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Subject:      File: "OPP SCRIPT-A"
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OPP SCRIPT-A

Subject:  1.) OMO(H)IDE PORO PORO script (1st half) (April 28, 1993)


========================================================================
Subject:  1.) OMO(H)IDE PORO PORO script (1st half) (April 28, 1993)


Subject:      OMOHIDE PORO PORO PART ONE
Date:         Wed, 28 Apr 1993 23:30:00 CDT
From:         "Bryan C. Wilkinson" <bryooki@CHINET.COM>


Omohide Poro Poro (1991)
(Memories with Teardrops):
"Only Yesterday"

Translated by "The Poro x2 Project":

Poro part 1 translated by Hana Kawashima and Brad Lucido.
Poro part 2 translated by Yohei Honda and Bryan Wilkinson.

Revisions, first draft editing, and annotations by Bryan
Wilkinson.

Yohei Honda was consultant for some revisions and
annotations, providing much additional translation from the
books named in the bibliography on request.

Second draft editing by Enrique Conty, David Goldsmith, and
Bryan Wilkinson.

Translation of "Ai wa Hana, Kimi wa Sono Tane" (Love is a
flower, you are the seed) (The Rose) by Theresa Martin.

Translation of "Koke Kokko no Uta"  (Cock-a-doodle Song) by
Lee Collins and David Goldsmith.

This script is public domain and may be used in fan-made
subtitlings provided that the above translation credits
are given and the subtitle is not made for profit (we also
wouldn't mind being sent a copy... :).  Parties interested in
using this script should contact the translators at the
following address:

Poro x2 Project
c/o Bryan Wilkinson
10379 Lansdale Ave.
Cupertino, CA 90514

or send email to the Miyazaki Discussion Group at:
nausicaa@brownvm.brown.edu

------------------------------------------------------------

Due to the strong cultural elements in this film, this
translation will be presented using Japanese names of some
things that are representative of Japanese culture, and use
the Japanese system of honorifics, explained below in brief.
Some subtitlers may wish to present a more "Western" version,
so alternatives are given after these cases which can be used
as a substitute.  These will be enclosed in [] brackets.

Other places in the film translation include brief
translations or explanations of some terms or things that can
be easily included in a subtitling following the "cultural"
version.  These will be enclosed in <> brackets.

Annotations are also included, giving much excessive detail
on the background of some elements of the film--these may be
used in part or entirety in small print below the subtitles
if desired for viewers to check at their leisure with their
freeze-frames if necessary--these longer annotations are
enclosed in {} brackets and may be used with asterisks--*--
attached to the relevant dialogue.

Some redundant descriptions may appear such as setting
information. This and regular parenthetical statements will
use parentheses ().

Lastly, the inhabitants of the Yamagata Prefecture speak in a
unique regional dialect which is quite strong.  A small
effort was made here to give these characters a vague-in-
origin accent.
---------------------------------------------------------

As mentioned above, the Japanese honorific system will be
maintained in translation, in a simplified form.  Here is a
brief explanation:

-san: honorific for someone of status equal to yourself
-sama: honorific for someone of status higher to yourself
-chan: honorific for someone of status lower to yourself,
       and term of endearment for family and friends--
       very informal
-sensei: honorific for professors, doctors, teachers
-kun: similar to chan, but mostly applied to males

Some relatives, though, have been identified by their direct
Western counterpart's nomenclature (i.e. "Mother", "Mom",
etc.  rather than "Okaa-san", "Kaa-chan", etc.).

Some pronounciations look confusing in English "romanji",
so most are phoneticized instead, for ease of reading in
subtitled form. There is no objection from the translators,
though, if this is changed by a particular subtitler, and
such changes are assumed valid alternatives.

---------------------------------------------------------
Bibliography (for annotations, script, etc):

Omohide Poro Poro (the original manga)
 by Hotaru Okamoto
 and Yuko Tone

The Art of Only Yesterday

Omohide Poro Poro Roman Album

(All the above are published by Tokuma Shoten.)

---------------------------------------------------------

Omohide Poro Poro: Only Yesterday
[<Memories with Teardrops>]

(opening credits)

(part one--translation by Kawashima/Lucido)

(1982: Office Building)

EXECUTIVE
You had said you would take a ten-day vacation---

So I just assumed you would be travelling abroad. But you are
headed for Yamagata{*}, Okajima-san [Miss Okajima]?

{* Yamagata: a rural prefecture about 180 miles north of
Tokyo}

TAEKO {*}
Yes.

{* Taeko, the main character of this film, is played by Miki
Imai, who interestingly enough was well known in 1982, when
much of this film occurs.  She debuted acting in television
dramas, but became famous for acting in makeup commercials
and such, and later would become a popular actress and
singer, whose career is still doing well today.}

EXECUTIVE
Did you break up with someone...?

TAEKO
I yearn for the countryside.


(1966: School grounds {*})

{* Music note: the BGM for this scene, "Mime, Mime", is
derived from an Israeli folk dance.}

CHILDREN
`Bye!
See you later!
Let's go to Hama's house.
Nyah, nyah!
What do you mean, "Nyah" ?!
Let's go, let's go!

TSUNEKO
So...did your grades go up?

AIKO
Uh-uh. But it's all right.

TOKO
How come?

AIKO
As soon as I get home, we're going to Grandma's house.  So I
won't be in trouble until much later.

TAEKO
Wow, that's nice.

Toko-chan [Toko], are you going to the country, too?

TOKO
Yeah, to Nagano.  Are you, Taeko-chan [Taeko]?

TAEKO
I'm not sure.

TSUNEKO
Well, guess what--my father bought a cabin!

TAEKO/TOKO/AIKO (in unison)
Wow, that's great!

(1966: Okajima Residence)

MOTHER (OFF)
As I expected, your math grade's not good.

TAEKO
Yeah, but I got a "B" in science {*}.  Oh, Mom?  Are we going
somewhere for vacation?

{* A "4" in the Japanese numerical system of 1-5.  She got a
"2" in math, which equates to a "D", her worst score on the
card.}

MOTHER
Nowhere special.

TAEKO
Hey, Mom, take me someplace.

MOTHER
I'll take you to a movie. "Tsuru No Ongaeshi" [<The Crane's
Return>] {*} is playing, isn't it?

{* "Tsuru no Ongaeshi" is a 1966 theatrical puppet-animation
film.  It is not mentioned in the original Omoide Poro Poro
manga, so it is probably mentioned here as a tribute by
Director Isao Takahata.  Going to see it by itself really is
NOT a big deal, as the film was only 17 minutes long!  It
did, however, on a positive note, feature with the
legendary Osamu Tezuka's first theatrical release of Jungle
Taitei (Jungle Emperor/Kimba the White Lion) and two other
shorts.  The film itself is of a classic Japanese folk tale
about a kind peasant who frees a crane from a trap, and is
repaid in a supernatural fashion for his kindness--but later
his curiosity gets the better of him, and by breaking a
promise, his reward turns forfeit.}

TAEKO
That's not what I meant--someplace in the country.

MOTHER
The country?

TAEKO
Right, like "Grandma's house in the country".

MOTHER
Your Grandmother lives here, doesn't she?

TAEKO
Then Grandpa!

MOTHER
Didn't he pass away?  We don't know any places in the
country.  Please don't ask for something we can't possibly
do.


(1982: Eidan Marunouchisen subway {*})

{* One of the oldest, if not the oldest, subways in Japan,
and one of the more famous, because of its distinctive red-
with white stripes paint scheme.  It connects Ikebukuro to
Ogikubo, and Taeko's stop is at Ohtemachi.}

NARRATOR (1982 Taeko, Voice Over for all narration)
I was born and raised in Tokyo, and my parents were as well.
I always envied my friends who had a country hometown to
return to.


(1966: Okajima residence)

NANAKO
It's impossible to take a trip now, because everywhere will
be crowded.

TAEKO
But I want to go somewhere.

GRANDMOTHER
How about Ohnohya?

MOTHER
Huh?

GRANDMOTHER
We've been regular visitors, so if we chose to go to Ohnohya,
we might be able to reserve a room.

TAEKO
Where, where is it?

NANAKO
Oh, sure--Ohnohya is good, because Taeko hasn't been there
before.

MOTHER
Say, that's right...

TAEKO
Hey, is it in the mountains?  By the sea?

YAEKO
It's the Atami hot springs.

TAEKO
Huh--"Atami"?

NANAKO
Right.  You can reach it by bullet train.

YAEKO
Oh, sure, that place would be good.

TAEKO
Atami...

NANAKO (OFF)
It's really fun--there are all kinds of baths.

YAEKO
Um, yeah, there's a giant Roman Bath.

NANAKO
That's right, and many smaller ones like the Swan Bath
and the Pansy Bath {*}.

{* "Pansy": "Sanshiyokusumire", a fancier floral name in
Japanese meaning "three-colored violet".}

YAEKO
Right, right!  The Pansy Bath!

TAEKO
Pansy Bath?

YAEKO
Yeah, it's a really fantastic bath!

NANAKO
Taeko, you just love baths, don't you?

MOTHER (OFF)

Okay, well Father is working and can't go, so why don't you
four go together?

YAEKO/NANAKO (unison)
Huh?

YAEKO
US...

NANAKO
...go TOO?


(1966: Park)

RADIO (reel-to-reel tape recorder) EXERCISES {*}:
1,2,3,4,5,6...lean to the side...

{Calisthenics required for P.E. during vacation time}

SIXTH GRADER
Taeko-chan [Taeko], it's incredible--you've come to every
single radio exercise.

TAEKO
Well, everyone else has gone to the countryside, after all.

SIXTH GRADER (OFF)
Taeko-chan [Taeko], aren't you going anywhere?

TAEKO
I'm going!

SIXTH GRADER
Where?

TAEKO
Atami!

SIXTH GRADER
Atami?  What are you going to Atami for?

TAEKO
To go bathing!

SIXTH GRADER
Ohhh?
Well, it's good timing.  I'll be going, too--my relative's
place, next Monday.  So maybe no one will come to exercises
for a while.


(1982: Taeko's one-room apartment)

NANAKO (OFF/TELEphone)
Hello, Okajima residence.

TAEKO
Ah, Nanako `ne-san [Nanako]?  It's me, Taeko.  I'm leaving
today, and was wondering if Mitsuo `ni-san [Mitsuo] {*} had
anything for me to tell his family at the farm.

{* This particular use of "`ni-san" uses a different
character when written, meaning "brother-in-law": in this
case Mitsuo is the husband of Nanako of 1982.  This usage
will also appear later for Mitsuo's brother Kazuo, and
his wife, Kiyoko}

NANAKO (TELE)
Hmm...doesn't seem like he had anything special to say...oh
yeah, would you buy some cookies or something for Naoko-chan
[Naoko]?  Say it's from Mitsuo Oji-chan [Uncle Mitsuo] and
me, and I'll pay you back later.

TAEKO
That's fine...I'll say hello for you.  How's Mother?

NANAKO (TELE)
She went out today.  She was angry, though--after all, you
did turn down her Ohmiai [<arranged marriage (traditional)>]
meeting, didn't you?  Considering that you're 27, you're not
going to get any better choices for a husband.

TAEKO
That's all Mother ever talks about.

NANAKO (TELE)
But you should think about it, you know.  You're not so young
anymore.

TAEKO
Is that so?

NANAKO (TELE)
Yes, it is--you can't be a cute little girl forever.

You can be so impulsive--you actually pitched in with the
farming last year, didn't you?

TAEKO
Yeah, harvesting rice!  And this year, I'm going to pick
benibana [<safflower>] {*}.

{The benibana is not a native flower of Japan, but is in fact
the safflower of Egypt, and was introduced to Japan in early
600 A.D.  More will be explained about this flower at length
later in the film.}

NANAKO (TELE)
Benibana [Safflower]?

TAEKO
That's right!  Because of your husband's family in the
country, I can have a hometown.
I might as well make the most of it!

{Taeko's cassette tapes include Billy Joel: Flowers in the
Attic, Dan Siegel, Southern All Stars (Tiny Bubbles), Yuming
II (Yumi Matsutouya, who sang the theme music for Kiki's
Delivery Service), Darryl Hall and John Oates, and Pointer
Sisters.}


NANAKO (TELE)
Oh, cut that out.
You don't get a vacation like this often, so instead of
staying at such an old place, why not go to a nice rental
cottage and have a "delicious life" {*}?

{*"delicious life" (oishii seikatsu) is a catch-line from a
commercial for the department store "Seibu".  It was written
by the famous copy writer Shigesato Itoi, who wrote the copy
for ads for many commercials including for all of Miyazaki's
films as well as this film, and was the voice of the father
in My Neighbor Totoro. This commercial's copy was inspired by
a Fellini film, and the commercial starred Woody Allen.  This
commercial popularized the use of "oishii" (delicious) as a
slang word used to describe things besides food.}

NANAKO (TELE, with 1966 insert)
You might be able to meet a nice guy.

TAEKO
Stop, stop!  You're trying to trick me again, like you did
with the Pansy Bath at Ohnohya!

NANAKO
Ohnohya..?  Oh...ah, that time, huh?
You just talked about that a while ago, too.  What a burden
your past must be if you're still holding a grudge like that!


(1966: bullet train)

NARRATOR
At that time, my sisters wouldn't have been caught dead going
to a place like Atami.


(1966: Ohnohya--Atami)

TAEKO
Oh...
Grandma...?

GRANDMOTHER
Hmm...?

TAEKO
Done yet?
C'mon, let's go to the bath.

GRANDMOTHER
Didn't we just go?

TAEKO
But that was only to the Swan Bath.


NARRATOR
I was incredibly bored.
So starting with the Grimm Bath, and then to the Mermaid
Bath, the Lemon Bath, and the Pansy Bath, I went from one to
the next on my own.

TAEKO
It's enormous!

NARRATOR
By the time I had reached the Roman Bath, I was starting to
feel dizzy...

TAEKO
Wow...!

NARRATOR
...And I finally passed out.


(1966: Park)

NARRATOR
Thus my much-anticipated one-night trip came to an abrupt
end, and was followed by a long, long Summer vacation that
was still waiting for me.

RADIO EXERCISES:
...Jumping jacks--open, close, open, close.  Next, arm and
leg exercises.  1,2,3...


(1982: Market on way to station, at Izumiya {*})

{* Izumiya is a chain that sells western cookies and
cakes and other goodies}

NARRATOR
When I met with my sisters last time, I slipped and mentioned
the disastrous bath trip, so we laughed, "Oh yeah, and then
there was that time...", and the conversation turned to other
memories of those days.

{The music that can be heard in the background here is
"Raideen" by Yellow Magic Orchestra from their hit
"Technopolice" single (notice both are anime show titles...).
With their innovative uses of synthesizer music integrated
with computer programs, they were one of the key groups in
establishing the "Technopop" genre of music.  Keyboardist
Ryuichi Sakamoto went on to fame for winning an Academy Award
for creating the soundtrack of "The Last Emperor", and more
significantly to anime fans, he created the soundtrack of
Gainax's first film and highest budget anime film ever,
"Oneamisu no Tsubasa" ("Wings of Honneamise"), released in
1987.}

(1966: Okajima Residence)

YAEKO (OFF)
You've eaten this before?

NANAKO (OFF)
Nope, my first time.

TAEKO
Remember, I'm the one who asked for it {*}.

{* In the manga, Taeko's best friend, Toko, got one at her
birthday party from a Japanese-American friend, which sparked
Taeko's interest in the fruit.}

YAEKO
We know.

NANAKO
Where did you buy it, Dad?

FATHER
The Senbiki shop in Ginza {*}.

{* Popular for carrying more exotic foreign produce.
Imported produce like pineapples, bananas, etc. were rare at
the time and costly luxury items.}

MOTHER
It was expensive, then?

YAEKO
So, how do we eat this?

NANAKO
We slice it into rings.

YAEKO
How?

NANAKO
...I don't know.

MOTHER
Father, didn't you ask the people at the shop?

FATHER
Uh-uh.

MOTHER
Let's eat it next Sunday.

TAEKO
Huh---we're not going to eat it today?

MOTHER
But we don't know how to eat it, do we?

YAEKO
I'm gonna eat a banana.

TAEKO
Me too!

GRANDMOTHER
Warmer countries have rather unusual fruit, don't they?


(1966: later on)

NANAKO
I'm home!
I found out how to serve pineapple.

TAEKO, YAEKO (unison)
What, really?

TAEKO
I..I'll get that.

FATHER
Carefully, now.

MOTHER
Wouldn't a fish knife be better?

TAEKO
Nice smell, nice smell!

Nice fragrance, nice fragrance!

FATHER
Oh, I see.

NANAKO
Hey--plates, plates!

YAEKO
..Oh, right!

FATHER
Itadakimasu [We shall try it now].

FAMILY
Itadakimasu [Let's try it].

TAEKO
It's tough.

FATHER
Not such a big deal.

NANAKO
Not very sweet at all.

YAEKO
It's completely different from when it's canned.

GRANDMOTHER
If you live a long time, you get to have many experiences.

YAEKO
Taeko can have mine.

NANAKO
Mine too.

TAEKO
...Delicious...

MOTHER
You don't have to force yourself to eat it.

FATHER
You'll get a stomachache.

YAEKO
Oh well, that was boring.

NANAKO
Bananas are far more tasty, aren't they?

YAEKO
True, true.

NANAKO
As I expected, the banana is the king of fruit, I guess.

YAEKO
I'm gonna have a banana.

{The TV music is "Tokyo Blues", a hit two years earlier.}

TAEKO
As I thought, the king of fruit is...
the king of fruit is...


(1982: the market, and Uenoeki Station {*})

{* Uenoeki Station is the largest station and transportation
hub of Japan, the station for a number of express trains to
all reaches of Japan, including the Akebono 3 Line, Taeko's
next train.  She used the subway mentioned earlier to get
there.  The Akebono 3 line is an overnight express that stops
in Yamagata, and includes sleeping compartments. Her time of
departure is 10:24 P.M., and time of arrival in Yamagata is
3:51 A.M.}


NARRATOR
...the banana!

The year I passed out at the Roman Bath and ate pineapple for
the first time, was the same year that the "group sound"
became a fad, starting with the Beatles' visit to Japan.
Soon after that, the electric guitar boom would come.

{the music playing is "Memories of Nagisa" (Omohide no
Nagisa), by The Wild Ones, one of the debuting "group sound"
groups alluded to here.}

My sister Nanako 'ne-san [Nanako] was a freshman at an art
college, and was always the first to try out all the new
fads.

NANAKO
Yeah, "Michelle," isn't it?   Another cool Beatles song, huh?

NARRATOR
She tried the mini-skirt when it first came out, and like
everyone else, she hid her behind with a bag whenever going
upstairs.

My other sister, Yaeko 'ne-san [Yaeko], the smart eleventh
grader, was completely in love with someone in the Takarazuka
theater {*}.

{* a form of theater performed entirely by a female cast,
including the male roles, which has been popular for some
time now (Osamu Tezuka, for example, cites being influenced
by his trips to the Takarazuka when he was a child), sort of
a counterpart to the all-male Kabuki performances.
Takarazuka focuses on Western dramas.  The "someone" Yaeko
was in love with was the male-impersonator "Gon-chan", whom
the Okajima family dog is apparently named after.}

TAEKO
Yaeko 'ne-chan [Yaeko]...

YAEKO
D....didn't I tell you to always knock first??!!

NARRATOR
The memories that my sisters mainly talked about were the
stars and fashions that they were into.  1966 was a memorable
teenage year for my sisters.  But back then, I was only in
the 5th grade.
I became a fan of Julie of The Tigers {*}...
...but they didn't debut until later.  There was no way for
me to have big dreams in the days when I was just simply
going back and forth between school and home.

{* The Tigers was another "group sound" group that would
debut the next year in 1967.  Lead singer Kenji "Julie"
Sawada was a pop singer (idol) who was popular with high and
junior high school girls and would later continue a popular
solo career.}

TAEKO
...and it's been on the wall for a long time.

MOTHER
That's nice.

TAEKO
And I was told to keep the essay I wrote on the book, because
they might send it to a contest.
If that happens, I'll be very happy...

MOTHER (OFF)
You didn't eat your school lunch again.

TAEKO
...huh?

MOTHER
Why do you put it between bread?

TAEKO
Because I hate namasu <daikon radish and carrots marinated in
vinegar>.

MOTHER
Well, if you do this, we can't use the bread or the namasu.
How wasteful.
The kid who can eat all of her food is more respected than
the one who can write an essay.

(1966: classroom--Fifth grade, room 5)

{The classroom music being played, and used for a humorous
effect, is The Hungarian Rhapsody #5  by Brahms.  This may
or may not be a subtle tribute from director Takahata to
Warner Brothers cartoons, particularly Friz Freleng, which
used the same technique of synchronizing humorous animation
with classical pieces, including this score.  It also
serves, in a way, as a foreshadowing tie to the real
Hungarian music that plays a role in the later 1982 parts of
this film.}

SUU'
Wow, how can you drink that tasteless stuff?

TAEKO
The milk's all right.  It's the daikon radish and onion I
can't stand.

SUU'
Since I'm leaving carrots today, I have to drink the milk.
I wonder who decided you could only leave one thing?

TAEKO
Want me to drink it?

SUU'
W..would you?

TAEKO
And next time, you could eat my daikon or onion in return?

SUU'
Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

"Thank you!"

LUNCH CREW (pony-tail girl)
Aah, carrots!?

SUU'
You can leave one thing, you know...

TAEKO
I was right, the second bowl is worse...


(1966: class meeting)

BOBBED-HAIR GIRL
There are people who keep running if they are told to start
over again by the hall monitors. I think to keep running is
really bad.

"SPARE ME"
"Start over again?"  Spare me.

RIE
You can't run in the halls.

PUT-UP HAIR GIRL, HER FRIEND
That's right, that's right.

TOKO
It's dangerous--you might hurt somebody.

SUU'
No way--if I hit a girl like you, Toko, I would be the
one hurt.

TOKO
Oh, PLEASE...

SUU'
I'm hit!

TSUNEKO'S NEIGHBOR
Once you ran, what can you do about it?

AIKO'S NEIGHBOR
Here, here.

PUT-UP HAIR GIRL AND FRIEND
Be quiet.

Who asked you, anyway?

TAEKO'S NEIGHBOR
Why not abolish the system of starting over?

HIS NEIGHBOR (GIRL)
You can't, it's part of the rules.

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
If you have an opinion, please raise your hand.

TSUNEKO
I do.

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
Tani-san [Miss Tani].

TSUNEKO
I think the hall monitor should run after the runner, catch
them, and make them go back and start over.

BOYS
I do!
I do!
I do!

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
Suzuki-san [Mr. Suzuki]

SUU'
And then the hall monitor has to go back and start over, too.

BOYS
Right, right!

BOBBED-HAIR GIRL'S NEIGHBORS (BOYS)
That's more like it! {*}

{* Actually, "Iijanaaaaai!" (Isn't it good?), a gag-line
used by the comedian duo "Haruno Tic-Tac"}

RIE'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
That's right.

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
Yes, Tani Tsuneko-san [Miss Tsuneko Tani].

TSUNEKO
I don't think that the hall monitors need to start over
because...their job is just like a police patrol car catching
a speeder.

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
Any opposing arguments?

TONOMURA
Like a patrol car...?

TAEKO'S NEIGHBOR'S NEIGHBOR (GIRL)
...Then running is no good.

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
The decision rests on allowing the hall monitor to run.

Anything else to discuss?

TSUNEKO
Yes.

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
Tani-san [Miss Tani].

RIE'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Her again?!

SUU'
The show-off!

TAEKO
Quit chattering.

TSUNEKO
Lately I've been seeing people leaving food at lunch.  I
just read a magazine article about the war in Vietnam.  In
foreign countries like those there are many poor people.  We
are happily more fortunate.

TSUNEKO'S NEIGHBOR
Yeah, "we're happy." {*}

{* Reference to the hit song "Kimi to Itsumademo" ("Be
Forever with You"), by the still popular Yuzo Kayama.  It
comes from a part of the song that is spoken, not sung.}

TSUNEKO
(A-hem!)
We must be thankful for the food we have.  Right now we may
leave one thing per meal, but I feel that is too lenient.

RIE'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Geez, Tsuneko...aren't you the goody two-shoes?

TSUNEKO'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Bleah!

AIKO'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Why can't we leave even one thing?

SUU'
And then everyone could leave the milk.

TAEKO
Why not ask somebody to eat what you don't like?

TAEKO'S NEIGHBOR'S NEIGHBOR.
That's obvious.

BRAIDED HAIR GIRL'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Some people leave extra by hiding it between their bread.

BRAIDED HAIR GIRL
Ohh, cheaters!

BOY (OFF)
School lunch stinks.

MALE CLASS PRESIDENT
Raise your hand!

FEMALE CLASS PRESIDENT (KOBAYASHI {*})
Raise your hand!

{* See the last portion of the movie, dealing with "Abe"}

CLASS PRESIDENTS
If you have an opinion, raise your hand, please!

"SPARE ME"
"Oh...you got me!"{*}

{* gag-line from the comedian trio "Tempuku Trio"
("Sinking Trio")}

{The music which can be heard in the background here is
"Damatte Ore ni Tsuite Koi" ("Shaddup and Stick with Me") by
the group Hana Hajime & the Krazy Kats.  This was the main
title song of the movie "Horafuki Taikoki," and the famous
starring actor, Hitoshi Ueki, was a member of this group.}


(1982: Train station)

NARRATOR
After I said goodbye to my sisters and went to bed, one by
one, my memories of fifth grade came back.

Memories about our dog, Gon...about sports day...about the
scary feeling we got from reading Kazuo Umezu's comics...and
even about yearning for an electric pencil sharpener {*}.

{* All of these memories are stories from the original manga
not adapted in this film. Kazuo Umezu was a popular creator
of horror comics.  The story in particular that scared her
was "Mama ga Kowai" ("Mama is Scary") ran in Shojo Friend
magazine in 1965 (actually when she was in the fourth
grade, though she wrote an essay about it as a fifth grader),
and was about a girl whose mother is really a snake-woman:
Taeko wound up extremely suspicious of her OWN mother for a
while after that...}


(1982: Train hallway)

Even such trivial things came back vividly, occupying my mind
as if I were watching a movie, and overwhelmed the real me.

(1966: Fifth grade, room 5)

GIRL "A" FROM ROOM 4
Is there an "Okajima-san" [a "Miss Okajima"] here?
There's the one.

{The strange way the girls are walking is in imitation of a
commercial for "Renown" women's apparel, one of the few
color commercials of its time.  The American women in the
commercial walked in this unique manner (long, confident
strides, in step), which was very surprising to the Japanese
viewers.}

Hirota-kun [Hirota] says that "I like Okajima-san [Okajima]
of room 5."
...Shall we go?

I'm gonna tell Hiro that you know, now!

GIRL "B" (ROOM 4)
Hurry up!

TOKO
So it IS true?


(1966: Sukebeyokocho: "Naughty Alley")

TSUNEKO
Where, where?

TOKO
Over there.

GRAFFITI
"Taeko Okajima, 5th grade, Room 5 + Shuji Hirota, 5th grade,
Room 4"

{To the right of this is a drawing of Tetsujin 28go, the
first anime giant robot, and quite popular at that time (and
known in the U.S. as "Gigantor").}

TSUNEKO.
Oh, she's right!

AIKO
Whoa...

TOKO
See?

TSUNEKO
What kind of guy is Hirota-kun [Hirota]?

AIKO
I don't know.

TOKO
Me neither.

TSUNEKO
Taeko-chan [Taeko], are you sure you don't know him?

TAEKO
I..I..I don't know him.  Not at all.


(1966: Fifth grade, classroom 4)

TSUNEKO
Which one here is named Hirota-kun [Hirota]?

BOY
Oh, its some room 5 kids.

GIRL A
Hiro, you're being called.

HIROTA
Yes, that's me!

TSUNEKO
D...don't write strange things at "Naughty Alley"...

HIROTA
Huh?

TSUNEKO
...Okajima-san ["Miss Okajima"] said to tell you.

HIROTA
I...I didn't write anything.

GIRL A
Ah, but Hiro, didn't you say you liked "Okajima-san [Miss
Okajima] from room 5?"

GIRL B
He did, he did!

GIRL C
So we wrote it for you.

HIROTA
Whaa...?!

GIRLS ABC (singing, in unison)
"I love you, but..."

GIRL C
Cha cha cha cha!

GIRLS ABC (cont'd)
"...we're apart,"

GIRL C
Cha cha cha cha!

GIRLS ABC (cont'd)
"just like the stars..."

GIRL C
Cha cha cha cha!

GIRLS ABC (cont'd)
"...that we see far away. {*}"

{* "Hoshi no Flamenco" ("Flamenco of Stars"), another hit at
the time by Teruhiko Saigo, this will appear again in the
film in instrumental form.}

TSUNEKO
Goodbye.


(1966: school hallway)

TSUNEKO
Taeko-chan [Taeko]!
We just got back from meeting Hirota-kun [Hirota].

TAEKO
Whaa...?

TSUNEKO
I certainly didn't forget to tell him you didn't want him
writing strange things!

AIKO
Tsuneko-chan [Tsuneko]!

TSUNEKO
Oops, not supposed to do that.

BRAIDED HAIR GIRL
Good for you, Taeko-chan [Taeko-chan].

(1966: Room 5)

BRAIDED HAIR GIRL
Here, here.  Look there--that's Hirota-kun [Hirota].

SUU'
What, Hirota from room 4 likes Okajima?
Hirota's incredible--he's an ace.

TOKO
Oh, a pitcher?

SUU'
The only one who can hit that guy's pitches is Tonomura.

TSUNEKO
Whoa, you don't say?

SUU'
We'll be playing against the team from his class in the fifth
grade school tournament.

{The music here is the instrumental version of "Hoshi no
Flamenco," quoted by the girls earlier.}

(1966: Fifth grade tournament)

CLASS 4
Go for it, go for it, Hirota!
Go for it, go for it, Hirota!

UMPIRE
"Play ball!"

CLASS 5
Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!
Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!

GIRL A
Go for it, Hiro...!
...Okajima-san's ["Miss Okajima's"] watching you!

TSUNEKO
Tonomura-kun (Tonomura), good luck!

UMPIRE
"STRIKE!"

CLASS 4 STUDENT (OFF)
Attaboy, Hiro!

CLASS 4 STUDENT 2 (OFF)
Strike 'em out, Strike him!

TSUNEKO
Taeko-chan [Taeko], I'll never forgive you if you encourage
their side.

TAEKO
I...I wouldn't even think of such a thing!

TSUNEKO, leading CLASS 5
Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!
Hit it, hit it, Tonomura!
Hit it, hit...

UMPIRE
"OUT!"

CLASS 4
All right, all right, Hirota!
All right, all right, Hirota!

CLASS 5 BOY (OFF)
Get him, Suu'!

CLASS 5 BOY
One leg hitter {*}!

{* The famous one-leg hitting (also known as "Flamingo
hitting") popularized by Japanese baseball legend Ou
Sadahara, a Chinese player for the Yomiuri Giants, also known
as "One-chan" because his Chinese name is the same as the
character for the number "one", and his uniform number, is of
course, the same.}

UMPIRE
"Strike!"
"Strike!"
"Strike!  Batter out!"

TAEKO
Amazing...

CLASS 4
All right, all right, Hirota!
All right, all right, Hirota!
All right, all right, Hirota!

NARRATOR
Even though I knew nothing about baseball, at least I could
tell he was incredible.

CLASS 4
All right, all right, Hirota!
All right, all right, Hirota!

AIKO
What's the matter, Taeko-chan [Taeko]?

NARRATOR
Because of the cold and my nervousness, I had to run to the
bathroom five times.

CATCHER
Over here!

UMPIRE
"Safe!"
"Game Set."
5 to 3.  Class 4 wins.

TEAM MEMBERS
Thank you for the game.

GIRL B
Terrific, Hiro!

GIRL C
Way to go!

GIRL A
You were great!

TSUNEKO
It's Suu's fault.

SUU'
Why?

TEAM MEMBER
You don't know anything.

SUU' (OFF)
Even Tonomura couldn't hit the ball, so how could we win?

TEAM MEMBER (OFF)
Right.

TSUNEKO (OFF)
It's because Suu' had an error.  That's how we gave them
three extra points.

SUU'
That's not true.

BOY 1, CLASS 4
Hey, the coach is going to buy us all ice cream!

BOY 2, CLASS 4
Really?

BOY 3, CLASS 4
Great!

GIRL A
Hey, Hiro, why don't you go talk to Okajima-san [Okajima]
from room 5?

GIRL B
Yeah, yeah!

TAEKO
I...I'm...ggg, going home!

AIKO
What's the matter, Taeko-chan [Taeko]?

GIRL A
Hey, she's going home...

(1966: crossroads)

HIROTA
Uh..umm!
Nah! ...Naughty! n..n..nah-Naughty Al..luh...
...luh...al..al...

Ruh...Rainy days!

TAEKO
Huh?

HIROTA
...Cloudy days, or sunny days...which do you like?

TAEKO
...kuh..Cloudy days...

HIROTA
Oh, we're alike!

{The music here is an instrumental adapted from the
theme of the theatrical version of "Ohanahan", the mega-hit
NHK drama series (with a maximum viewership of 54%, and an
overall average of 46%) from that time. The fact that the end
of the music and the end of the sequence sync perfectly was
not intentional, but nonetheless a lucky accident.}

{The starry eyes Taeko has in this one scene are
appropriately in the style of popular girls' manga of this
time frame.}

(1982: Taeko's Apartment)

TAEKO
Rainy days...cloudy days, or sunny days...which do you like?
Oh...we're alike.

{The magazine next to Taeko on her bed is "an an", a fashion
magazine for women published by Heibon Shuppan since 1970,
though since then the company's name has changed to Magazine
House.  This magazine is a rival of the even more popular
Non-No, published by Shueisha since 1971.  Both magazines are
still popular today.}


(1982: On the train)

NARRATOR
I didn't intend to bring my fifth grade self with me...but
once she was revived, she wasn't going to leave easily.

But why the fifth grade...?


(1966: Auditorium)

TEACHER (OFF)
The boys in the fourth period class will play baseball, and
the girls will meet in the gymnasium.

SCHOOL NURSE (OFF, but camera FADES/TILTS ON)
Today there is something important to talk about.  After you
graduate from elementary school, you will go to junior high
school, then high school, then grow up and have a baby.  In
order to have a baby, a woman's body starts preparing for it.


(1966: Room 5)

TAEKO
You knew?

TOKO
Uh-huh.

TAEKO
Really?

TOKO
My mom told me when I was in fourth grade since I have been
developing faster.

TAEKO
"Developing?"

TOKO
Right...I've heard that if you're taller or more overweight
than average, your period might come sooner.  So, in other
words, Enomoto-san [Enomoto], Onobu, and Rie-chan [Rie] all
probably already started theirs.

TAEKO
Oh...?

TSUNEKO
Hey, hey...
Will you buy THAT?

TOKO
I'll buy it.

TSUNEKO
I thought so.

TOKO
Taeko-chan [Taeko], will you buy it too?

TAEKO
Uh....uh-huh....

TOKO
Buying it's a good idea.  Hey, remember like the school
nurse said, you're going to need it eventually, after all.

TSUNEKO
That's true, you know.


(1966: Lunch, Room 5)

TSUNEKO'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Hey, did you know the girls are buying underpants {*} from
the infirmary?

{* the "underpants" in question, as the viewer might guess,
are specially lined with a napkin and are reusable.
According to the manga, Taeko almost was lent a pair by
Yaeko, until she asked too many embarrassing questions about
it, and wound up having to get her own after all.}

BOYS
Huh?

AIKO'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Didn't you know, Suu?

SUU
Nope.

BOY ACROSS FROM AIKO
How come?
How come you're buying underpants?

GIRL BEHIND AIKO
W...well it's...um,

AIKO
That is...

AIKO'S NEIGHBOR (BOY)
Why do they sell underpants at school?

SUU
Are they swimming shorts?

{The music here is an instrumental of "Konichiwa Aka-chan"
("Hello Baby"), yet another hit song from an NHK television
show, "Yume de Aimashou" ("See you in a Dream").  Also, for
reference toward the next scene, the boy walking past with
his tray and a knowing grin is the infamous Nakayama.}

(1966: Girl's Restroom)

TSUNEKO (OFF)
Say what---!?

TSUNEKO
You went and told Nakayama-kun [Nakayama]?

GIRL WITH PUT-UP HAIR
What did you have to go do that for?

GIRL WITH PLAIN HAIR RIBBON
You're not supposed to tell any boys!

TSUNEKO
That's for sure, girls are supposed to keep it to themselves.

PUT-UP HAIR
Rie-chan [Rie], you like Nakayama-kun [Nakayama], so that
must be why, well...

TSUNEKO
He must've asked you to tell him.

RIE
Um...uh-huh.

TAEKO
What's the matter?

TSUNEKO
Well, Rie-chan [Rie] here went and told Nakayama-kun
[Nakayama] all about periods.

TAEKO
No way...!

TSUNEKO
That Nakayama-kun [Nakayama], he'll tell everyone about it.

RIE
I told him to keep it a secret.

PUT-UP HAIR
You can't trust him on that.

TSUNEKO, HAIR RIBBON
Right?  Right.

HAIR RIBBON
Omigosh.

PUT-UP HAIR
The boys are so dirty-minded.

TSUNEKO
They sure won't only look up skirts, now.


(1966: Hallway)

GIRLS
Hey!

SLIDING BOY
Safe!

GIRLS
Eek..!

TOKO, TAEKO, GIRL WITH PIGTAILS
Pervert!

TSUNEKO
Jerk!

NARRATOR
This skirt-peeping {*} had caught on earlier, and not
surprisingly, the knowledge of menstruation only complicated
the problem.

{* Lifting skirts and looking up them when going past girls
was a new fad among young boys in the mid-sixties--in
response, many girls wore their gym shorts under their skirts
(including in the manga).}

SUU
Safe!  Ah, but your period isn't!

SWEEPING GIRL
Eek!  Why you...!  Wait up!

SUU
Sorry!  Sorry!

SWEEPING BOY
PERIODical cleaning.

PIGTAILED GIRL
Jerk!

SWEEPING BOY
Hey, that hurt.

SWEEPING GIRL
Wait...!

SUU
Sorry!  Sorry!

STRIPED SHIRT BOY
You've got a period.

SHORT-HAIRED GIRL
Do not!

PUT-UP HAIR
This is all Rie-chan's [Rie's] fault.

SUU
Ouch!

{Need it be said that this music is "Turkey in the Straw"..?}

(1966: Hallway)

RIE
I'm sorry.

TAEKO
What for?

RIE
That I slipped and told Nakayama-kun [Nakayama].

TAEKO
Well, no big deal.

RIE
But the school nurse said it was important, didn't she?

TAEKO
That's true, but...

RIE
I...I was a fourth grader, when mine came.

TAEKO
Huh....really?

RIE
So that's why sometimes I skip P.E. class.

TAEKO
You skip P.E. when you have your period?

RIE
Right, my mother told me I should.

Nakayama-kun (Nakayama) said that it must be a big bother for
girls after I told him.

TAEKO
You told him about skipping P.E. class?!

RIE
Uh-huh, though I told him to keep his promise and not tell
any other boys.

TAEKO
If you told him that...
When any girl skips P.E. class, everyone will think she's
having her period, won't they?!

RIE
Huh, you think so?

TAEKO
Darn right!

BOY IN HALL TALKING TO ANOTHER
...really?  I'll have to tell the guys.  Hey...!

(1966: Okajima residence)

EXCUSE NOTE
Please excuse Taeko from P.E. class because of the flu.

TAEKO
(cough) I'm not going to skip P.E.

MOTHER
Forget it--that summer flu will only get much worse if you
don't skip it.

TAEKO
Well, then I'm staying home.

MOTHER
You don't have a fever, so you're going.

TAEKO
Then I'll go to P.E., too.

MOTHER
Fine, go ahead.
But then if you get worse, it's on your head.

TAEKO
(cough) I'm going now.

MOTHER
I wonder when she started liking P.E. so much...


(1966: Room 5)

PONYTAILED GIRL
Taeko-chan (Taeko), your face is real red.

AIKO
Oh, it really is.

TSUNEKO
What's the matter?

TAEKO
Its a cold.

AIKO
Do you have a fever?

TSUNEKO
You ought to skip P.E.

PONYTAIL
She's right.

TSUNEKO
I'll go tell the teacher.

TAEKO
That's okay!

TSUNEKO
But...

TAEKO
I have a note to excuse me from P.E.

TSUNEKO
What, well, that's okay then.
Right?


(1966: stairway)

RUNNING KID
Gangway!


(1966: Room 5)

RIE
I'm also skipping it today, so we're together.


(1966: School grounds)

RIE
That looks nice...
I wish I could be playing dodge-ball.

TAEKO
Rie-chan [Rie], do you...that is, are you...having your
period?

RIE
Mmm-hmmm.

TAEKO
I'm not, I've got a cold.

RIE
I know that, Taeko-chan [Taeko], you're just sick.

TAEKO
Right, just sick, that's what I am.

RIE
A period isn't being sick, of course.

I'm sure I could play dodge-ball.

DODGE-BALL BOY
Oh, period contagion!

RIE
Huh?

DODGE-BALL BOY
Back off, back off!
That was close--any further and we could have been
contaminated!

TAEKO
("Contaminated?!")

OTHER KID
Hey, over here!

RIE
Periods are contagious?
How stupid!

TAEKO
It...It's not funny!

RIE
Taeko-chan [Taeko]...?


(1966: Hallway)

{The bin they are carrying is labeled "Dust Bin".}

BOY
Hey, a pair with periods!

TAEKO
It's not true!

RIE
What a pervert, huh?


(1966: Incinerator)

TAEKO
Rie-chan [Rie], how can you stand this?

RIE
But it isn't really a bad thing, or so my mom tells me.

TAEKO
Well, I suppose so, but...


(1982: Overnight express)

NARRATOR
A larva has to become a pupa in order to become a butterfly.

I didn't want to become a pupa....

I wonder, maybe the reason I am remembering those days is
because my period of becoming a pupa has come once again.

I know something is different now compared to several years
ago when I got my job.  I am changing again.

In work and play, we were always more lively than the boys.
We thought we had already flown away from home...but now I
look back and think maybe we were just too busy flapping our
wings and forgot who we were.

I wonder if the reason my fifth grade self is following me is
that she is trying to tell me to look back and figure out who
I am.

Whatever the case, I decided to take a short nap until I
arrived in Yamagata.


(1982: Yamagata train station)

TOSHIO {*}
'Scuse me--has the "Akebono #3" train already left?

{* Toshio's voice actor is Toshiro Yanagiba, who debuted with
the song-and-dance group "Iseihubi Sepia"  ("iseihubi" is an
idiom meaning "great change brought through innovation"),
popular during the time this part of the film is set, and has
since acted in many dramas, comedies, and films.}

STATION EMPLOYEE
You missed boarding it?

TOSHIO
Er...no...
Oh!
You're...Taeko Okajima-san [Miss Taeko Okajima], right?

TAEKO
Well...yes...

TOSHIO
Whew, that's good!
The car's this way.

TAEKO
Um, er, excuse me, but just who ARE you?

TOSHIO
Oh, don'tcha remember?
Well, can't say I blame you, there's small chance you would.
I'm Toshio.  Um...Kazuo's second cousin.

TAEKO
Oh...ah, really...?
Oh dear.

TOSHIO
What's so funny?

TAEKO
Oh, um, nothing.  I'm sorry, it's just I thought you were
trying to steal my bag.

TOSHIO
Huh, that's cruel--remember, I certainly made it clear I knew
your name, didn't I?

TAEKO
I spoke too soon.  Thanks for coming out of your way to pick
me up.  I'm sorry about this.

TOSHIO
No trouble.

TAEKO
What happened to Kazuo 'ni-san [my brother-in-law Kazuo]?

TOSHIO
He suddenly called last night and asked me to pick you up
instead.

TAEKO
It's been raining?

TOSHIO
Yep, but it's stopped for today.

I should've borrowed my pa's car {*}...but, well, I happen to
like this one.

It's a little cramped, but hop in.

Oh, mind if I keep it on?

{The big sign on the left states "Benibana no Yamagataji"
("The Yamagata Road of Benibana").  This part of Yamagata's
self-promotion.  While benibana was popular in the Edo
period, it was overshadowed by imported foreign chemical dyes
in the Meiji period.  The recent trend towards all-natural
products, however, has brought about a revival of the use of
benibana, and Yamagata has cashed in on this with several new
benibana products including benibana noodles, benibana tea,
benibana candy, and even benibana paper.}

{* The teensy Subaru R-2 subcompact, an economical "road and
 leisure" car first manufactured by Fujijuko in 1970 in the
 shadow of the more famous R-360.  It sports a 2 cylinder
 engine, and reportedly is able to do 115 kph at top speed.
 In researching the car, the movie staff took a full binder
 of reference photos and 8 mm videos.}

TAEKO
Um, sure.

What unusual music...

TOSHIO
Its a group of five Hungarians called "Muzsikas" {*}.

{* "Muzsikas" is a folk music group from Budapest featuring
Ma'rta Sebestye'n.  Three of their songs are used in this
film: "Teremte's" ("Creation"), "Hajnali No'ta" ("Dawn's
Song"), and "Fuvom Aze'nekem" ("My Song").  (These
translations were in Japanese, and so may not be precise in
English)}

TAEKO
Oh, Hungarian?

TOSHIO
Yep.

TAEKO
Do you know much about it?

TOSHIO
A little.  It's music for peasants.  I like it 'cause I'm
one, too.

TAEKO
Wow, that's cool.

TOSHIO
Isn't it?

You recall the time,  when we all had a sake party at the
main farmhouse {<Honke--the primary farmhouse, in a housing
system determined by importance of position in the family by
order of birth>} after the rice harvest, that one time...?

TAEKO
Umm, oh...

TOSHIO
Yep.  And that time, a buncha guys crashed the party?  Don't
you recall that...?

Well, to be quite frank, since they got wind of a young Tokyo
gal being there, they decided to go check her out.  I was one
of those fellas.

TAEKO
Ah, ah...

TOSHIO
That fool!

You came out here to pick benibana [safflower]?  Are you into
dyes or something?

TAEKO
No, just curious.  You see, benibana [safflowers] are
unusual...but maybe not so much for people here.

TOSHIO
Nah.  What's famous is just the name of the cosmetics made
from it, but it ain't so common anymore.  Like my farm
doesn't make it these days, for one example.

TAEKO
But I heard it prospered during the Edo era.

TOSHIO
True, 'cause there was a politician who gained influence
through its sales.  It would've been a big deal for the
wealthier people, but it was only a product as far as we
peasants were concerned.

Ummm...
"In the end,
Someone else's skin would be touched by
The vermillion flower."
Do you know this one?

TAEKO
Right, its a haiku by Basho {<Matsuo Basho>}, right?  I had
looked it up before I came here.

TOSHIO
Do tell?  Well, honestly, I looked it up myself yesterday.

TAEKO
Really...

TOSHIO
That same book also said that the women who gathered the
flowers never were able to wear the lipstick made from
them.

TAEKO
Is there going to be a festival here?

TOSHIO
Yep, the riverbank'll be full of people.

TAEKO
Agriculture's still in trouble, isn't it, with fields being
reduced to make way for markets, and such.

TOSHIO
Sure, already there's a lot of trouble, and if it goes on,
Japanese agriculture'll be ruined.  Just some day, suddenly
"poof," and its gone.

But y'know, even with all this trouble or not, if you're
trying your best, it still doesn't come easy.  The work in
the big city must be the same, right?

TAEKO
Sure...but the people who think work is everything are
becoming fewer in number.

TOSHIO
How 'bout you, Taeko-san [Taeko]?

TAEKO
Huh?  Me?
I don't think I'm obsessed...with work, but I don't hate it,
either.

TOSHIO
As for me, well, I think I can do my best in agriculture,
'cause its so interesting to raise living things.

TAEKO
You...raise livestock?

TOSHIO
Huh?
No, that's not what I meant.  I do have cows and chickens,
but I don't mean livestock.  Hey, look there...rice, as well
as apples and cherries, they're all living things.

TAEKO (OFF)
Ohh.

TOSHIO
Yep.  If I take care of them the best I can, I feel like they
respond to me by trying to grow up their best.

I guess I'm sounding a bit like some hotshot farmer, huh?

TAEKO
Not at all...I feel I understand.

TOSHIO
To be frank, I was working at a company until recently.  I'm
really just a beginning farmer, so...

TAEKO
Oh...is that so?

TOSHIO
So y'know, with my parents still in good health, maybe that's
why my attitude is positive.   But that's how I have to be,
you see?  I quit the company because someone doing "organic
farming" called me and asked me to try it, too.  Everyone
said I was a fool, but so far, I have no regrets.

TAEKO
"Organic farming?"

TOSHIO
"Farming that requires guts...farming that gives you guts."
That's a little joke.   An "organic farm" uses as much
compost as possible and as few agricultural chemicals and
chemical fertilizers as possible.

TAEKO
Ohh, I've heard about this, it's non-chemical or uses few
chemicals.

TOSHIO
But that's not right, it sounds so negative.  It's really an
ideal agriculture that takes advantage of the life force of
living things.  And people are only beneficial to it.  That's
what makes the whole idea so cool.

TAEKO
Huh.

TOSHIO
But this "helping" part is extremely hard.

{The music here is the famous pan pipe music of Gheorghe
Zamfir, of Rumania. His music became internationally renowned
in the early eighties, and two of his songs serve throughout
the film as the theme for both Toshio and the countryside--
"Frunzulita` Lemn Adus" ("Fluttering Green Leaves"), and
"Ci^ntec de Nunta`" ("Song of Marriage").

Well, I've been told to take you directly to the fields...

TAEKO
Right, I'm ready to help out.

TOSHIO
Oh?  You're not going to sleep?

TAEKO
You see, I heard that benibana [safflowers] should be picked
in the early morning, when the dew makes the thorns soft.

TOSHIO
Well, that's true, but...

TAEKO
I'm a night owl, so I thought the best way to switch my life
to being a morning person is to come by a night train.

TOSHIO
Huh, you really get into it, huh?

TAEKO
There it is!

Good morning!

KIYOKO
Taeko-san [Taeko], welcome back!

TAEKO
Once again, I'm in your debt.
Obaa-chan [Auntie], its good to see you doing well.

BANCHA
Welcome, welcome.

KAZUO
Aren't you tired?

TAEKO
No, not at all.

KIYOKO
I made your bed for you just in case...

TAEKO
I'm fine, look--I'm full of energy!

KIYOKO
Wow, you really are ready--you're wearing a farming uniform.

TAEKO
Though this is all I'm prepared for.

BANCHA
Young farmers' wives seldom wear them these days.  But Taeko-
san [Taeko], you're more into it.

KIYOKO
Ain't that a fact.

TOSHIO
Taeko-san [Taeko]!

TAEKO
Quit that!

NARRATOR
And thus began my second experience with country life.

{The music here is of the Bulgarian Voice (choir), and is
called "Malka Moma Dvori Mete", "Dilmano Dilbero". It is
also unique in that the music either follows 7-beat or 9-
beat time.}

How can such a vivid crimson color be born from this flower?
Kiyoko 'ne-san [my sister-in-law, Kiyoko] once told me a sad
story that goes with it.  Long ago, there were no such things
as rubber gloves.  When the young girls picked the flowers
with their bare hands, they were pricked by the thorns and
bled.  The blood turned the color deeper crimson.

I felt as if I heard the hostile feeling the girls, who never
got to put the red color on their lips, must have had against
the women in Kyoto that wore it.

In order to get a handful of rouge, 60 heads of flowers are
necessary. That shining, iridescent color had the same value
as gold back then, I've heard.

After washing them with water and stamping on them, kneading
them by hand, and letting them sit in the air and water, they
become oxidized, and begin to get closer to red in color.

{The machine the benibana is put through here is a
"Misokiriki", usually used for Miso.}

In addition to that, if you let it sit two or three more
days, the flower will ferment, becoming sticky, and turn into
a deep red.

Next, you stamp it with a mortar, squeeze it, and shape it
into balls.

And if you dry it in an oven, you finally are done with the
flower patty, from which the main ingredient of rouge is
made.

A long time ago they didn't waste the remaining water which
we got from compressing it earlier.  Now this by-product
usually goes unsaved. The crimson color, which is still in
the leftover water, could be used for making a dye, which
cloth can be stained in.  This is the "benibana-dye"
[safflower-dye].

(END OF PART ONE OF TRANSLATION.)

