explain it later.
Todo..
The drift ice moves easily with the wind.
One day the harbor might be covered with it, but the next morning, it might be completely gone.
Hunters of Steller sea lions go out to the sea when the drift ice disappears and wait for the animals to come with the ice.
The boats used for that are very small compared to fishing boats.
If the boat gets caught between masses of ice, it will be crushed in one second.
The wether was bad as well as visibility.
A number of fishing boats ceased operations and went out to look for Todo's boat under the heavy snow.
A patrol boat of the Japan Coast Guard also went out to the sea.
Helicopters couldn't fly due to poor visibility and the searching team came back in the evening.
Their shipwreck became apparent
and it was announced in the evening news.
People collected pieces of driftwood on the coast,
and lighted a fire with them to make a big bonfire.
This is done to let people in the sea know the direction of the harbor.
In fishing villages around here,
when someone gets lost at sea,
people keep lighting a fire like this for days and wait for their return.
Past 8PM, Miss Ryoko rushed here from Nakashibetsu
learning about the news on TV.
Where is Yui?
She is now at home. There is a lot of people here.
Are you OK? Isn't it too cold?
I'm fine.
Miss Ryoko, my dad came from Furano. He is staying at my place.
Is he?
Would you mind going to see him and keep him company?
Of course not!
What happened?
He is still missing.
Dad, do you recognize her? She's Miss Ryoko.
Long time no see!
Miss Ryoko!
I'll go back there again.
Please don't mind about us.
I'm sorry.
When I came back to the bonfire, the blizzard had calmed down a little.
Yui's husband, all alone,
was putting pieces of wood on the fire.
He will definitely come back.
He is not made so weak.
Don't try to comfort me.
Over there, people are saying mindlessly whatever they want.
Some say they are already dead,
some say they are still alive,
others say they crossed over to Kunashiri Island.
They'd better stop kidding!
I was flabbergasted that night.
I really thought she would fire the rifle.
I was so frightened.
That night,
I talked with her until dawn.
I can't win her.
I'm not in a position to say anything in the first place.
I am the one who run away from home.
But...
Let's cut it up, It's not manly.
I yield her to you.
Please make her happy.
I'm sorry.
What time is it?
It's 10:15.
It must be freezing.
Dad...
I hope he has a fire...
The wind started to move.
Did it?
Tomorrow morning, probably...
the drift ice will come back.
I wonder if this fire can be seen from the sea.
Just believe it can!
Otherwise there would be no point in lighting a fire!
Yes
I'll go to look for some drift wood.
Should I come with you?
No..
you stay here and keep an eye on the fire.
Yes
Her husband's back seemed lonely.
Like he said, the wind rose a little on the sea.
But I couldn't hear the rumbling of the sea.
20 years have passed since then.
Exactly.
One decade is as long as an entire age..
In two decades, people go through a lot.
A lot of things happened...
though it's only natural.
Miss Ryoko,
can I ask you one thing?
What?
I heard about the girl Jun is dating now.
Oh, Yui, right? I introduced her to him.
She was my student, She is a really nice girl.
I heard she is a married woman.
What?
Oh, you mean, she was a married woman.
Though they haven't divorced yet formally.
Miss Ryoko
Once...
my wife...
cheated
on me...
I know.
But this is different.
Her husband got a lover and run away from home two years ago.
So practically they've already divorced.
But...
not formally, right?
You surely fuss over small things.
They love each other, so that's enough, isn't it?
Or, is there any problem if she has a past?
No, not at all.
To tell the truth,
Jun also has a biiiig past.
She's been through a lot of difficulties.
So she will be able to go through a lot together with Jun.
Miss Ryoko
Thank you very much.
Your words are always helpful.
At dawn, I woke up beside the fire
and saw the harbor filled with drift ice.
How's it going?
Yeah
Are you OK?
Yes
Dad
This is her husband.
Oh, I see.
The sea looked totally different from yesterday.
The blizzard stopped
and the sun was about to rise from Kunashiri Island.
Around six, Yui brought us breakfast.
Thank you for your help.
No, I just came here.
Thank you so much. Please have some so you'll be warmed up.
Here you are.
Hey
Here you are.
Is it good?
Yeah
It is good, indeed!
Is this ice thick?
It is.
I wonder how the boats can sail out on such sea.
The boats here are made of steel
so they run aground on the ice and crush it with their prow's weight.
They run aground and go back, run aground and go back, repeatedly.
What's wrong?
It's Todo! He is alive!
Todo is alive!
Todo came back! He came back!
Banzai, banzai!
Get out of my way!
Oh...
Welcome, Sir!
I hunted a Steller sea lion!
Tonight,
let's eat a hot pot with this!
Oh, it was freezing!
♪ Let me drink heavily...
It was a bit far away from the cape.
There were three Steller sea lions, I fired aiming at one of them!
I hit it!
But, as we approach it...
the boat starts to sink bubbled up!
Then...
I harpooned it!
More than one meter beneath the surface!
The dude, however, tries to go deeper!
Then...the ice came drifting, ta la la la la la..
Ta la la la la la... Ta la la la la la...
We can't let it escape under the ice!
So I jumped in, pulled the wire, and..
stabbed it with a knife!
Goro! Goro!
I brought it for you, Goro! Please eat it!
As you are from Furano, you must be astonished.
You people there are farmers, but we are hunters!
♪The Steller sea lions haven't come to Rausu yet.
♪The drift ice hasn't come to Rausu yet.
♪Still...still...
♪I'm going out with a boat, today as well.
Well...
Welcome, Sir!
Welcome, Sir! Thank you so much for coming.
Hello
Hello, I can't hear you. Wait a second.
Sorry, what?
Yes
I see
Yes
♪The Steller sea lions haven't come to Rausu yet.
♪The drift ice hasn't come to Rausu yet.
♪Still...still...
♪I'm going out with a boat, today as well.
Mrs. Nakahata died.
Please take that taxi.
Excuse us, please. Have a safe trip!
Hey! Why don't you keep me company!
No, it's not like that. Listen.
Sorry! I'm sorry!
Get on, get on!
Mr. Kuroita! And his son! Why are you running away! You, daughter thieves!
Daughter thieves!
Dad, please, Dad.
Daughter thieves! Daughter thieves!
Keep me company, if you are a man!
It's been two years since I saw the view of Furano last time.
Rokugo hasn't changed at all.
Except...
another soul
who took care of me disappeared from Furano.
Aunty
I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for you, after everything you did for me.
Since I came here as a kid,
you always took care of us
gently and warmly.
I couldn't do even a little thing for you...
Did you come back all the way for her?
Thank you.
In the end...
Mom couldn't attend our wedding.
But...
she saw the pictures.
She looked truly happy.
I'm sorry she couldn't see the new house.
Actually, she came to see the house from the hospital.
When?
At night, about one week ago. While I was doing wiring work.
Really?
Kazuo, Sumie and her husband
brought her here secretly at night.
I felt like I shouldn't see them, so I hid myself behind the house.
Then I heard her laugh happily,
saying, "It's amazing".
Hello, I'm from Florist Ota.
Hello, thank you.
It must have been tough.
Everyone went to the office.
Hotaru
Jun
Can I stay at your home tonight?
Oh, please do so.
There is something I want to talk about.
Same here.
Oh..
Jun! When did you come?
It's been a while.
So, about the return gift...
Oh, the return gift.
What do you recommend us?
Well, seaweed is the most common one.
Oh, seaweed?
How much is it?
700 yen.
700 yen, it's a little expensive.
Are you making progress?
Oh, actually...
I haven't revised it yet since then.
I was on a trip for a few days.
This kind of things suddenly happens.
Yes
But she was way too young.
I agree.
I thought about...
what your sentences lack.
Yes?
They lack the real feeling of death.
You believe somewhere in your mind
that you'll never die.
It's not true...
But you will eventually die, too.
Immagine how the world will be after your death,
how this Rokugo will be after your death,
what your son,
your daughter
and your grandchildren will be doing.
Grandpa
Then, you can write...
words your heart really wants to leave to them.
Yes
That is the right way of writing a will.
Yes
I didn't know about her disease at all.
Last summer, Mizue was still fine
and came here many times.
She took a great liking to this house.
Did my dad make this whole house?
Yes, of course. He picked up a variety of things from everywhere.
Oh
You see? This is a fridge.
Oh, it's true.
How about the electricity?
It's water-powered. He made a small waterwheel in the river over there.
Amazing!
Did you see the other house behind this one? He just finished it.
The tea is ready.
That is a new house for Sumie and her husband.
Mizue asked Goro to build one.
Hello?
Did Naka come here?
No, what happened?
I can't find him.
What happened?
Oh,
we were drinking with everyone, but then I realized that he was nowhere.
Naka
Thank you...
for...
making such a fine house.
She came here to see it.
She was really happy.
Thank you.
I'm so happy for your wedding! I hope you'll always be merry and cheerful. From Mom
I went out to the town late at night
to stay at Hotaru's apartment.
He is so cute.
Try touching him, gently.
The skin is so silky, right?
Yeah
I wonder if we also had skin like this.
You'd better get married and have a baby, too.
Then you'll develop some sense of responsibility.
It really hit me.
Has Shokichi written to you?
Not at all.
You really don't know where he is?
If I knew, I would tell you.
But he is paying back the debt properly every month, right?
Yes
Then, why don't you track him from his bank account?
I tried, but it didn't work.
At first, I was waiting for his letter and I checked the mailbox everyday.
But I gave up.
He must have found someone else.
You aren't paying back to Mr. Misawa, right?
His daughter came to scold me.
Do you know that her Grandpa is now bedridden.
I'm going to settle this matter with him.
That's one of the reasons why I came back.
I doubt you can.
I'm planning to come back here.
Are you?
I'm going to get married.
You are kidding.
I'm serious.
With whom?
With a girl I met in Rausu. I introduced her to my dad the other day.
Her name is Yui.
How are you going to make a living?
There are few jobs here because of the recession.
Seeing the house of Aunty Yukiko, I realized
if I follow in my dad's footsteps,
I can get by.
It's preposterous to get married without having a job.
You made a baby without getting married.
That's right.
Hotaru,
I've always been observing how dad is..
I didn't like having a dad like that
so I've always rebelled against him.
But...
recently I started to think that..
his blood...
is running through me after all and that is an undeniable fact.
And that is...
not something you should rebel against
but something you should be proud of.
Oh, I can't explain myself well.
I understand you.
I also came to think that way, lately.
Last Will
Immagine how the world will be after your death,
how this Rokugo will be after your death.
What your son,
your daughter
and your grandchildren.. will be doing.
I write about what happens after I die.
Jun,
get married with Yui, and do what you want.
Hotaru,
do what you want as well.
Kai
I can't bear not being able to see
how you will grow up.
Please don't forget about your grandpa.
Grandpa!
Grandpa will always be watching you from...
Next morning, I went where the farm was.
The barn was abandoned there
exactly as it was in the old days.
Machines we used to operate were left there to rust,
half-covered with snow.
Sota,
please forgive me.
This is how...
I shattered your dream.
Aunty Masako and Aiko left Furano as well.
Then I...
Misawa
Hello
Grandpa
Oh?
Sorry for not coming to see you. I'm Jun Kuroita.
Oh!
Excuse me.
I'm sorry!
You did me a great favor at that time,
but I didn't pay back monthly.
From now on, I won't fail to pay back every month.
I hope you forgive me for not paying back until now.
I won't run away.
I will pay back for sure.
What?
Jun
Yes
Did you...
come back here?
Yes
I'm glad.
I was...
worried if...
you couldn't...
come back to Furano anymore...
because of me.
I've always been
worried about it.
I'm glad.
Sorry!
As you see...
I...
can't...
move anymore.
I'm glad.
Goro...
must be very glad as well.
Yes
I...
Jun...
Sorry,
I can't hold...
..it anymore..
Please collect my mee.
M, mee?
Mee! Mee, mee!
Oh, you mean pee?
Let's go to the bathroom.
What?
Oh, it's a urinal.
OK, I get it. Uhm...
Excuse me, excuse me.
OK, please wait a moment.
A moment, please.
Are you OK? Is it fine? Yeah, please go ahead.
Torry.
I'm torry.
Something very hot suddenly welled up in my heart.
Once...
he used to work with his wife in the field diligently and silently
Even after he lost his wife,
he didn't change at all.
Let me clean your hands.
That day when I bankrupted the farm,
in spite of the opposition of his family,
he decided that I can pay him back only 30000 yen a month
for the debt of 15 million yen.
But...
I betrayed his good faith.
Grandpa
Please don't apologize to me.
I am the one who has to apologize.
I don't mind at all doing things like this, even everyday.
I'll come here everyday.
From now on, I'll come here everyday.
Probably it was at that moment...
that I definitively made up my mind...
to come back to Furano.
Until then, I was thinking only about the money
as a way of clearing off the debt.
But...
apart from the money,
it was also...
a matter of...
showing my sincerity.
Yui was there..
I don't know why, but Yui was walking in the town of Furano.
After she left the convenience store without buying anything,
she walked down the street briskly.
I followed her in secret.
Yui was walking taking a look at shops.
Her firm way of walking made me think...
that she wasn't just sightseeing,
but she had a specific purpose to visit this city.
She went to a supermarket,
to a hardware store,
to a hospital,
then...
to the cityhall.
When she arrived at the cityhall, I realized.
I see.
She is checking out this city.
She is trying to check out the city she will live in.
When she entered the shrine,
I was convinced...
We arrived.
Kai, now we are going to see Grandpa.
Go to the bathroom by yourself.
OK
Can you? Go ahead.
Uncle Jun came back here,
so we are having dinner together.
Shokichi Kasamatsu
Hotaru
I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I am for a long time.
I was working at a construction site deep in the Gifu mountains without leaving for the town even once.
The work here was finished yesterday, so tomorrow I move to Tochigi to work at another site.
I apologize for not writing you until now.
I am a weak person.
So I feared to lose my determination
when I had the slightest thought of you two.
So I tried not to think about you two.
But I dreamed of you many times.
Kai must have grown big.
You must be angry all alone.
I'll tell you my place from now on.
I'll be living in the following address.
During Obon holidays this year, I may...
Are you Hotaru?
You are Yui, right?
Yes
Dad!
Shokichi wrote to me!
He, he wrote his address here!
He wrote his address!
Our conversation that evening
might not be very interesting to others.
Anyway, everyone was happy and hyper.
Yui readily fit in with my family.
Dad was flirtatiously holding her shoulder.
Kai was sleeping sound beside us.
It was decided that everyone would stay there that night.
We had a small argument about who would sleep where.
Yui and Jun can sleep on the second floor.
No no no, we can't do that.
Why?
Why not? You two are getting married.
Exactly.
Hotaru and Yui can sleep on the second floor.
Oh really? Is that what you really want?
Of course.
Yui? How about you?
I don't care where I sleep.
OK then, Jun and Hotaru sleep on the second floor.
Yui and I sleep down here, OK?
Nooo!
I see.
Yui, do you mind being stuck with me?
No, I don't.
You see?
I won't allow it!
OK then, let's decide with rock-paper-scissors.
Rock-paper-scissors, it's fair enough.
Noo!
In the end, girls slept on the second floor, and guys slept on the first floor.
It's been a long time since I enjoyed
such familial atmosphere filling our small house.
Besides, there was also a new member of the family.
That night was awfully cold
and I heard the sound of trees splitting from the cold deep in the forest.
I saw the usual dream in the middle of the night.
You lucky bastard!
There was Hotaru standing when I woke up.
Were you asleep?
No
What happened?
Dad
I'm...
thinking to go to live with Shokichi.
I think that's what I should do.
Do that, I agree with you.
What do you think?
Dad
Yeah
I think you should, but...
what will you do with Kai?
Of course I'll bring him with me.
Can't I?
Of course you can, but...
Kai..Kai will go as well...
So you will...
bring him away with you...
Next morning, we received an incredible amount of marine products from Todo.
On the top of a box of Alaska pollocks,
there was a formal certificate of divorce
firmly taped with duct tape.
On March 25th,
Hotaru departed.
Please give my best regards to Shokichi.
Yeah
You will come back here soon, won't you?
Oh, don't tell me you won't come back.
Jun, Yui...
please take care of Dad.
Yeah, take care of Shokichi.
Yes
Dad!
You kidnapper.
Say bye bye to Grandpa.
Kai, say bye bye to Grandpa.
Are you ready?
Are you ready!?
No, I'm not.
Are you ready!?
Yes,
I'm ready!
Kai!
Dad, it's so dangerous!
Kai!
Sir, sir! It's dangerous!
Wait, sir!
Kai!
Hotaru!
He cried embarrassingly.
And he ran embarrassingly.
Dad!
But I was moved by seeing him like that.
Dad, you are wonderful.
Before, I would have looked down on
such unpolished behaviors of yours.
But...
now I think it's wonderful
for you not to care what others think
and to love your family with all your heart.
Come to think about it,
your being like that was the very thing
that brought us up until now.
Only now, we are starting
to realize it little by little.
Dad
You are
wonderful.
Yui and I started to...
live with my dad in the stone house.
While I help my dad with his work,
I go to see Mr. Misawa.
Dad is...
making charcoals this year as well.
Last Will
Jun,
Hotaru,
I have nothing I can leave to you two.
But...
though I can't express myself well,
I feel like I already left to you what I should.
I can't leave money or objects,
but I think I already told you what I should.
Please tell it to Shokichi and Yui as well.
How will Rokugo be after I die?
Probably nothing will change.
Like always, the snow melts in the spring.
In the summer, flowers bloom
and people go out to work in the field.
Mr. Shirai operates the tractor until late at night like always.
And day laborers work like always.
It must be the same as before.
Beside the field of cutleaf coneflowers,
there will be the house of Aunty Yukiko and that of Sumie.
I will be happy if you build
"picke up houses" around them.
Then the plan of "picked up town" will come true.
I hope Kai and the other grandchildren
will be playing in the park paved with scraps of asphalt.
Don't wish for money.
But think what makes you happy.
There is nothing here, but you have a plenty from nature.
The nature offers you
what is sufficient for you to live.
Get what nature gives you.
And live humbly
and modestly.
That is...
my last will
to you.
Is this the house we are going to live in?
I saw it flying in the sky.
It must be an illusion.
Dad saw it as well!
You liar!
I saw it flying with my eyes.
Wasn't it a helicopter of the Self-Defense Forces from Kami-Furano?
It was flying zig-zag like this, right?
Yeah, and the color was also different.
The water came out!
Hotaru!
Then, Kuroita Pink Butter!
It's not bad, is it?
Miss Ryoko!
It's true! It's from Miss Ryoko!
Where is this?
Thank you.
If I learn where Rei went, I will tell you!
Jun, I understood you,
so please stop it. Jun, please! I understood you!
Dad, don't fall asleep.
I'm not asleep.
Once I gave it to you, I can't take it back, I have pride!
Hurry up and take it away before I steal it!
Screw you!
Hotaru!!
Come back to Furano whenever you want!
Hotaru!
Cheers!
Smile! It's a happy day.
Exactly!
Thank you for supporting us for 21 years.
Translated by kameu & kumasan for d-addicts