A New Scene: Announcing Our Sponsorship of an Upcoming Movie”The Zen Diary”

ramen RAIJIN is very pleased to be able to help popularize Japanese cinema by sponsoring the movie “The Zen Diary” that we are about to introduce.

ramen RAIJIN will continue to cherish not only Japanese movies, but also things related to Japan as much as the local community of the store.

Below is a brief introduction to the movie “The Zen Diary”.

The movie “Eating the Earth for Twelve Months” is a Japanese film released in 2023, which explores the life of a man who lives in a mountain lodge with his dog, appreciating the changing seasons over a year. The title implies the concept of eating what is in season, appreciating what nature provides, and living in the present moment.

The main character, Tsutomu, is portrayed by Kenji Sawada, an actor and musician who has been active since the 1960s. Tsutomu is a character who carries out his daily chores with care but is unable to decide what to do with his wife’s ashes, which he has been holding for 13 years since her death. The film presents Tsutomu’s story of learning the essence of life from a fun yet harsh rural life, reminding us of the rich way of living as humans in our busy everyday lives where it has become difficult to feel the seasons.

The story was adapted from a cooking essay serialized in the magazine “Mrs.” in 1978 by Tsutomu Mizukami, a best-selling author known for “Hunger Strait” and others. As a boy, Mizukami learned Buddhist vegetarian cuisine at a Zen temple in Kyoto, and he wrote flavorful essays about the joy of eating and memories associated with cooking, using vegetables and wild vegetables he harvested himself. The script was written by Yuji Nakae, director of “Nabbie’s Love,” based on this worldview.

The film is also notable for the participation of culinary researcher Yoshiharu Doi, who is known as an authority on home cooking. This is the first time he has worked on the food for a film, and he was deeply involved in the production, including the selection and handling of ingredients, guidance on cooking techniques, and selection of utensils.

The film also features a strong cast of veteran actors, including Takako Matsu, Tomoko Naraoka, Masahiro Hino, and Fumi Dan. In addition, many people from Nagano, the local area where the film is set, appear in the film after going through workshops by Director Nakae.