A work in constant progress (and occasional regress).
Release Date:
October 18, 1997
Original Title:
GOING WEST 西へ…
Production Companies:
Mukai Productions
Toei Company
Production Countries:
Japan
Ratings / Certifications:
N/A
Runtime: 99
Sakuma Ryu, who runs a liquor store alone in downtown Tokyo, ends up living with his eldest son and his wife after a small fire breaks out. His sons are always there to help, but Ryu, who has stubbornly lived alone since her husband's death, feels uncomfortable there, and frequently visits his tea-drinking buddy Kinue to vent his frustrations. However, Kinue's sudden death and a postcard inspire Ryu to set off on a solo trip in her husband's beloved Mini Cooper. Her destination is Matsuyama in Shikoku, where she spent her childhood and where her first love, for whom she harbored a faint crush, still lives. The Mini Cooper speeds smoothly between Gifu and Kyoto. But when Shota and a young couple from the future join Ryu in the Mini Cooper, things start to look ominous...
Art Direction:
Takaaki Yano
Assistant Director:
Shinji Imaoka
Development Producer:
Mitsuyoshi Nomura
Kan Mukai
Director:
Kan Mukai
Director of Photography:
Shiro Suzuki
Editor:
Toshihide Fukano
Gaffer:
Nobuhiro Shibata
Original Music Composer:
Naoki Nishimura
Producer:
Saburo Naito
Yutaka Mashima
Yukiko Omagari
Screenplay:
Kazuo Komizu
Akiko Kawase
Sound Recordist:
Ryobei Kumagai
Vocals:
Hirokazu Iwata
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