Original subtitles

(indistinct chatter)

(classical score plays)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sebastian: Hi, it's me.

Oh, man, I wish I could share this with you.

It's not the same,

you know, seeing this alone...

without your opinion.

Without the way that you, uh-- you see things.

I really wish you were having dinner with me tonight.

(Sebastian sighs)

I wish a lot of things.

But you're not.

You are not having dinner with me tonight.

And I gotta start accepting the fact

that you're probably not ever gonna have dinner with me again.

I'm really tired. (laughs)

Uh, they say you're supposed to...

you know, stay up until at least 9:00 your first night here.

I don't think I'm gonna make it.

I don't like leaving messages on machines.

Does anyone even do that anymore?

I mean, I guess they must, but...

But is anybody even listening?

♪ ♪

(distant traffic noise)

Sebastian: Bowie makes-- very simple--

a high-quality men's grooming line

manufactured from the finest organic ingredients available.

(Shu speaking Japanese)

(continues in Japanese)

Now, every product in our line

from our shave soap to our post-shave oil,

to the hair and mustache wax,

are manufactured entirely

in our warehouse in Greenpoint, Brooklyn,

in the exact same space

where my grandfather and his brother

developed their own men's grooming line

over 75 years ago.

(Shu translating into Japanese)

(Shu continues in Japanese)

(continues in Japanese)

This is our signature cedar blend.

May I?

(sniffs)

Sebastian: It's a brand that young people in Japan,

fascinated by New York and Brooklyn specifically,

can get really excited about.

(Shu translating into Japanese)

(continues in Japanese)

(speaks Japanese)

Brooklyn.

Brooklyn.

Brooklyn.

Man: Brooklyn! Woman: Brooklyn!

Woman 2: Brooklyn, New York. Man 2: Williamsburg.

Brooklyn, New York. Both: Brooklyn.

Brooklyn, New York. Williamsburg.

Man 3: Brooklyn! Woman 3: Brooklyn!

Woman 4: Brooklyn, New York!

Woman 5: Brooklyn! Brooklyn!

Brooklyn, New York.

New York. Brooklyn.

Brooklyn. Williamsburg.

New York. Brooklyn.

Brooklyn. Brooklyn.

New York. Brooklyn.

People: New York. Man 4: Brooklyn.

Woman 6: Brooklyn. Woman 7: Brooklyn.

Boy: New York.

(people chatter)

♪ ♪ (camera clicks)

(camera clicks)

(camera clicks)

(couple speaking indistinctly)

(camera clicking)

(couple speaking indistinctly)

♪ ♪

(camera clicks)

Taxi, please.

Thank you.

(car door closes)

(classical score plays)

♪ ♪

(announcer speaks in Japanese)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(camera clicks)

Thank you.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(woman speaks Japanese) Yeah.

(speaks Japanese)

Ramen? Ramen. Ramen! Yes!

(speaks Japanese)

(speaks Japanese)

Thank you! Arigato!

♪ ♪

(sighs)

Oh, thank you so much.

(speaking Japanese)

♪ ♪

(speaking Japanese)

Okay. (speaking Japanese)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sorry. Excuse me.

This is not even mine.

I'm a black book thief.

You must have a lot of Bibles.

Try the Number Two.

It's crazy delicious.

I'll have the Number One.

(upbeat music)

♪ ♪

(woman singing in Japanese)

Can you ask them about "Killing of a Chinese Bookie?"

Sure. Sebastian: Thanks.

(both speaking Japanese)

(both speaking Japanese)

(bookstore owner continues in Japanese)

Ah! "Opening Night." "Opening Night?"

Bookstore owner: "Opening Night." Yes. Even better.

(speaks Japanese) Yeah, John-- yeah. Amazing.

Ask them if they can, like, work a deal.

I bought, like, half the store.

(both laughing) Sebastian: Like a discount.

Teeny, teeny... (speaks Japanese)

(speaks Japanese)

No. Sorry.

No. No. (laughs)

Sorry. Rare item.

No, no, no, no.

I get it.

Thank you. Arigato.

We got to sell a lot more cologne.

Yeah, yeah.

Like a crateful. Yeah.

Oh. Look.

♪ ♪

(rumbling)

♪ ♪

Oh. I'm so sorry. I--

It's okay. I totally forgot.

Shu, it's fine.

Okay. We lost ours a different way.

And no scary dwarf.

Okay.

But we'll leave that here.

It's gotta be the only one

you're not buying in this store, right?

Shu: Are you guys gonna pull through?

Sebastian: Janet's there, but you know, she's not.

Not at all.

We haven't touched in months.

Yeah.

I mean, I tried,

but it's like, any kind of physical sensation,

you know, or any kind of pleasure at all...

it hurts her too deeply.

We're like strangers now.

Maybe being strangers is a good thing.

You know, gets rid of the baggage

and allows you to start again, right?

You know, don't hit me with the old-school Zen shit there.

Come on. (chuckles) (laughs)

Well, maybe fucking a stranger will do the trick.

Finally. You see? There you go.

It's the first smart thing that you said to me

since I got here. Okay. Thank you.

Thank you! (laughs)

(romantic music)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(clattering)

(clacking)

(speaks Japanese)

Thank you.

Please enjoy. Thank you.

(sniffs)

(dramatic music)

Wow.

(sighs deeply)

♪ ♪

(car door opens)

(driver speaks Japanese) (Claire speaks Japanese)

♪ ♪

I know "Food Sake Tokyo" is an addictive site,

but this is crazy.

My name's Sebastian.

I'm a screenwriter.

I mean that just by way of introduction.

I thought you were a book thief.

I'm both.

It's hard to make a living as a screenwriter.

What about you?

Who are you?

What's your name?

♪ ♪

Good night, Sebastian.

(chuckles)

Well, that was a huge success.

(classical score plays)

♪ ♪

(child laughs)

♪ ♪

(breathing heavily)

(panting)

(electronic music plays)

♪ ♪

Claire.

That's my name.

You asked last night.

Claire.

Yes.

I'm a photographer.

And I'm sorry I was rude.

I just-- I haven't been myself.

Nice to officially meet you, Claire, the rude photographer.

Are you working here?

Everywhere here is a picture, don't you think?

Yeah! Yeah, it's crazy that way.

Even right now.

(mimics camera click)

So, Sebastian, is it? Mm-hmm.

Are you-- are you writing something here in Tokyo?

Um...

Yeah, I'm thinking about setting a movie here.

Maybe, um...

a murder mystery.

Maybe a love story.

How 'bout a ghost story?

There are a lot of ghosts here in Tokyo.

I could be a ghost.

No, you seem pretty real to me.

I can see that you're married, Sebastian.

Is your wife here?

I can see that you're not married.

Not tonight.

Come to Shinjuku with me.

Now?

Why?

I don't even know you, Sebastian.

Get to know me.

(classical score plays)

♪ ♪

So, you claim to be a ghost?

Sometimes I feel like a ghost, yeah.

What about now?

You feel like a ghost now?

Not even in the slightest.

Where do you live?

I don't know.

I have so many stamps in my passport.

Some of the places I don't even remember.

Where do you live?

Los Angeles.

I used to live there.

Why'd you leave?

I got a new camera.

So tell me about some of the movies you've written.

Um...

I did one set in Berlin

about an affair between a young American soldier

and a German government woman in a deeply unhappy marriage.

There was a giant radioactive spider on the attack, as well.

(chuckles)

Sounds arty...

and pretentious.

Sebastian: I did another one about an alien invasion in New York City.

Uh, they shot that one in Bulgaria.

And the aliens looked exactly like Big Macs.

(giggles)

We were weirdly overlooked during awards season.

(giggles)

Can I kiss you?

Not yet.

What kind of pictures do you take?

I don't know.

Things that move me.

Perfect things.

Imperfect things.

(classical score plays)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sebastian: You ever spend the night with a stranger?

Claire: What? An entire night like this?

No.

I mean, I've had my share of... strangers.

Sebastian: Can I kiss you?

♪ ♪

Not yet.

Okay, now. Okay!

(giggles)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

(music ends)

(inaudible)

Are you gonna ask me why I cried?

No.

Claire: Are you gonna ask me where I got that scar?

Sebastian: Mm-mm.

Are you gonna ask me about my wife?

No.

(sighs deeply)

(kissing)

I'm going to go.

Yeah, I know.

I'm leaving Tokyo this afternoon,

and I'm going to Kyoto.

Well, I'm here...

just for a few more days,

and then I go back to Los Angeles.

I'm glad I met you, Sebastian.

I'm glad I met you, Claire.

Don't go.

Don't.

Please. Don't.

Please.

Let it end this way.

I miss you so much.

(crying) Let it end this way, my love.

(whispers) Please.

Let it end as beautifully as it began.

I didn't think we could get back to this again.

But we did.

Don't you even want to try?

We know how it will turn out.

That's not true.

It's not.

Everything's different now.

(dramatic music plays)

(door opens) Janet.

(door closes) Janet!

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Sebastian: Join me.

Join me in Tokyo.

I already bought the tickets.

We don't even have to talk.

We don't have to sit together on the plane.

We don't need to be in the same room.

Just come.

Please.

Get out of the house.

It's killing you.

The change will be good,

no matter what happens with us.

The change'll be good.

(paper rustles)

(sighs)

(classical score plays)

♪ ♪

♪ ♪