A Journal Of My Father

After more than a decade away, Yoichi Yamashita returns to his hometown for a solemn occasion: the funeral of his father. As relatives gather to mourn, shared drinks loosen tongues and unlock long-buried memories. Through their stories and quiet confidences, Yoichi is gradually drawn back into the landscape of his own childhood, confronting a past he had left behind. Vivid recollections begin to surface, painting a complex portrait of his early years. He remembers lazy spring afternoons spent playing on the floor of his father’s barber shop, the devastating fire that consumed both the city and his family home, the painful dissolution of his parents’ marriage, and the sudden arrival of a new stepmother. Each memory adds depth to a history he thought he understood. Through these shared reflections with those who knew his family best, Yoichi begins to see his father in an entirely new light. The man he had long resented as distant and emotionally absent slowly transforms into someone far more nuanced. Ultimately, this journey home becomes more than a farewell; it is a profound rediscovery of the parent he never truly knew.