Mann sein ist schwer, Grüße aus Shibamata

In the organizer's words:

男はつらいよ 柴又より愛をこめて
Otoko wa tsurai yo, Shibamata yori ai o komete

Director: YAMADA Yôji
1985, 105 minutes, OVD, 16 mm

Between 1969 and 1995, a total of 48 episodes of the cult series "Being a man is hard" were made, focusing on the lovable traveling salesman Tora-san, played by audience favorite Atsumi Kiyoshi (1928-1996). The self-contained stories accompany the anti-hero Tora-san on his travels to the various regions of Japan. On his wanderings, he makes new acquaintances in various situations and knows how to win people over with humor and a big heart.

The 36th episode of the series is about Akemi, the daughter of a print shop owner in Shibamata, who has run away from home because of her unhappy marriage. Tora-san is supposed to bring her back, but Akemi refuses. They travel to the island of Shikinejima, where Tora-san loses his heart to the beautiful Machiko.

Film series
Films about being on the road - moving Japanese stories

As part of the theme month TABI - On the Road, we are showing films that tell moving stories of people who embark not only on an external but also an internal journey and are faced with unexpected challenges, either voluntarily or by force.

It begins with a science fiction story about a young girl who, after an incident in the school laboratory, gains the ability to travel through time and predict things(Toki o kakeru shôjo). This is followed by an episode of a long-running cult series about the likeable anti-hero Tora-san, who experiences the joys and sorrows of love first-hand on one of his journeys to the various regions of Japan(Otoko wa tsurai yo, Shibamata yori ai o komete).

However, leaving for a distant place can also mean a painful farewell, the wounds of which you carry with you for a lifetime, as a drama set in Okinawa vividly shows(Nabii no koi). The third part of the Kita-Kyûshû trilogy by Aoyama Shinji is dedicated to society's stranded and their long-suppressed emotions(Saddo vakeishon). The series is rounded off by a road movie about a middle-aged woman who has lived isolated from society for many years and is forced to embark on an upsetting journey following the death of her father(Roppyaku gojûhachi kiro, Yôko no tabi).

Price information:

Admission free