Japanese Trailer for ‘The Zen Diary’ About Buddhist Vegetarian Cuisine
by Alex Billington
June 11, 2023
Source: YouTube
“Food tastes the best when eaten together.” Enjoy this lovely trailer for an indie Japanese film called The Zen Diary, a humble drama about a man who loves to cook. It’s getting released in Canada this summer after first opening in Japan last year. Tsutomu lives alone in the mountains in a cabin in Nagano, writing essays & cooking food with fruits & vegetables he grows and mushrooms he picks in the hills. His routine is happily disturbed when Machiko, his editor/love interest, occasionally visits. She loves to eat, and he loves to cook for her. They cook with seasonal ingredients & eat together. They have a good time. Tsutomu seems to be enjoying an easygoing life, but he is still unable to bury his dead wife’s ashes in a grave. His wife died 13 years ago… Starring Kenji Sawada and Takako Matsu. Adapted from Tsutomu Mizukami’s book, this gentle, thoughtful film considers the importance of aligning one’s life with the natural world’s flavors and rhythms. Featuring cooking by Yoshiharu Doi. This trailer has English subtitles and a glimpse at some of the delectable food that they enjoy. As a huge fan of Japanese food, I have to watch this as soon as possible.
Here’s the official Japanese trailer (+ poster) for Yûji Nakae’s The Zen Diary, direct from YouTube:
Tsutomu lives alone in the mountains, writing essays and cooking food with vegetables he grows and mushrooms he picks in the hills. His routine is happily disturbed when Machiko, his editor/love interest, occasionally visits. She loves to eat, and he loves to cook for her. Tsutomu seems content with his daily life. On the other hand, he still hasn’t let go of his wife’s ashes, although she died 13 years ago. A close brush with death will force him to decide what he values most in life and what he must choose going forward. The Zen Diary is written and directed by Japanese filmmaker Yûji Nakae, director of the films Nabbie’s Love, Hotel Hibiscus, Koishikute, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Based on the book by Tsutomu Mizukami. This first premiered at the 2022 San Sebastián Film Festival last year, and opened in Japan in November. The film will be opening this summer in Canada, but still has no US release set yet – stay tuned for updates. For more info on the Canadian release, visit the film’s official site at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.
