Episode45: Tervetuloa!

 A film brought me to a northern country. Ruokala Lokki, Kamome Diner, is a Japanese woman’s history. She tries to open her own diner single-handedly in Helsinki. However, no one comes in. She is waiting for customers day after day, alone, in silence. A few people pass by the diner looking with curiosity, while she wipes dishes and glasses. But, nobody comes.

 One day, a young Finnish student steps in the diner. He asked Sachie, the owner, “ Kamome ?”. Suddenly, it hit her, “yes, Kamome… Tervetuloa!”

Thus, Tommy Hiltunen became a first customer of Kamome Diner. To be honest, I had some kind of sad and melancholic image about Finland. For Aki Kaurismäki’s films are always described by extremely minimalized touch. Simple story and laconic dialogue cut off much emotion have struck me as being sad.

 Kamome Diner also is a simple story. But it is more humorous than those films. It changed my preloaded image. I love to trace film stories. At Akateeminen Kirjakauppa I bought books, I walked around Esplanadi street, and I had a cup of coffee at Ursula Café. It was when I was looking for Kamome Diner, having been renovated for the film, on the Pursimienhenkatu. Someone talked to me in Japanese. There was no one else other than me. Turning back, I found a Japanese young woman was standing.

“Today is very hot, isn’t it? Would you like to come in and have a cup of tea?”

 She worked at Atelier KAMOME. According to her, Kamome Diner had been already closed, instead, Ravintola Kamome was opened. Unfortunately it was closed during the day. So, I had a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll there. I asked her why she worked in Finland. She answered, “ when I lived in Japan, I met a Finnish man. I moved to Finland with him and married him. Now, I luckily took over the café from ex-owner, and I’m here”.

 This looks a film. I have a lot of things that I want to do. But, how many times have I abandoned them because of my cowardice? Drinking a cup of coffee, I was impressed with her courage to jump in the new world.

※毎月1日、15日に掲載予定です。
※この記事は、The Traveler’s Time vol.3に収録。

第45話　Tervetuloa（いらっしゃいませ）!

私を北の国へ誘いざなったのは一本の映画だ。

それは『かもめ食堂』という映画で、ある女性の話だった。ヘルシンキで自分の食堂を自力で出そうとしたのだが、店には誰もやって来ない。来る日も来る日も客が来るのを待っている。１人で、じっと。洗い物をしていると、興味深げに通り過ぎる人々もいたが、店には入って来ないのだ。

ある日、フィンランド人の学生が食堂へ入ってきた。「かもめ？」とサチエに尋ねる。とっさの出来事にサチエは、「ええ、かもめ…。Tervetuloa（いらっしゃいませ）！」と慌てて返事をした。