February 23, 2021

JAPAN

Koi no shizuku [For Love’s Sake] (2018) Directed by: Naoki Segi
Running Time: 115 minutes

Introduced by:

• Minister Shinichi Saida,
  Minister, Head of Economic Department, Embassy of Japan in the USA

• Reed Hessler,
  Scholar and Lecturer on Asian Cinema

  Koi no shizuku offers a light-hearted combination of romantic, culinary, and family dramas. Initially focusing on a student of an agricultural university in Tokyo Shiori (Rina Kawaei, a former member of the girl group AKB48) and her undesired sake in- ternship, the film eventually features an ensemble cast of complex characters dealing with multiple personal issues. Koi no shizuku also shows us how sake is made through dedication, intense labor, and teamwork. We see how sake is enjoyed as a central part of Japanese culture (for example, a visit to a sake festival highlights a kagami biraki ceremony where a wooden cask of sake is opened with mallets). As one character exclaims, “making sake is a trade that cultivates life.” Due to an unfortunate incident in college, Shiori detests sake. Consequently, she has developed exceptional skills in wine tasting and is hoping an internship will take her to France. Instead, a lottery sends her to the Nogami Sake Brewery out- side of Hiroshima. Shiori’s visit does not start well. The small, family-run brewery forgot to cancel the internship because of financial troubles. She meets the owner of the brewery Teruyoshi (played by the famous actor Ren Osugi), his renegade son Kanji (Hayato Onozuka, known for his role in the Kamen Rider metaseries), master brewer Tsubosima (Mantarô Koichi), rice farmer Misaki (Mao Miyaji), rival brewer Ar- ishige (Yuichi Nakamura), and many others who help her slowly appreciate sake — as a beverage and as a way of life. Shiori becomes an important mediator between the old traditions and the new model of mass production. Ultimately, she not only rejuvenates the brewery but also her perspective on life.

• Shiori developes a close friendship with Misaki (who is secretly loved by Arishige) and eventually a romantic connection with Kanji. A quiet death precipitates the reconsideration of a business deal to moderinze production, the exploration of a family secret, the importance of honoring tradition, the value of commuity, and the various ways people fall in love. Life-altering decisions must be made by the main characters at the end of the film. They begin thinking about their options by fol- lowing Yukio Mishima’s short story “The Seven Bridges,” where four geishas walk across seven bridges without stopping or speaking, in the hope that the moon will grant their wishes. In Koi no shizuku, after much walking and contemplating, some wishes are granted and some are left unanswered — but with hope. The future is appropriately ambiguous, but clearly full of promise.

  You can watch a trailer at: https://mydramalist.com/25424-loves-water-drop To learn more about the sakes of Hiroshima, go to https://sake-hiroshima.com/en/
  Kampai!

  2021 is the 40th Anniversary of the Maryland and Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture Sister State relationship as part of Maryland’s Sister States Program. Thousands from both re- gions have benefited from the partnership through educational and sports exchanges, business development, and cultural programming.

  Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 9 million people, lies southwest of Tokyo. Its capital, Yokohama, is a bustling port city, and the center of the Prefecture’s economy.