00:02:21.099 --> 00:02:22.559
Good morning.

00:02:39.576 --> 00:02:43.329
You skim off the foam
and it becomes nice and clear.

00:02:51.546 --> 00:02:53.047
Time for chicken.

00:02:56.092 --> 00:02:57.385
Chicken fat.

00:03:30.001 --> 00:03:31.502
Welcome.

00:04:42.657 --> 00:04:45.326
 I first came to Bizentei 17 years ago.

00:04:45.868 --> 00:04:47.537
About 20 years ago.

00:04:48.037 --> 00:04:49.664
10 years ago.

00:04:49.998 --> 00:04:51.332
26 years ago.

00:04:51.874 --> 00:04:53.626
20 years ago.

00:04:54.168 --> 00:04:55.670
18 years ago.

00:04:56.838 --> 00:04:59.048
About 30 years ago.

00:05:00.258 --> 00:05:03.928
In all that time,
I’ve only had the chashu ramen.

00:05:04.304 --> 00:05:09.684
That must have been
what I ordered the first time.

00:05:11.102 --> 00:05:16.649
And over time,
he just served that automatically.

00:05:18.234 --> 00:05:21.446
Because he kindly
remembered my preference...

00:05:22.822 --> 00:05:27.660
...I wouldn’t want to contradict him.
Or maybe I wouldn’t dare to.

00:05:36.878 --> 00:05:38.671
Soy-based Tokyo ramen.

00:05:44.802 --> 00:05:46.846
Just like the taste of mom’s cooking...

00:05:47.221 --> 00:05:50.725
...you can have it every day
and never get tired of it.

00:05:55.980 --> 00:06:00.360
The soup is really just...

00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:07.742
There’s a certain richness to it.

00:06:08.242 --> 00:06:11.412
It’s a taste you’ll never forget.

00:06:11.788 --> 00:06:16.000
When I was young,
there were ramen vendors out at night.

00:06:17.335 --> 00:06:21.005
My mother worked,
so when we’d get hungry...

00:06:21.381 --> 00:06:26.344
...she’d say, “Masashi, they’re here,”
and I’d run out with our bowls.

00:06:26.803 --> 00:06:28.679
It reminds me of that taste.

00:06:31.349 --> 00:06:33.184
Soy-based soup...

00:06:33.559 --> 00:06:36.938
...is what originally
defined Japanese ramen.

00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:40.149
The original ramen
from China was salt based.

00:06:40.691 --> 00:06:46.656
They say soy ramen emerged
about 110 years ago in Asakusa, Tokyo...

00:06:47.031 --> 00:06:49.033
...and spread nationwide from there.

00:06:51.035 --> 00:06:52.870
I’m a musician.

00:06:54.122 --> 00:06:58.126
And I’ve toured all around Japan.

00:06:58.668 --> 00:07:01.712
There are so many
different styles of ramen.

00:07:02.588 --> 00:07:05.925
And I’ve tasted them along the way.

00:07:08.136 --> 00:07:10.096
I’m not sure exactly
how many bowls I eat...

00:07:10.471 --> 00:07:15.643
...but it’s between 500 and 600 a year.

00:07:16.769 --> 00:07:19.439
This might look like the old street ramen...

00:07:19.772 --> 00:07:21.774
...but the umami is much stronger.

00:07:22.191 --> 00:07:26.112
And this rich chashu pork.

00:07:26.362 --> 00:07:29.031
You wouldn’t have had that back then.

00:07:29.407 --> 00:07:31.868
He created something new.

00:07:32.577 --> 00:07:35.496
I can tell. I’ve tried a few.

00:07:38.624 --> 00:07:42.628
To make my soup,
I fill that pot with water...

00:07:43.379 --> 00:07:48.468
...and add pork, ginger,
garlic, onions, and scallions.

00:07:51.053 --> 00:07:54.265
And just boil it for a while.

00:07:54.849 --> 00:07:59.896
It cooks for about two hours
and then it’s ready to sell.

00:08:00.855 --> 00:08:04.025
Over and over for the last 40 years.

00:08:05.026 --> 00:08:07.487
You can do the same thing
but get different results.

00:08:08.321 --> 00:08:10.990
I don’t know why.
Maybe it’s the pork bones.

00:08:13.242 --> 00:08:17.371
A ramen guy seeing this might think,
“That sounds really easy.”

00:08:18.456 --> 00:08:20.791
But people say it’s delicious.
Strange, isn’t it?

00:08:22.168 --> 00:08:25.338
I don’t use anything cheap,
but nothing special either.

00:08:26.422 --> 00:08:29.592
No expensive dried sardines or anything.

00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:32.595
I never follow trends.

00:08:33.387 --> 00:08:37.850
Just an old guy doing what he knows.

00:08:42.104 --> 00:08:45.441
How I came up with
the taste of the soup...

00:08:45.942 --> 00:08:49.403
I developed it by taste.

00:08:50.905 --> 00:08:53.991
I read a book while I created it.

00:08:55.117 --> 00:08:56.577
About how to make ramen.

00:08:57.870 --> 00:08:59.747
That book was my mentor.

00:09:00.998 --> 00:09:04.835
From those basics,
I changed a few things...

00:09:06.712 --> 00:09:08.673
...to suit my taste.

00:09:09.465 --> 00:09:13.678
And after a few months
of trying it out on people…

00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:17.807
...I found the taste
that we still have today.

00:09:18.599 --> 00:09:22.603
I didn’t really think about ramen
until I came to Tokyo.

00:09:23.479 --> 00:09:27.191
My father-in-law
had a vacant restaurant....

00:09:28.901 --> 00:09:33.656
...and I was encouraged
to open a ramen place there.

00:09:36.576 --> 00:09:39.245
I’d caused my wife
some trouble in Okayama.

00:09:39.495 --> 00:09:41.914
It was sort of a last-ditch effort.

00:09:43.457 --> 00:09:46.419
Somehow, it went well and I was praised.

00:09:47.420 --> 00:09:51.841
I forged ahead and survived until now.

00:09:54.385 --> 00:09:57.430
I guess it was my vocation.
Lasting this long.

00:09:58.055 --> 00:09:59.724
Didn’t expect that.

00:10:20.828 --> 00:10:24.624
- We were married in...
- 1971

00:10:25.166 --> 00:10:27.460
July 5th.

00:10:29.253 --> 00:10:33.966
He came to my high school festival
when we were seniors.

00:10:36.135 --> 00:10:41.515
And by the next July,
we were married.

00:10:41.849 --> 00:10:45.770
It was less than a year.
7 or 8 months.

00:10:46.270 --> 00:10:47.730
It really was quick.

00:10:50.232 --> 00:10:54.654
Then, our eldest daughter was born
the following year. In August 1972.

00:10:57.031 --> 00:11:00.201
A lot happened in between.
People were against it.

00:11:01.369 --> 00:11:02.870
I can see why.

00:11:04.121 --> 00:11:08.376
I wasn’t doing anything.
I was trouble.

00:11:09.377 --> 00:11:11.962
My family was okay with it.

00:11:12.672 --> 00:11:16.342
My father thought having
a wife would make me grow up.

00:11:17.343 --> 00:11:18.844
Were you trouble?

00:11:19.095 --> 00:11:21.055
Pretty much.

00:11:26.602 --> 00:11:28.104
What do I like?

00:11:28.896 --> 00:11:30.398
Counting the money.

00:11:30.731 --> 00:11:32.274
No. Just kidding.

00:11:34.777 --> 00:11:36.904
When a customer looks happy...

00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:41.992
...and leaves with a look like,
“That was delicious.”

00:11:43.619 --> 00:11:45.621
I guess it would be that.

00:11:50.876 --> 00:11:52.920
When a girl finishes her soup...

00:11:53.421 --> 00:11:56.549
...without a spoon and I say, “Great job.”

00:12:26.120 --> 00:12:29.832
The chashu pork is incredibly tender.

00:12:30.458 --> 00:12:34.587
You can eat it with the noodles
and taste the sweetness.

00:12:35.963 --> 00:12:37.757
That made me want some.

00:12:47.016 --> 00:12:51.061
You let the pork fat melt
into the soup...

00:12:51.353 --> 00:12:56.525
…then slurp the fat, chashu,
and noodles all together.

00:12:57.151 --> 00:12:59.153
That’s the best.

00:13:13.292 --> 00:13:16.796
This kind of rich and fatty chashu...

00:13:17.463 --> 00:13:21.801
...would’ve been rare back then.

00:13:23.093 --> 00:13:26.806
It’s typically a firm, red thigh meat.

00:13:28.724 --> 00:13:32.019
But using a rich and fatty meat...

00:13:33.979 --> 00:13:36.565
...would’ve been
pretty new at that time.

00:13:38.943 --> 00:13:41.195
It’s one of a kind.

00:13:52.122 --> 00:13:56.043
Bizentei’s chashu is made from
boneless pork ribs.

00:13:58.379 --> 00:14:04.009
That’s because I used to pick
the usual chashu out of my ramen.

00:14:05.052 --> 00:14:08.180
I couldn’t eat it. It’s smelly.

00:14:08.681 --> 00:14:12.518
It’s like the fat is still too fresh.

00:14:13.227 --> 00:14:16.522
So, to be a ramen chef
and serve chashu...

00:14:16.897 --> 00:14:19.692
...I had to find a taste
I could love.

00:14:21.861 --> 00:14:24.905
My wife’s stewed pork belly recipe
was the hint.

00:14:25.781 --> 00:14:29.952
If you cook it long enough,
the tastiness of the fat emerges.

00:14:31.996 --> 00:14:35.666
And after experimenting,
I found a way...

00:14:36.876 --> 00:14:41.463
...to sort of beat the pork
into submission.

00:14:44.717 --> 00:14:47.928
It probably wouldn’t exist
if I’d apprenticed somewhere.

00:14:49.054 --> 00:14:52.057
You’d cook it the way
you were taught, right?

00:14:54.560 --> 00:14:56.186
My customers were surprised.

00:14:57.438 --> 00:15:00.608
“What? It’s melting. Delicious.”

00:15:00.941 --> 00:15:05.362
Since the beginning.
I guess that was our lifeline.

00:15:06.030 --> 00:15:09.325
Probably our most popular item
was the chashu.

00:15:15.497 --> 00:15:17.416
The gyoza are also delicious.

00:15:18.042 --> 00:15:19.710
He doesn’t cut corners.

00:15:21.462 --> 00:15:24.381
Some places don’t put much effort
into their side dishes...

00:15:25.549 --> 00:15:28.719
...but he puts equal care into everything.

00:15:44.818 --> 00:15:48.030
The boiled eggs
can be good with a drink.

00:15:50.491 --> 00:15:54.703
Wakame seaweed. Or bean sprouts.

00:15:55.037 --> 00:15:58.040
Those are good snacks
when I'm still drinking

00:15:58.916 --> 00:16:00.793
Before having my ramen.

00:16:03.712 --> 00:16:08.467
Or vegetables he shares
from his garden.

00:16:08.842 --> 00:16:11.929
We can enjoy all kinds of things.

00:16:14.139 --> 00:16:16.350
Sometimes you'll be eating
and Master will say...

00:16:17.685 --> 00:16:20.646
"We'll do such and such soon,"
and you say, "Oh, I'll come."

00:16:21.021 --> 00:16:24.358
And people get together.

00:16:24.942 --> 00:16:28.237
It’s a rare chance
for a city dweller like me...

00:16:28.862 --> 00:16:31.907
...to experience the beauty of nature.

00:16:32.116 --> 00:16:34.910
That’s because there’s nothing to do
on his days off...

00:16:35.202 --> 00:16:37.454
...unless he goes out somewhere.

00:16:38.247 --> 00:16:39.957
He’s useless at home.

00:16:40.874 --> 00:16:42.918
It might be the secret
to peace in his home.

00:16:44.420 --> 00:16:47.381
He’s just in the way there.

00:16:48.632 --> 00:16:50.718
I’m useless without a plan.

00:16:51.677 --> 00:16:53.637
Sitting at home glued to the chair.

00:16:54.805 --> 00:16:57.516
Doing nothing but walking the dogs.

00:17:01.103 --> 00:17:03.689
Now we’re headed to a bamboo forest...

00:17:03.939 --> 00:17:07.443
...near my garden plot
in Chiba Prefecture.

00:17:07.818 --> 00:17:10.446
We’re going to dig up
some bamboo shoots...

00:17:11.113 --> 00:17:15.117
...cook them up fresh,
and eat them with some friends.

00:17:23.792 --> 00:17:25.586
Shiba-chan, I’ll show you how.

00:17:27.379 --> 00:17:33.177
Hold it tight like a baseball bat
and just hit it. Boom.

00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:42.061
It’s coming.

00:17:42.603 --> 00:17:46.857
The root is still attached. But that’s fine.

00:17:47.983 --> 00:17:49.485
100%.

00:17:51.695 --> 00:17:54.114
- This is exhausting.
- Should we go over there?

00:17:57.868 --> 00:18:01.246
- Seems like he’s not done yet.
- I think we’ve got plenty.

00:18:02.331 --> 00:18:03.832
Not so fast.

00:18:07.127 --> 00:18:09.755
How many do we want to bring home?

00:18:19.056 --> 00:18:22.309
We can cook these right away
since we just picked them.

00:18:34.071 --> 00:18:35.739
Soy sauce and sake.

00:18:37.991 --> 00:18:40.869
The bamboo shoots.
Our main character.

00:18:42.663 --> 00:18:44.164
And fried tofu.

00:18:53.215 --> 00:18:56.802
Spring flower buds. Ah, beautiful.

00:18:58.303 --> 00:19:01.098
Get ready to eat.

00:19:07.187 --> 00:19:08.856
A bit undercooked.

00:20:05.329 --> 00:20:08.874
I was bouncing around
between part-time jobs.

00:20:10.125 --> 00:20:13.170
Coffee shops.
And that one with the bow tie.

00:20:13.837 --> 00:20:16.173
An elite nightclub job.

00:20:17.466 --> 00:20:20.802
That was when I joined
the world of the night.

00:20:22.179 --> 00:20:24.223
I was still goofing around.

00:20:25.474 --> 00:20:26.975
I was the youngest.

00:20:28.310 --> 00:20:30.479
It was a glamorous scene.

00:20:31.021 --> 00:20:33.190
But for my wife...

00:20:35.651 --> 00:20:37.527
I troubled her a lot.

00:20:39.780 --> 00:20:41.698
She never complained.

00:20:44.034 --> 00:20:45.953
I was like another kid.

00:20:46.328 --> 00:20:49.081
You didn’t help
with the baby at all, did you?

00:20:49.289 --> 00:20:50.832
I’m sorry.

00:20:53.752 --> 00:20:56.129
I was gambling on baseball.

00:20:56.630 --> 00:21:02.261
Just like that, I lost how much...
5 or 6 million yen? ( ~ $50,000 USD )

00:21:02.636 --> 00:21:04.471
That’s when she said something.

00:21:08.225 --> 00:21:09.768
Some guys ran away.

00:21:11.103 --> 00:21:14.481
But I wasn’t going to run.
I had a family.

00:21:17.401 --> 00:21:19.695
But my uncle saved me.
He paid it off.

00:21:20.904 --> 00:21:22.781
My life was saved.

00:21:25.993 --> 00:21:29.037
Before coming to Tokyo,
we were at the bottom.

00:21:30.622 --> 00:21:33.834
There was no point in staying.

00:21:34.584 --> 00:21:38.380
I’d just keep screwing up.
It was for my own good.

00:21:42.050 --> 00:21:44.553
If I’d stayed in Okayama…

00:21:48.098 --> 00:21:52.269
…maybe I could’ve been a bit of a gangster.
But that’s about it.

00:21:53.228 --> 00:21:56.148
Nobody special.
Well, not that I am now.

00:21:56.356 --> 00:21:58.775
So, it was good.

00:22:02.571 --> 00:22:05.991
Some say, “Knock on even
a stone bridge before crossing it.”

00:22:06.408 --> 00:22:11.246
- But the two of us...
- We don’t even notice it until we’ve crossed it.

00:22:14.541 --> 00:22:18.295
My next harvest will be sesame.
That’s a tough one.

00:22:30.265 --> 00:22:35.812
The first Bizentei opened in 1979.

00:22:37.773 --> 00:22:40.942
It was similar to the current place
but it was special.

00:22:42.861 --> 00:22:45.989
It could seat close to 30 people.

00:22:47.657 --> 00:22:50.702
It got popular faster than we expected.

00:22:52.829 --> 00:22:54.414
That energized me.

00:22:55.207 --> 00:22:56.666
We were lucky.

00:22:57.125 --> 00:23:00.045
I barely slept.
The only way to keep it going.

00:23:01.046 --> 00:23:04.424
I couldn’t afford to cut corners.
We worked really hard.

00:23:05.509 --> 00:23:07.219
I had to bounce back.

00:23:08.303 --> 00:23:11.932
Not so hard when
there’s nowhere to go but up.

00:23:23.402 --> 00:23:26.029
I used to come here more with my wife.

00:23:27.572 --> 00:23:31.368
After she started painting,
she stopped coming.

00:23:31.868 --> 00:23:34.246
But she’s doing what she wants.

00:23:34.746 --> 00:23:38.792
I gave up and now
the weekends I’m here, I’m alone.

00:23:39.167 --> 00:23:41.711
Tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers...

00:23:43.380 --> 00:23:46.049
...mini tomatoes.

00:23:49.052 --> 00:23:51.346
Green peas. Oh, they’re in there.

00:23:51.930 --> 00:23:54.266
Peaches. They’ve arrived.

00:23:55.934 --> 00:23:57.853
Probably ready to eat.

00:23:59.312 --> 00:24:02.357
I love watermelons.
I work hardest on those.

00:24:03.150 --> 00:24:05.819
But mostly, I buy them.

00:24:08.196 --> 00:24:11.741
Some people have mentors
but I taught myself.

00:24:13.201 --> 00:24:16.288
If I want to try something I just do it.

00:24:18.206 --> 00:24:21.793
When I wanted to try something,
my wife found a book for me.

00:24:22.794 --> 00:24:24.296
I’ll mix this into the soil.

00:24:25.672 --> 00:24:28.675
I guess it must be fun
because I keep doing it.

00:24:30.177 --> 00:24:32.762
What is it?
Watching something you made grow?

00:24:34.389 --> 00:24:38.268
And making healthy soil.
Because this is organic farming.

00:24:44.191 --> 00:24:47.027
The more care you put in,
the better the results.

00:24:48.236 --> 00:24:50.238
It's gratifying.

00:24:58.163 --> 00:25:01.416
The vegetables’ bed.

00:25:02.918 --> 00:25:04.961
So they can sleep comfortably.

00:25:07.881 --> 00:25:09.716
This is just for fun.

00:25:11.259 --> 00:25:13.178
I wouldn’t do it otherwise.

00:25:15.263 --> 00:25:16.973
Same with my work, really.

00:25:28.777 --> 00:25:33.865
I was watching baseball
and I wanted to have a beer.

00:25:34.533 --> 00:25:38.161
I asked if he had any and he said,
“No. This is a ramen place.”

00:25:39.204 --> 00:25:41.039
My request was firmly rejected.

00:25:44.251 --> 00:25:48.547
But eventually, he had bottled beer.
And it grew from there.

00:25:49.172 --> 00:25:51.508
First beer, then sake.

00:25:52.884 --> 00:25:54.386
I’m from China...

00:25:54.761 --> 00:25:59.683
...and we don’t drink
in most ramen places.

00:26:02.686 --> 00:26:07.691
But I learned that here,
some people come mainly to drink.

00:26:11.861 --> 00:26:13.863
My drink is shochu (distilled spirits).

00:26:14.239 --> 00:26:16.908
It’s served as soon as I sit.

00:26:18.368 --> 00:26:20.370
People come because
it’s comfortable, right?

00:26:22.080 --> 00:26:25.292
They have a drink and a fun chat
before going home.

00:26:28.211 --> 00:26:33.800
I think if a place has one great dish,
everything will be great.

00:26:34.175 --> 00:26:36.845
If it’s on the menu, they care about it.

00:26:40.348 --> 00:26:42.684
The bean sprout ramen is miso-based.

00:26:43.435 --> 00:26:46.813
That miso doesn’t proclaim itself.

00:26:49.941 --> 00:26:54.821
It’s a gentle taste.
But with a bit of spiciness.

00:26:55.196 --> 00:26:58.116
And it’s sweet, but not too sweet.

00:27:01.077 --> 00:27:06.291
I had a little affair
with that one for a time.

00:27:08.835 --> 00:27:10.920
I’ve never tried the salt one.

00:27:11.296 --> 00:27:13.423
Because I hate scallions.

00:27:16.217 --> 00:27:18.553
Why not ask for it without scallions?

00:27:19.095 --> 00:27:20.722
That would be embarrassing.

00:27:21.097 --> 00:27:24.643
The only salt-flavored one
he serves is scallion ramen.

00:27:25.310 --> 00:27:26.978
To order it without scallions...

00:27:29.189 --> 00:27:30.899
I’d feel bad for Taisho.

00:27:35.612 --> 00:27:38.031
Cold miso is rare.

00:27:40.075 --> 00:27:45.747
It resembles Chinese cold noodles,
but it’s actually different.

00:27:47.332 --> 00:27:50.335
It’s miso-flavored and a little spicy.

00:27:51.127 --> 00:27:54.798
It’s refreshing and unique.

00:28:00.261 --> 00:28:03.682
Today we’re headed to a
Bizentei regular’s pear farm.

00:28:03.973 --> 00:28:06.893
We’ll help him harvest his pears.

00:28:07.519 --> 00:28:09.688
He’s been coming to Bizentei
since the beginning.

00:28:10.438 --> 00:28:12.232
Around 40 years.

00:28:13.108 --> 00:28:17.195
The pears we’ll pick today
shouldn’t be this color.

00:28:17.529 --> 00:28:20.156
More like this color.

00:28:20.865 --> 00:28:22.200
How about this one?

00:28:24.536 --> 00:28:27.080
This one is... not today.

00:28:27.580 --> 00:28:29.874
Don’t pull down when you pick them.

00:28:30.250 --> 00:28:34.003
They can survive like this in a typhoon.

00:28:34.546 --> 00:28:37.424
You try. Pull upwards.

00:28:43.304 --> 00:28:45.098
Beautiful.

00:28:50.729 --> 00:28:52.731
Shiba-chan, grab this one for me.

00:28:53.565 --> 00:28:55.066
This big one.

00:28:56.735 --> 00:28:58.278
It’s ripe.

00:29:01.364 --> 00:29:04.993
You lift it to feel the weight.

00:29:05.535 --> 00:29:08.913
This one’s just right
for the orders I have.

00:29:23.803 --> 00:29:27.724
Work hard, okay?

00:29:30.059 --> 00:29:33.396
Naruse-san, there’s a nice big one.

00:29:35.690 --> 00:29:37.192
Big one.

00:29:38.818 --> 00:29:41.654
This is bigger than a six.

00:29:45.033 --> 00:29:46.576
Size 4.

00:29:48.203 --> 00:29:50.413
Size 6. Size 4.

00:30:12.894 --> 00:30:15.814
Ueda-san is my biggest fan.

00:30:19.442 --> 00:30:21.653
He loves fruit.

00:30:23.530 --> 00:30:28.243
He makes my favorite ramen
and I grow his favorite pears.

00:30:32.789 --> 00:30:35.458
In that sense,
we’re connected heart to heart.

00:30:57.814 --> 00:31:04.070
I used to work at a printing company
near the original Bizentei.

00:31:07.532 --> 00:31:09.951
Whenever I finished work early...

00:31:10.368 --> 00:31:12.704
...I would always go to Bizentei.

00:31:13.371 --> 00:31:16.916
I’d have a beer and some ramen
and then go home.

00:31:17.417 --> 00:31:19.127
That lasted about three years.

00:31:22.130 --> 00:31:24.007
Then one day...

00:31:24.424 --> 00:31:26.759
…it suddenly disappeared.
A vacant lot.

00:31:27.594 --> 00:31:31.598
There was no sign saying
if it had moved or to where.

00:31:32.432 --> 00:31:34.392
So, for about three years...

00:31:35.351 --> 00:31:38.479
I was searching for Bizentei.
“Where did it go?”

00:31:41.524 --> 00:31:45.403
Then, just by chance,
I passed the current place.

00:31:45.737 --> 00:31:49.073
There it was. “Bizentei!”

00:31:57.081 --> 00:31:59.292
With Bizentei’s ramen...

00:31:59.751 --> 00:32:01.836
…my stomach knows the taste.

00:32:04.422 --> 00:32:06.174
Not my brain.

00:32:08.384 --> 00:32:09.886
It comes from here.

00:32:10.178 --> 00:32:13.556
“Give me that ramen!”
My stomach tells my brain.

00:32:15.308 --> 00:32:17.936
“Oh, right. Time to go to Bizentei.”

00:32:20.355 --> 00:32:24.025
So you go, and it’s just a bowl of ramen but...

00:32:26.361 --> 00:32:29.572
...somehow it sustains me.

00:32:31.282 --> 00:32:32.867
Truly.

00:33:03.398 --> 00:33:08.027
- Were you ever open on weekends?
- Yes. On Saturdays.

00:33:09.153 --> 00:33:10.571
Sundays were off.

00:33:11.739 --> 00:33:13.741
I wanted to quit Saturdays sooner....

00:33:14.075 --> 00:33:17.745
...but some regulars
could only come on Saturdays.

00:33:18.496 --> 00:33:21.165
They said they’d never
be able to come.

00:33:21.416 --> 00:33:24.585
So I stayed open for years
even though I didn’t want to.

00:33:25.878 --> 00:33:29.007
Around the time my youngest
daughter finished college...

00:33:30.466 --> 00:33:33.177
...it was time to take it easy a bit.

00:33:34.429 --> 00:33:36.347
That was about 20 years ago.

00:33:37.306 --> 00:33:41.019
And as an entrepreneur,
once you start to take it easy...

00:33:41.436 --> 00:33:43.813
…things naturally wind down.

00:33:44.355 --> 00:33:48.192
I’m descending the mountain
but I’m still working.

00:33:54.115 --> 00:33:57.785
Of course I keep coming back
because the ramen is delicious…

00:33:58.286 --> 00:34:01.330
...but there’s something more here.

00:34:03.041 --> 00:34:07.003
He has a personality
that attracts regulars.

00:34:08.629 --> 00:34:11.466
I like how you can
watch them work in ramen places.

00:34:12.175 --> 00:34:14.552
And you’re able to chat.

00:34:16.137 --> 00:34:18.264
Those casual exchanges can be fun.

00:34:19.390 --> 00:34:24.896
That’s how I became
acquainted with this place.

00:34:29.150 --> 00:34:31.527
I was struggling with the door.

00:34:32.612 --> 00:34:35.948
And Master said, “You can do it!”

00:34:36.324 --> 00:34:38.701
This stranger was cheering me on.

00:34:40.119 --> 00:34:41.788
So, I realized right away...

00:34:42.622 --> 00:34:47.001
“Oh, this is a good place.
There’s a friendly owner here.”

00:34:47.585 --> 00:34:50.671
That’s what I thought as I entered.

00:34:52.590 --> 00:34:56.928
This is where I would come
when I was feeling down.

00:34:57.220 --> 00:35:00.598
We were both born
in the Year of the Dragon.

00:35:01.057 --> 00:35:05.061
He told me, “If we just keep trying,
we’ll become rising dragons...”

00:35:05.478 --> 00:35:10.775
“...but if we’re lazy, we’ll become moles.”
Someone said that when he was young.

00:35:11.609 --> 00:35:18.032
He said things like that to encourage me.

00:35:18.282 --> 00:35:19.951
Even if you come alone...

00:35:20.284 --> 00:35:23.913
...he treats first-timers the same.

00:35:24.747 --> 00:35:27.041
Everyone gets their own comfortable space.

00:35:27.333 --> 00:35:29.752
You can feel it.

00:35:30.002 --> 00:35:31.712
“Oh, I’m welcome to come back here.”

00:35:34.757 --> 00:35:39.595
My wife and I met
when I was a regular...

00:35:40.596 --> 00:35:43.933
...and she started
working here part time.

00:35:44.684 --> 00:35:50.940
It was a friendly atmosphere
from the start. The customers, too.

00:35:53.484 --> 00:35:56.487
It felt different from
any job I’d had before.

00:35:56.946 --> 00:35:59.407
I knew it was going to be fun.

00:36:00.908 --> 00:36:03.244
Our commutes were
in the same direction.

00:36:03.411 --> 00:36:06.080
I would come to eat after working late.

00:36:06.455 --> 00:36:09.876
Right around when she was finishing up.

00:36:10.459 --> 00:36:12.795
I was told,
“When she’s finished her work…”

00:36:13.212 --> 00:36:17.800
“…you two go home together.
You be her bodyguard.”

00:36:18.217 --> 00:36:21.179
He said, “He’s a really sweet person.”

00:36:22.096 --> 00:36:24.432
To hear that from Master was big.

00:36:25.141 --> 00:36:27.393
If Master thought he was nice...

00:36:28.060 --> 00:36:31.147
...I felt it would be okay to date him.

00:36:31.564 --> 00:36:33.191
We have two children now.

00:36:33.774 --> 00:36:39.322
And we often tell them
this is where Mom and Dad met.

00:36:40.531 --> 00:36:45.286
So they usually
call him Grandpa, not Master.

00:36:54.629 --> 00:36:57.173
He had a hot temper in the old days.

00:36:58.424 --> 00:37:02.136
Now he’s well-rounded.

00:37:02.511 --> 00:37:04.639
Not so in the old days.

00:37:05.848 --> 00:37:07.683
It was tense.

00:37:09.352 --> 00:37:13.606
He was never rude,
but he was tightly wound.

00:37:15.816 --> 00:37:18.402
He understands people’s sorrows.

00:37:19.820 --> 00:37:22.949
He probably has his own sad side.

00:37:23.950 --> 00:37:27.745
That’s why he talks to everyone.

00:37:28.579 --> 00:37:31.415
He wants to become friendly right away.

00:37:32.750 --> 00:37:34.710
Welcome, welcome.

00:37:36.504 --> 00:37:39.298
I only recently
started coming here regularly.

00:37:42.802 --> 00:37:45.513
After that, my father became ill.

00:37:47.181 --> 00:37:53.062
I’d say hello on my way to work
when he was prepping.

00:37:55.523 --> 00:38:00.695
And one day I told him
my mother had also passed away.

00:38:03.406 --> 00:38:07.743
He said, “Come back on your way home.”

00:38:12.623 --> 00:38:16.210
Then the person
I used to come here with also died.

00:38:16.627 --> 00:38:19.463
All of this in a few years.

00:38:25.428 --> 00:38:30.808
I live nearby, so I often stay until closing.

00:38:33.144 --> 00:38:35.146
He let me cry here.

00:38:40.192 --> 00:38:42.403
“You’ll be okay. You’re not alone.”

00:38:43.029 --> 00:38:45.406
“We’re all here.”

00:38:46.824 --> 00:38:51.203
“If you need anything, just call.”

00:38:53.414 --> 00:38:56.083
That’s what he told me.

00:39:15.644 --> 00:39:18.606
It's been 7 or 8 years since
I stopped going around with him.

00:39:19.065 --> 00:39:22.401
I wanted to spend more time
as Ueda Kazuko.

00:39:22.902 --> 00:39:28.157
Not Ueda Masamoto’s wife.
Just Ueda Kazuko, the individual.

00:39:28.699 --> 00:39:32.745
For some reason,
I started feeling that way.

00:39:34.955 --> 00:39:38.793
I got married young
and was so busy working...

00:39:39.460 --> 00:39:42.004
...I seldom had my own time.

00:39:42.797 --> 00:39:49.011
I lost touch with my school friends.

00:39:50.262 --> 00:39:53.391
My life became mainly
being Ueda Masamoto’s wife...

00:39:54.141 --> 00:39:57.186
...and the Ueda family’s mom.

00:39:58.396 --> 00:40:01.107
I didn’t have my own time.

00:40:02.400 --> 00:40:06.070
When I turned 60,
I realized for the first time...

00:40:07.696 --> 00:40:14.286
...that my grandchildren must think,
“Grandma doesn’t even have a hobby.”

00:40:15.871 --> 00:40:22.378
Contemplating that made me think,
“Why not try painting?”

00:40:23.212 --> 00:40:27.633
It's not that I thought
I was particularly good at it...

00:40:28.259 --> 00:40:30.761
...or had a great eye.
I just chose it.

00:40:32.221 --> 00:40:35.349
I'm reluctant to leave behind
so many bad paintings.

00:40:35.724 --> 00:40:40.104
But I think I'll keep at it
a little longer.

00:40:49.447 --> 00:40:51.574
We’re in Niigata Prefecture.

00:40:53.033 --> 00:40:55.995
Today we’re going to dig up
some wild mountain yams...

00:40:56.328 --> 00:40:58.831
...with some of my regulars.

00:41:11.594 --> 00:41:15.973
At first it was just
three or four of us and then it grew.

00:41:17.433 --> 00:41:23.272
We met Akimoto-san and Sato-san,
the landowners, about 15 years ago.

00:41:24.565 --> 00:41:30.321
I saw smoke coming
from a charcoal-making hut.

00:41:32.990 --> 00:41:36.535
I followed the smoke up here
to meet who was making it...

00:41:38.120 --> 00:41:39.830
...and I met Akimoto-san.

00:41:41.540 --> 00:41:45.085
I told him we had come to dig
up in the mountains.

00:41:46.295 --> 00:41:50.299
And he kindly invited us
to dig here on his land.

00:41:53.177 --> 00:41:59.266
Now every year, we come up
and camp by their charcoal hut.

00:42:05.397 --> 00:42:09.818
We rely on their kind guidance.
It’s good to follow an expert.

00:42:10.236 --> 00:42:14.323
Well, when it’s your mountain,
you know it best.

00:42:14.657 --> 00:42:16.617
We know where everything is.

00:42:16.992 --> 00:42:20.079
Even where there are no trails.

00:42:20.454 --> 00:42:23.791
We say, “The yams are beckoning us
from the mountain.”

00:42:24.416 --> 00:42:27.753
When the leaves turn yellow,
we call them “beckoning yams.”

00:42:28.003 --> 00:42:29.922
That’s how we know they’re ready.

00:42:47.940 --> 00:42:50.818
Is that it? That’s it.

00:43:03.539 --> 00:43:05.249
Almost there. We’re close.

00:43:06.750 --> 00:43:08.335
I think I can get it now.

00:43:13.507 --> 00:43:15.009
There it is.

00:43:20.055 --> 00:43:23.017
Oh, we’re there already. Look.

00:43:24.768 --> 00:43:27.771
You’ll break it
if you pull from the top.

00:43:30.608 --> 00:43:32.651
There it is. You did it.

00:43:36.697 --> 00:43:40.159
Eating it raw
is the best way to appreciate it.

00:43:47.333 --> 00:43:49.918
Mountain stream water.

00:43:50.919 --> 00:43:56.133
- This is real Uonuma, Niigata rice.
- Where the most delicious comes from.

00:43:56.634 --> 00:43:59.219
- This is fresh from your fields, right?
- Yes.

00:44:01.972 --> 00:44:05.017
The water is pure
and the air is clean.

00:44:06.185 --> 00:44:10.522
I feel like rice cooked in the mountains
tastes better than at home.

00:44:10.856 --> 00:44:13.901
But maybe that’s just because
it’s all we have.

00:44:19.740 --> 00:44:23.243
You don’t want
the fine roots in your mouth.

00:44:25.287 --> 00:44:29.708
It’s too much trouble to pick them off,
so we burn them.

00:44:30.376 --> 00:44:33.045
And then you should
wash off the ash.

00:44:34.922 --> 00:44:39.426
But this is mountain food.
The soil is part of the taste.

00:44:42.680 --> 00:44:45.224
Fresh rice is going on the stove.

00:45:08.956 --> 00:45:14.294
Wild yams taste
completely different from farmed ones.

00:45:27.474 --> 00:45:32.312
Oh, it’s perfectly burned, Sato-san.
Just the right amount.

00:45:42.030 --> 00:45:46.660
It’s ready, everyone. Bon appétit.
This year’s fresh rice.

00:45:57.755 --> 00:46:00.048
These are the bits the regulars donated.

00:46:33.123 --> 00:46:36.210
Master, it’s delicious but...

00:46:37.085 --> 00:46:39.588
- The pebble...
- That’s on the house.

00:46:39.963 --> 00:46:41.965
The pebble is also on the house.

00:47:33.058 --> 00:47:34.643
Who’s next?

00:47:44.444 --> 00:47:48.490
How will I feel when Bizentei is gone?

00:47:50.659 --> 00:47:54.580
Well, I guess it’s unavoidable.

00:47:57.332 --> 00:48:01.211
And I wouldn’t want
to compel him to continue.

00:48:02.004 --> 00:48:04.756
But of course, I’ll be sad.

00:48:21.607 --> 00:48:25.277
I’ll probably feel an emptiness.
It’s a part of my life.

00:48:28.447 --> 00:48:34.369
To suddenly lose that
will make me feel sad.

00:49:00.520 --> 00:49:04.399
I’d like to maintain
our relationship with Master.

00:49:04.900 --> 00:49:09.821
I’m confident that we will
even after the place is gone.

00:49:35.472 --> 00:49:37.474
I’m not sure what I’ll do.

00:49:39.601 --> 00:49:43.897
I think it’ll be hard for everyone.

00:50:16.847 --> 00:50:21.226
Here you go, Chairman.
With a homemade mochi rice cake in it.

00:50:22.561 --> 00:50:24.938
Running a ramen shop is hard work.

00:50:25.397 --> 00:50:30.402
Injuries are common.
Tending to heavy and hot things.

00:50:30.944 --> 00:50:32.612
We shouldn’t be too demanding.

00:50:33.321 --> 00:50:34.865
It goes well with ramen.

00:50:35.282 --> 00:50:37.492
It does. Refreshing, right?

00:50:53.216 --> 00:50:58.930
But there are even guys in their 80s
still going full steam.

00:50:59.389 --> 00:51:02.559
He finally realized
lazing around at home is no good.

00:51:03.101 --> 00:51:07.439
I told him he should do it
for as long as he’s healthy.

00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:11.902
Ouch. Hot.

00:51:13.904 --> 00:51:17.449
As a kid, there were those
exciting moments you waited for.

00:51:17.616 --> 00:51:20.535
“Oh, I can’t wait for that trip next week.”

00:51:21.119 --> 00:51:24.790
That’s how I feel
with this ramen in front of me.

00:51:25.165 --> 00:51:29.252
You could say I keep coming back here
to recapture that feeling.

00:51:29.878 --> 00:51:34.591
Losing this place will be hard.
I try not to think about it.

00:51:40.889 --> 00:51:44.309
But won’t it be a shame
to lose this taste?

00:51:44.851 --> 00:51:49.773
I said, “Don’t you want
to teach it to someone?”

00:51:50.315 --> 00:51:56.196
But he always says,
“No, it’s fine. When it’s over, it’s over.”

00:52:12.712 --> 00:52:15.132
I made new friends here.

00:52:17.008 --> 00:52:22.055
Thanks to this place and Master.

00:52:27.727 --> 00:52:29.646
I’m truly grateful.

00:52:33.650 --> 00:52:37.445
I hope he can keep this place
for us to come back to...

00:52:38.780 --> 00:52:41.116
...for as long as possible.

00:52:43.910 --> 00:52:48.206
He always said,
“You have a place to come back to.”

00:53:12.522 --> 00:53:15.233
I used to think about retiring early.

00:53:15.483 --> 00:53:19.362
But lately, I’m worried
I might go a bit senile.

00:53:19.905 --> 00:53:21.865
I’d have my fun hobbies…

00:53:22.282 --> 00:53:25.911
...but those require strength.

00:53:26.786 --> 00:53:31.208
This work is actually refreshing.

00:53:31.583 --> 00:53:33.335
Because I can quit anytime.

00:53:36.796 --> 00:53:39.382
But it has become
quite fun for me here.

00:53:42.510 --> 00:53:45.013
With customers coming back
for such a long time.

00:53:54.397 --> 00:53:57.734
Part of me wants to quit
while I’m still healthy.

00:53:58.276 --> 00:54:01.821
But I want to keep going.
I can probably last a while.

00:54:06.368 --> 00:54:09.621
I think it’s completely up to him.

00:54:11.122 --> 00:54:15.168
If tomorrow he says,
“I don’t want to go anymore. I quit.”

00:54:15.418 --> 00:54:17.420
That would be okay with me.

00:54:19.422 --> 00:54:21.091
But as far as when to quit…

00:54:22.259 --> 00:54:25.345
...I’ve told him he should
consider himself and nobody else.

00:54:25.929 --> 00:54:28.265
“Happy Birthday, Dear Grandpa...”

00:54:39.776 --> 00:54:46.449
As long as he keeps
running Bizentei, I’ll be there.

00:54:48.743 --> 00:54:52.455
We see Bizentei as a
one generation restaurant.

00:54:53.081 --> 00:54:56.459
It existed to support
our family and that’s it.

00:54:57.127 --> 00:55:00.547
We don’t intend
to have anyone take it over.

00:55:04.050 --> 00:55:05.844
When it came to Bizentei...

00:55:06.219 --> 00:55:09.681
...he worked incredibly hard.

00:55:10.765 --> 00:55:12.809
That impressed me a lot.

00:55:16.855 --> 00:55:21.943
His personality and
and his intense focus there...

00:55:22.235 --> 00:55:24.237
That’s really something.

00:55:24.696 --> 00:55:29.242
Although I’ve never told him that directly.

00:55:36.124 --> 00:55:38.084
Everyone is so nice.

00:55:38.543 --> 00:55:43.506
His life is supported by Bizentei in a way.

00:55:44.299 --> 00:55:48.094
If he continues as long as he can...

00:55:48.553 --> 00:55:50.430
...even in a limited way...

00:55:50.847 --> 00:55:53.516
I think that would be good for him.