Original subtitles

Coming!

It's me, Kengo.

What brings you here?

The rice bran. I'm here to pick it up.

Okay...

When did you come back?

Two days ago.

I suddenly had to return to our head office.

I see...

But what were you going to do if you had moved out?

That's why I didn't.

How was Shanghai?

It was fun.

But I still prefer Japan.

You do?

The rice bran.

Thanks again.

Can I taste it?

Kengo and I broke up half a year ago.

And then, three months ago, when I had finally recovered from it,

he entrusted me with his rice bran.

He was transferred to their Shanghai office and couldn't take it with him.

I was confused why he'd give it to me.

- Here. - Thanks.

It's become very delicious.

Beautiful chopstick usage as usual.

I loved that feeling of him being well brought-up.

It felt like I suddenly went back in time.

Are you hungry? I have curry.

Nah, I won't stay long. I still have to clean things up.

Right.

I'm glad I entrusted it to you.

I'm relieved to see that it hasn't changed.

I'll be at our head office for a while, so...

Can we stay in touch again?

Is there a future where I can start over with him?

Although Ayako and I vowed that we wouldn't fall in love until the opening of our cafe.

Are you free on Saturday? I'd like to visit the home of the first person who put on jeans in Japan. Want to come with me?

At that time, I had forgotten about it.

Ayako and I always used to have a strangely identical timing.

Our relationships started and ended at the same time.

And now, our reunion as well.

Translation: HPriest / Twitter: @hpriestsubs

I actually checked about the first person who put on jeans in Japan.

It was Shirasu Jiro, right?

Correct!

Shirasu Masako Shirasu Jiro

Buaiso.

The final residence of Shirasu Jiro and his wife, Masako.

Old Shirasu Residence - Buaiso

It's unclear who designed it.

It's said to be a former farmhouse

built around the end of the Edo period and the start of the Meiji period.

Uekusa-san, hello.

That's Shirasu Jiro over there.

Handsome, right? It's hard to see, though.

Very attractive.

This 1916 American car was actually bought for Jiro,

who was just born in 1902 himself,

by his nouveau rich father.

He grew up in Japan all the way through junior high, and when he was 16-17 years old,

his parents agreed to buy one for him.

- In Japan? - Yes, in Japan.

There were only a few cars in Japan at the time.

So he's been driving it around, all proud of himself.

It must have been quite bad.

Neither his father nor his mother could tame him.

They had to hand out boxes of cake as apologies all the time.

So they wanted him to go and study abroad,

and shipped him off to England.

And during the war, Shirasu Jiro...

He actually became good friends with the 24-year-older Yoshida Shigeru,

who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time.

After the war, that is.

And during the war, they and others

surreptitiously opposed the war against the United States and Britain.

They knew Japan was going to lose.

A loss would be disastrous and result in food insecurity.

So our family thought

that we should move the outskirts of Tokyo, where it's safer,

and do some farming.

So when they bought the house here,

it had rice fields and other fields attached to it.

And with the help of the neighboring farmers,

we were able to grow rice and vegetables, and hold classes.

It became like a country salon.

There were all kinds of people here.

Unfortunately, we lost the war as expected,

so while growing vegetables,

we were thinking of living here in a more relaxed way.

At the behest of Yoshida-san,

he became a negotiator with the head of the occupation forces, Douglas MacArthur.

What I like the most is Jiro's position.

He was very bashful.

When Japan regained its independence,

they signed a peace treaty called the Treaty of San Francisco, which went well,

and this is them returning home, at Haneda Airport.

This is Yoshida Shigeru.

Meanwhile, Shirasu Jiro,

who came with him as an adviser, is all the way over there.

It must have been his shyness or something like, "I'm not the star of the show."

Have you ever admired men like him?

People who don't stick to crowds are great after all.

Independence.

And this is why they moved here.

This area right here...

It's right in the middle between Hachioji and Yokohama.

Every farmer had silk cocoons and raised silk worms.

So this proper thatch roof was perfect.

But when Shirasu Jiro died, his children wanted to replace

the thatch roof with tiles, since they were short on money.

However, they were told by Masako, Shirasu Masako,

"Please don't do that."

"As long as I'm alive, please keep it that way."

So everyone raised money to fix the roof and they eventually managed to redo the whole thing,

giving it its current beautiful appearance.

Stunning, right?

Given its 150-year-long history, one thing immediately caught my eye.

That sturdy central pillar over there.

Most of its basic layout has remained unchanged,

but this used to be a dirt floor, also known as doma.

The Shirasu family, however, including Masako,

who had lived abroad for a long time,

said they wanted a Western-style room, so they changed it.

This floor with the tiles was a rarity in those days.

For some reason, Jiro always sat here.

And Masako, for some reason,

always sat over there, while talking to antique dealers,

various cultural figures, or even magazine editors and the like.

Having a sofa right as you enter is great.

The silkworm shelves are still there.

Now they're precious memorabilia.

Wanna see them?

Yes.

This is what they look like.

That's amazing.

Old Shirasu Residence - Buaiso (Machida)

Mansion with a thatched roof loved by Shirasu Jiro & Masako

Shirasu Jiro's favorite dishes, "Shrimp Curry" and "Oyakodon"

Apparently it was love at first sight.

I guess they must have met at exactly the right time

and trusted their strong instincts.

Masa: You are the fountain of my inspiration

and the climax of my ideals.

Beautiful.

To my beloved

This is Shirasu Jiro's will.

"No funeral, no Dharma name."

Even Masako praised his handwriting.

Especially for someone who studied in England.

People used to have good handwriting.

This is Masako's study.

She was a bonafide connoisseur and essayist.

"The more people there are, the lonelier we feel."

One of her essays.

I can relate somehow.

Now...

Yes?

Here, you're supposed to eat with a fork.

Why?

Curry rice is a meal, so you use a fork.

That was Shirasu Jiro's nitpick.

All right, a fork it is.

This looks delicious.

So good!

The egg is soft and tender. Very good.

Fluffy and delicious.

There's cabbage next to the curry, see?

Yes.

Shirasu Jiro actually hated vegetables.

Even though he was a farmer?

He only ate cabbage when it was served with the curry.

Like a child.

So far, all the buildings were built by famous architects,

but this time it's a different pattern.

An ordinary building

turned into a masterpiece by the aesthetics of two people.

When you come here,

you realize that houses grow just like people do.

I understand now why so many people admired them.

Have you ever thought of getting married?

- Me? - Yes.

I have.

Ah, sorry...

Why didn't you get married?

Well...

Neither of us could change our way of life.

That's all.

Do you remember your time together?

Occasionally.

But it's not like you can unremember those times.

It mostly happens when things aren't going well.

Kengo made my head spin in circles.

Do I actually still love him?

Will I regret giving up the cafe?

Is something weighing on your mind?

There is no right answer.

Simply trust your instinct.

And I'm sure you'll be fine.

Is this about that girl?

Ah, no. It's not like that.

What?

Let me be clear, I'm simply worried about her.

You know, whatchamacallit...

Parental love?

Yum.

Hello?

Fuji, listen...

I'm...

...going to quit my job.

I'm going to open a cafe with Ayako.

So...

I don't have time for other things.

That's why.

I understand.

Thank you.

You have to come visit when the cafe is done.

Of course.

Ah, Kengo...

The rice bran...

Take good care of it.

Bye.

I want it to be a great cafe.

A cafe comprised of our aesthetics.

Great timing.

I was just about to call you, too.

What's wrong?

I'm sorry.

There's something important that I need to tell you in person.

Can I come over right now?

Sure, I'll be here...

Translation: HPriest / Twitter: @hpriestsubs You can support me via ko-fi and patreon.

Translation: HPriest / Twitter: @hpriestsubs