Dad?
I'm the one....
...that sent Hotaru
to town.
I wrote a letter to Mom.
Because I was desperate to go back home to Tokyo.
I told Hotaru to go
and mail it.
It's all....
...my fault.
But...
I don't think Hokkaido
suit my constitution....
I think Tokyo
suits me better...
There's a girl that's been staying from yesterday.
She's from Tokyo and her name's Miyama Yukiko.
I found her.
I came to get you.
Hurry. Let's go.
We were so busy Pa wouldn't let me go.
That's okay. He's family.
Let's see...my Pa's cousin's wife's younger sister.
So is that third cousin? Maybe further.
Well...
he's some kind of cousin.
Is what I'm saying funny?
Aunty?
I need to talk to you.
What is it?
We can't talk here.
Basically....
We can't let
Dad hear.
Then the doorbell rang in the middle of the night.
How late was it?
It was past 1.00.
And when I went out, no one was there.
That's scary.
Isn't it scary?
So what happened?
I went back to sleep.
Then, I heard the doorbell again.
I yelled to my dad that there was someone outside.
And my dad said,
"It's just a fox ringing the doorbell."
I don't believe that.
It's true.
The doorbell button was sticking out of the pillar
and the fox was curious, so he pushed at it with his nose.
Really?
Sometimes a fox
will peek in the window to look into the house.
Liar!!
It's true!
That's so cute.
What's your old man doing outside where it's so cold?
Is Jun
that desperate?
Does he
hate being here that much?
He does?
Goro?
The truth is....
I....
I came planning
to move here, too.
Of course, that's only if you'll let me.
If I do, Jun should change a little.
And you could
use a woman's help.
That's not true.
Why?
I can't
let you do that.
That's not why.
You see...I...
I waited to the last minute
to come here.
I want
to get as far away from Tokyo
as possible.
I had
an operation
before I came here.
It was a baby....
It was
unbelievable.
His wife
was pregnant,
too.
So
I want you to let me stay here.
I'll
show you I can do it.
I'm sorry I'm late!
Thanks for waiting.
I'll take her back to the hotel, Uncle.
What's wrong with you?
You said you were going to Asahigawa.
I had to change plan suddenly.
I'll take you next time. Okay?
Let's go, Miss Yukiko.
So that's why!
What're they doing?
They're going to make a smoker.
There's deer.
That's it.
Good job.
You can go upstairs now.
Good night.
Jun?
Do you really want to go back home to Tokyo?
Yes?
Yes.
You just can't bear it here?
Yes.
I see.
I'm sorry.
But...
Please
let me.
I...please don't get mad.
Please let me.
I'm not mad,
Jun.
I'm sorry.
I'm just sad.
Right now...
I'm very sad.
It's only natural that you want to go back home.
It's just....
You didn't tell me.
I had to hear it
through Anuty Yukiko.
That's a coward's way.
That's what
makes me very sad.
I understand how much you want to go home, now.
I can't answer that question.
I'm just a school teacher.
I don't know what to tell you
or
what you should do.
That's a family problem.
My suggestion is for you
to try talking to your ex-wife again.
That kind of thing happens a lot. I went to a party recently,
and I got this little gift but it was really heavy.
I was so curious about what it was.
What was it?
It was a paperweight.
Then I happened to glance over to the car stopped next to us and the woman inside was
tearing open the gift just like me.
Do you know who it was?
Who?
The director's wife. Mrs Perfect.
I was shocked to see her sneaking to open it like that.
You have a phone call.
Please excuse me.
Welcome.
Thank you for waiting.
Yes,
I'm fine.
I'm listening.
So...
I know it's late to be asking this
but Jun's insisting.
I understand.
Is Yukiko still there?
All right.
I'll
talk it over with Yukiko.
Of course,
anytime at all.
Give me the name of Yukiko's hotel.
I got it.
This is milk. Take it.
What about work?
The Nakahata's hired me to work in their pig shed.
Thanks for the phone.
Are you sending the boy back to Tokyo?
He says he wants to go back.
There's smoke coming out.
We succeeded.
And you hang the meat from the top?
That's what they said.
And fish, too?
Probably.
Look Dad. We did it.
Is it all right?
Jun?
I talked to Mom.
Go back home to Tokyo.
With Aunty Yukiko.
You can't raise those 2 children.
You may be trying to look good but...
Reiko's saying she wants custody of them, right?
You should always let the women take care of it.
You won't be able to take it after a few days.
Not to be rude,
but who're they closer to?
Dad?
I don't want to go back to Tokyo.
I'll stay with you forever.
I left 3 days later in the morning.
Uncle Seikichi came to get us in his car and took us
to the train station.
When I looked back I could see Dad and Hotaru.
When I thought about how Dad must've felt, it made my heart ache a lot.
But if I wavered now, all my hard work would've gone down the drain.
Children have to leave
their parents some day.
I guess we got here a little too early.
Why don't we have some tea?
I know you're busy. Thank you for doing this.
I can handle it from here.
I'm used to seeing people off.
I've done it a lot.
Do you know a song called "Namida Fune?"
It's strange,
isn't it?
When you hear a popular song,
it makes you remember exactly what was happening to you when it was a hit.
That year was an abnormally cold one.
They began to use tractors
and farming changed too much.
Folks that I'd started farming with closed up shop and
left one after another.
It was November.
Four of my close friends left at the same time.
And I came here to this place
to see them off, too.
It was beginning to snow.
And that Kitajima Saburo song was a hit.
Four families were leaving.
And only my wife and I were seeing them off.
No one said anything.
But...
Want to know
what I was honestly thinking inside?
You guys...
You're admitting you lost
and are running away.
After working together for over 20 years.
I think I know everything about
what made you sad
and happy and mad, too.
So I didn't let anyone on the outside
say anything to criticize.
But
I have the right.
You're admitting you lost and are running away.
You're betraying us and running away.
Make sure you never forget that.
Miss Yukiko!
Come back again, Miss Yukiko!
Jun?
To tell you the truth....
I came here intending to live with all of you.
I haven't
changed my mind about that.
I intend to come back here
after I see you safely to Tokyo.
So we won't be able to live together.
Will you be all right?
You'll be all alone from now on.
Your mother will be with you.
But
you'll be alone.
You're
admitting you lost
and are running away.
You're
betraying us
and running away.
Make sure you never forget that.
I'm sorry.
For what?
For giving you such a cold answer
when you came to me for advice.
Not at all.
It was my problem.
Pleae take good care of my daughter.
Bye.
Mr Kuroita?
I
may be a teacher but
I have no confidence at all.
I was a teacher
in Tokyo last year.
One of my students died.
He committed suicide.
To get back to me.
He was only 10 years old
and he jumped off a building.
I don't have any faith in myself as a teacher.
Dad?
Yes?
A boy at school asked me something today.
What did he ask?
He asked why my name is Hotaru.
Why is it?
A long time ago....
when I left this village.
I snuck out in the middle of the night
without telling anyone.
I walked in the pitch dark all the way to Furano.
At that time,
the whole area was full of "hotaru" (fireflies).
And they clung to me.
I've never seen a firefly.
The light of a firefly
flicker here and there.
It was like
they were trying to tell me
not to go.
Is that why you named me Hotaru?
Yes.
What about Jun?
Why did you
choose his name?
I didn't choose it.
Mom did.
Someone's here.
So I ended up coming back.
But it wasn't because I'd suddenly changed
my mind and decided it was better here.
Keiko? I'm prepared now.
And Aunty Yukiko's going to be living with us.
It snowed for the first time the next day.
Winter was right around the corner.