Tenko runs a pension alone. The pension is located in a forest in Nagano, that is full of the Japanese larch tree. She interacts with her guests, who come from all walks of life.
One morning, while Tenko (Satomi Kobayashi) is tending to her garden, a strangely well-dressed man named Tsuneki (Koji Yakusho) suddenly appears from the bushes. He says he is looking for a place to stay for the night, and Tenko is puzzled, but decides to let him stay at the pension. Tenko, however, gradually begins to forgive Tsuneki, who is friendly and knows a lot about mountains, forests, and nature.
Mitsue (Shizuka Ishibashi) arrives at a campground by herself. As she struggles to set up her tent, veteran solo camper Ogawa (Bengal) approaches her from a nearby tent. Mitsue is horrified at Ogawa's constant interfering and leaves the campground. While walking around looking for another place to stay, she runs into Tenko on her way home from shopping, and before she knows it, she's staying at Pension Mezza!
A regular customer, photographer Fuki (Itaya Yuka), arrives after a long absence. Once again, Fuki brings with her the positives of the photos she has taken. Tenko and Fuki decide to burn the accumulated positives in the garden in the middle of summer. As they talk about recent events, Tenko notices that Fuki's mind has changed in the time they have not seen each other. As the two of them talk over dinner as usual, Tenko casually mentions Fuki's mental problems.
Tenko is looking for something in the morning. When she steps out onto her front porch, she sees a strange young man on a bicycle riding up and down the street in front of her, looking back and forth as if he were watching her. When Tenko approaches him, he asks for a glass of water. She invites him in and offers him a glass of water, which he drinks without even taking a breath and suddenly begins to cry. The man, Souma (Kentaro Ito), is a student and says he is cycling around Japan. He had lost his mobile phone and was lost on the road.
A pleasant morning. There were no overnight guests today. After cleaning up, Tenko goes for a walk alone in the neighborhood. When she visits a famous local spring, she happens to meet Yamabiko (Takashi Yamanaka) of Yamabiko Store. Yamabiko is also on holiday today, and was visiting a nearby ancient tomb. Yamabiko takes Tenko back to the pension. Tenko invites Yamabiko in for a cup of tea as a thank you. Tenko listens to Yamabiko's story on the terrace. The sun is quietly setting.
A voice comes from the doorway. When Tenko opens the door, she finds Koma-chan (Ken Mitsuishi) standing there, dressed in a samue. Koma-chan is Tenko's former lover. Koma-chan is somewhat absent-minded, but still as kind-hearted as ever. The two tease each other about their advancing years and talk about the good old days. Koma-chan is still as good at making coffee as she used to be. Koma-chan invites Tenko for a walk. They meet a woodsman on a forest path.
Yamame (Toruko Miura) walking in the forest. Yamame has not been to the pension for a long time, and she and her mother have often come to stay here since Tenko started the place. The two of them stand in the kitchen, looking familiar. They talk about memories of Yamame's mother, who passed away a few years ago, as they cook. After dinner, Tenko suddenly says to Yamame: "Why don't you come and live here?" to Yamame. Tenko encourages Yamame to try something new, while she decides on her own future.
Satomi Kobayashi
Tenko
Koji Yakusho
Tsuneki
Shizuka Ishibashi
Mitsue
Bengal
Ogawa
Yuka Itaya
Fuki
Ken Mitsuishi
Koma-chan
Toko Miura
Yamame
Masako Motai
Forest person
Takashi Yamanaka
Yamabiko
2002
1998
2019
2024
2001
2018
2014
1986
2015
2016
1977
2012
2022
2026
2010
