Undaunted Joy #198
Joy of Sweet Friendship and Hirayasumi
Recently, I heard that there is such an epidemic of loneliness in Japan, especially amongst older women, that elderly women are committing petty crimes so that they will be put in jail. In jail, they find the community and companionship they long for.
This story so haunted me, that the premise of Hirayasumi, on Amazon Prime, made absolute sense to me. “Granny” an older woman leaves her home in Tokyo to the young man who helped with errands and shared weekly meals with meals with her.
Granny is a first suspicious of Hiroto, thinking his kindness might be a scam, but soon understands he is authentic and worries he will be taken advantage of, so she wills her house to him when she dies.
Hirayasumi, which translates to “house of rest” tells the story of 29-year-old slacker, Hiroto, who invites his nineteen-year-old cousin Natsumi, an art student to live with him in the inherited home.
I am not even certain how I came across the series, which is only 20, fifteen-minute episodes. I don’t watch television often and when I do, I want something without sex or fowl language. I don’t want a “current message”. I simply want sweetness. This series gave me just that, the sweetness of friendship. Hiroto, Natsumi and their friends navigate the growing pains of young adulthood; anxiety, finding friends or love interest, pressing into work and the challenges of young married life. So much relies on enjoying the simple moments of life, especially a simple meal shared together.
Granny has already died by the first episode, but her presence lingers in flashbacks, showing the lessons, she taught Hiroto when she was alive. Hiroto and Natsumi also honor her in the home Shinto shrine.
The short stories are deceivingly simply but reveal so much. The characters are searching for meaning in their lives. It is clear that we should never judge someone else’s life on appearance, you think it is easier and better than your own but we don’t know their trials. This theme is best exemplified by Hiroto’s friendship with his high school buddy, Hideki. Hideki is married with a new baby and works a traditional corporate sales job at a luxury furniture brand. Looking at Hiroto’s carefree life working at a goldfish pond sometimes brings resentment but ultimately, it is a beautiful friendship where each chooses to pretend not to notice when they are miserable to give dignity to the other.
The series is encapsulated in a quote from one of the episodes, “if you live alone, you never get to laugh.” Granny taught Hiroto how to create a “house of rest” in the home that she left him. Now he shows his friends.
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