After spending ten years in New York, Atsushi Funahashi returned to Japan and found his new home in Yanaka, Tokyo, which is also where he shot his latest movie. Not many people know that this area that has retained a subtle human touch and emotional atmosphere is where the Gojunoto pagoda once stood. This documentary traces back memories of the pagoda that was destroyed by fire, painting a picture of the neighborhood and its inhabitants while incorporating in a unique way the story of Koda Rohan's "Gojunoto". "Like in a valley between this and the other world," as the director puts it, the protagonists wander back and forth between the present and the Edo period, to a strangely floating effect. What remains are the craftsmen's precious comments, and thoughts about what we lose and what we keep.

Posted by Fukushima Masayo Date : October 29, 2009