Animals hibernate during the winter.
Know what that means?
I do.
What kind of animals hibernate?
Snakes.
Bats.
Frogs.
How about birds?
No.
How about cats?
No.
Dogs?
No.
How about bears?
They hibernate.
How do they do that?
Ther're half dead.
No. My Grandpa said it's like they're half asleep.
What if they have to pee?
They do it.
Outside?
Inside!
That's dirty.
But they have a toilet.
That's not true.
Then, what'll they do if they have to poop?
That's dirty.
What else hibernates?
Squirrels.
They don't!
Yes, they do!
No, they don't!
Yes, they do!
There are 2 types of squirrels, right?
The striped kind?
And the gray kind are tree squirrels.
(Explaining a squirrel native only to Hokkaido)
Why do they have different names?
Anyone know?
Do they live in the same place?
I know!
The striped one runs on the ground but the
tree squirrels jump around in the trees.
The tree one don't hibernate.
But the striped ones do.
The tree ones come to steal food and
Right.
you can fish for them with a horse's tail.
You fished for squirrels?
My Grandpa caught one like that but it tasted awful.
You ate the squirrel?
But it tasted awful!
How mean. Okay. What else hibernates?
I found one. Human.
Human?
Dear Keiko...
The animals have gone into hibernation so we don't see many in the forest anymore.
But humans aren't allowed to hibernate.
In my next life I think I'd like to be a bear or a striped squirrel.
Lyrics(approx. meaning): Are you still like that?
Colder day by day
Knitting your scarf with tears in my eyes
Do you like it? (Enka song: Kita...)
Whose do you think it is ?
What?
The muffler Aunty is knitting?
Probably for herself.
For me?
Why would she?
You?
I think she's going to give it to Sota.
I think it's a Christmas present.
I wonder what his face will look like when she gives it to him?
Probably like this.
Don't tell him, Jun.
Why would I?
I think Aunty Yukiko wants to surprise him with it.
I can't stand this.
Do you think she likes Sota?
She wouldn't be doing it if she didn't.
If she does, it'll be a real melodrama.
What?
What're you doing?
What is it?
Are you cold around your neck?
Not really.
Why?
I have a fault. I talk too much.
Is she inside?
Keep it a secret.
I know that, dummy!
Kids shouldn't gossip about stuff like this.
Go give her the milk.
Aren't you coming in?
Grown-ups are busy!
That simple fool. He's overjoyed.
Still alive, Ma? Live a long time.
What's that stupid boy saying?
Is Sota still out with the cows?
Seems that way.
Is one of them due tonight?
Not yet. But he's been so full of energy since evening time.
Hurry and go to sleep.
It's snowing.
Look at it snow.
It's snowing, but you are not here.
Ever since the night I threw a rock at it, Hotaru's fox hadn't been back.
Dad was still going logging.
When he got home and finished his dinner,
he made maps.
Aunty Yukiko kept knitting the muffler.
But she didn't know
that I'd secretly told Sota about it.
I hope Sota won't tell her.
What's wrong?
What!
It's strange...
What?
A cow?
Me.
What's wrong?
I try to go to sleep but I can't
I think I have insomnia.
Stupid!
What time do you think it is!
Pull the quilt over your head and count sheep!
1 sheep...
2 sheep...
3 sheep...
4 sheep...
5 sheep...
6 sheep...
7 sheep...
8 sheep...
9 sheep...
10 sheep...
11 sheep...
12 sheep...
3,149 sheep...
3,150 sheep...
3,151 sheep...
3,152 sheep...
3,153 sheep...
3,154 sheep...
3,155 sheep...
3,156 sheep...
3,157 sheep...
3,158 sheep...
3,159 sheep...
3,160 sheep...
3,161 sheep...
3,162 sheep...
3,163 sheep...
3,164 sheep...
3,165 sheep...
3,166 sheep...
3,167 sheep...
3,168 sheep...
3,169 sheep...
3,170 sheep...
3,313 sheep...
3,314 sheep...
3,315 sheep...
3,316 sheep...
3,317 sheep...
What're you saying?
3,318 sheep...
Are you stupid? Why lose sleep over something like that?
If you're in love with the girl, go and seduce her.
But she's been to college.
She's still a woman. They're all the same when they get in the bath.
I tried.
Just because she went to college, does that mean
you have to seduce her in English or something?
But Take?
You don't think folks like her have certain
expectations we don't know about?
Like what?
Like telling her some line
from a foreign novel maybe?
How could there be?
That's because you only know farm girls, Take.
Farm or city. Does it matter?
Just jump her. That's what makes them the happiest.
Jump her?
Like you always do.
Are you sure?
Then,
give her a big juicy kiss and pat her when it's over
Pat her?
On the shoulder.
Pat her on the shoulder after I kiss her?
Not all the time.
But rather than saying stuff after you kiss her, pat her on
the shoulder and it'll tell her everything.
That's how it is.
Is that how it is?
Just give it a try.
It'll get harder next year.
With the production survey?
I think it'll go to about 5%?
Better get the girl before the economy gets bad.
Jump her, huh?
With winter break coming soon, we took test after test.
Miss Ryoko would always play a cassette tape of mood music during a test.
But I just couldn't get into the mood.
Because no matter what we did, we all got 100's.
And compared to Tokyo, the work here was nothing.
Keiko? If I keep going this way,
I know I'll fall behind
all the other kids in the city.
I won't have anything in common with you all.
You'll pass the exam
to get into Keio or Waseda University
and you won't even give me the time of day.
You'll marry some guy from Tokyo University and
become the wife of a foreign diplomat.
But I'll still be here and
looking after the pigs.
Jun?
You write "foreign diplomat"
like this.
Got it?
That's right.
What's with this teacher anyway?
Jun?
I had it wrong.
About what?
This.
What about it?
Kitamura Sota. But this isn't "S.K."
Who's T.I.?
That man. The one that used to come over to Aunty's all the itme.
I know him!
She's knitting it to give to him.
I can't tell him that now.
What?
That's real bad for Sota.
But he doesn't know about it yet.
Where'd Aunty Yukiko go?
She went out with Sota awhile ago.
That's bad!
What's wrong?
What did you want to talk about?
Have you ever had insomnia?
Insomnia?
I'm pretty much like that all the time.
How long does it take you to fall asleep?
About 40 minutes?
Every day? 40 minutes?
Usually.
I fall asleep as soon as
I hit the quilts.
I envy you.
Normally.
Really?
So what about insonmia?
Can I see your hand?
My hand?
Does my hand have something to do with your insomnia?
The other hand.
What's wrong?
Your fingers are as white as shirako fish roe.
I wish you'd say icefish instead.
Look at my fingers.
Bony knuckles and dirty.
When you compare them, they're so much bigger.
See?
Isn't that a fox?
I just saw its eyes shine.
It's a fox! Come see it, Yukiko!
I didn't know about that incident.
But I knew something was odd.
Because the day after that Sota started to talk to Aunty
in a real familiar way.
Tsurara came several days after.
May I talk to you?
To me? Sure.
Tsurara seemed a little different that night.
What's wrong?
I don't know how to talk to you about this.
Talk about what?
I like you a lot, Yukiko.
I don't dislike you. I wanted to say that first.
Do you intend to live here forever?
You haven't decided?
I don't know.
But I don't think so.
If you're not going to stay, that's all I need to hear.
Why?
What'll happen if I do stay?
But you haven't made up your mind yet, right?
You need a firm resolve to stay here.
It's not as easy as saying you found someone you love
here and that's why you're going to stay.
If this was Sapporo or Osaka
it'd be easy to say "Yes, I'll stay."
But this is a farm in Hokkaido.
You need a firm resolve.
You know ....I....
I'm stupid so I was convinced...
About what?
That I'd marry Sota.
But
since you came,
he's been infatuated with you, Yukiko.
And I can understand why.
You and I are totally different.
I'm a woman and even I think you're real pretty.
He's even got insomnia.
Something so unlike him....
I think I can understand.
I do.
But...
I caught it.
His insomnia. Ever since he told me about it.
I haven't been able to sleep.
You may laugh at me but...
It's true.
I'd never heard that before.
I fall asleep right away even when I'm depressed.
I suppose that's because I'm still a kid.
Insomnia seems like a pretty grown-up word.
It sounded intellectual.
I like it.
I'll be straight with you.
The truth is...
I'm sorry.
I don't want you to stay here.
I know that's really rude way to say it. I know that.
But if you stay any longer,
I'll
probably end up hating you.
I don't want you to become my enemy.
Can you understand that?
I understand
but...
If that happens, it happens.
We're humans so it can't be helped.
Of course,
right now I don't have any feelings for Sota.
But I have my own life.
And where I live isn't...
...something anyone else should have a say about.
Right?
After that, they both didn't say anything.
And after awhile, Tsurara went home.
Aunty Yukiko didn't even see her out.
That night was the first time
I'd ever seen a harsh side of Aunty.
Aunty?
What is it?
What?
It's nothing.
Why?
You're saying good-bye, right?
Or aren't you?
What if I am? Do you need to shake hands?
Wouldn't it be bad?
What?
If we meet by accident somewhere in the future.
We wouldn't even be able to exchange a greeting.
What's wrong with that? That's what a real good-bye means.
I'm not going to think about seeing you again.
I'll never come to Shimo-Kitazawa again.
If we say good-bye I'll never come again.
Never in my life.
No matter what happens.
Even if I ride on the Odakyu or Inogshira lines,
I'll never get off at the Shimo-Kitzazwa stop.
Shimo-Kitazawa will be
a blank stop forever on
my map of Tokyo.
Isn't that what it mean
when two people say good-bye?
Dad came home really late that night.
I was already asleep.
You're late tonight.
I was at the Kitamura's.
Was Sota here?
This is his boxing night.
Why?
Nothing.
I want to ask you something.
What is it?
Yukiko is the girl that's living with you, right?
What about her?
Does she have any feelings for Sota?
I doubt it.
She may have.
Why?
That's what he says. He says they have a relationship.
Sota said that?
Can't be.
He's a simple boy. Things go to his head right away.
I told him
not to fall in love with a woman that's beyond his reach.
But he laughed
and said he already reached for her. And that she likes him, too.
Think it's true?
I don't believe it.
Goro.
I'm worried.
I can't help it if a young man falls in love with a girl.
And I don't intend to interfere.
But
I don't want him to abandon his village because of it.
We've seen too many examples of that already.
Is she seriious about settling down here?
Or is it just a city girl's temporary whim?
Goro?
I'd like to go back home to Tokyo for just a bit.
I left all my things with Sis, too.
I'm sorry for being selfish. I'll be back in a week to ten days.
How about money?
I'm OK. I have a little.
Also...
What?
Can I ask you something?
The Kitarmuras are worried.
It seems Sota's in love with you.
He's always wanted to go to the city.
But they did everything they could to talk him out of it
and take over the dairy.
So he has
to find a bride that'll stay here.
You need to be prepared if you're going to see him.
Goro?
I don't want
to talk about that right now.
But
I understand what you're trying to say.
I'll think about that
while I'm in Tokyo.
Two days after that,
Aunty had to leave for Tokyo suddenly.
We walked her to the bus stop.
And she ask us
if we wanted her to take any messages to Mom.
I said just tell her we're fine.
I'll see you.
byebye
Aunty didn't say much
except that she'd be back soon
But we had a feeling
that she wouldn't be back.
So it became the 3 of us again.
Late that night, Sota,
who didn't know, came over to visit.
It must've been a pretty big shock to him.
He stood outside talking to Dad for a long time.
The snow started to fall again, too, that night.
lu lu lu lu lu
And Hotaru's fox didn't come back.