is a novel by Japanese author Teru Miyamoto. Serialized in local newspapers from 1985 to 1986 and published by

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...

, it follows Noriko Kai as she manages the French restaurant Avignon in

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

after her husband's death. A painter named Masamichi Takami later discovers a letter revealing Noriko's late husband had a hidden child. As the restaurant faces scandals and threats from a criminal couple, Noriko enlists the help of a private detective and her staff to save Avignon. Noriko later confronts the criminals and embraces her husband's secret child. In 1989, the story was adapted into a television drama that aired on

NHK General TV , abbreviated on-screen as NHK G, is the main television service of NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster. Its programming includes news, drama, quiz/variety shows, music, sports, anime, and specials which compete directly with the output of its co ...

, starring

Shima Iwashita is a Japanese stage and film actress who has appeared in films of Yasujirō Ozu, Keisuke Kinoshita, Masaki Kobayashi and most frequently of Masahiro Shinoda, her husband. She is best known for starring in the '' Yakuza Wives'' series of yakuza ...

Hideaki Nitani was a Japanese actor. Career Born in Kyoto Prefecture, Nitani attended Doshisha University but quit before graduating. He first worked as an announcer at Nagasaki Broadcasting Company, but in 1956 made his debut as an actor at Nikkatsu. Gaining ...

, and

Toshiyuki Nagashima is a Japanese actor. He won the award for Best Newcomer at the 3rd Hochi Film Awards for '' Kaerazaru hibi'' and for Best Actor at the 6th Hochi Film Awards for '' Enrai''. Selected filmography Film *'' Kaerazaru hibi'' (1978) *''Third Base' ...

. That same year, Kadokawa Eiga released a film adaptation of the story, which premiered on October 7, 1989. It features

Yūko Kotegawa is a Japanese actress from the city of Ōita. Biography Yūko graduated from high school in the city of Ōita. She placed first in the 1976 Miss Salad Girl contest (the runner-up was Yūko Natori). She landed a part in a Kanebo cosmetics com ...

as Noriko Kai and

Junko Sakurada is a Japanese singer and actress. She was part of a music trio in 1973, which included Momoe Yamaguchi and Masako Mori. Sakurada then became successful in a solo music career, with 18 top ten singles in the 1970s. Her acting career ran from 1 ...

as Misa Araki, both of whom received accolades at the 13th Japan Academy Awards. The film had an early release in the

Kansai region The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropol ...

on September 15, 1989. Additionally, the Japanese band Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe released the single "Hana no Furu Gogo" on September 5, 1989, as a tie-in for the film.

Biographical background and publication

Teru Miyamoto was born and raised in

, and several of his works are set in the city. This story, in particular, is set in the uptown area of Kobe. The story was serialized in local newspapers, including the ''Minami-Nihon Shimbun'', the ''Niigata Nippo'', the ''Tokushima Shimbun'', and the ''Kita-Nihon Shimbun'', from 1985 to 1986. In the afterword to ''Miyamoto Teru Zenshū dai 8-kan'', he wrote that the reason for writing this work was his desire to see the good people in the story find happiness after a series of accidents and misfortunes involving friends, acquaintances, and family members.

Plot summary

After the death of her husband, Yoshinao, in 1981, Noriko Kai manages the French restaurant Avignon in Kobe, which Yoshinao had left behind. Four years later, Masamichi Takami, a young painter, visits the restaurant and offers Noriko a painting called ''White House'' and proposes holding his own exhibition there. However, a letter from Yoshinao was discovered on the back of the painting, revealing to Noriko that he had a hidden child. Around the same time, waiters Shuichi Akitsu, Toshihiro Mizuno, and manager Naoe Hayama quit their jobs at Avignon due to a scandal. Consulting her acquaintance, Doctor Wong Kin Ming, Noriko learns that Yukio and Misa Araki, a couple involved in gambling and diamond smuggling, were attempting to take over Avignon. Noriko enlists Yoshinao's best friend, private detective Kenichi Kudo, to investigate the Araki couple. During this period, the driver Koshiba and chef Katsuro Kaga were attacked and injured, forcing Avignon to close temporarily. Encouraged by Takami and with the efforts of Kaga, Avignon soon reopened. However, Misa Araki plans to take Jill, the daughter of her neighbor Reed Brown, as a hostage to seize the land. Noriko infiltrated the Araki couple's cruiser party and rescue Jill. Misa then attempted to reach out to Mika, Yoshinao's secret child, but Noriko confronts Misa and persuaded her to abandon her plan, empathizing with her sadness. Later, Mika unexpectedly visits Avignon, and Noriko warmly welcome her, watching over her with care.

Media

Television drama

In 1989, a

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

adaptation of the book aired on

. The drama starred

, and

. It was written by Hata Mineaki and directed by Hiroyuki Eguchi, with the theme song "Hitori Botchi no Dimanshe (Nichiyōbi)" by Yasuko Ōki.

Film

On October 7, 1989, Kadokawa Eiga released a film adaptation at the Miyukiza and other Toho foreign film theaters.

(portraying Noriko Kai) won the Best Actress award at the 13th Japan Academy Awards, while

(portraying Misa Araki) won the Best Supporting Actress award. Filming took place in

Kitano-chō or is a historical district in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, which contains a number of foreign residences from the late Meiji and early Taishō eras of Japanese history. While the term can refer to any foreign residence of this period ...

, a district within Kobe. Because it was set and filmed in Kobe, it was released a month early on September 15 in the

. The official soundtrack was produced by

Haruki Kadokawa is a Japanese entrepreneur and filmmaker. He is the son of Genyoshi Kadokawa, the founder of the publishing company Kadokawa Shoten. He took over as president of the company in 1975 after his father's death. He entered the film industry as a pro ...

and featured songs mostly composed by

Kazuhiko Katō , nicknamed , was a Japanese record producer, songwriter and singer. He sometimes used the spelling of "Kazuhiko Katoh". History As a member of the Folk Crusaders, Katō launched his recording career in the mid-1960s. "Kaettekita Yopparai (I ...

, along with three songs by Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe, including an original song used as the theme. The film grossed 300 million yen at the box office.

Awards and nominations

Music

On September 5, 1989, the Japanese band Carlos Toshiki & Omega Tribe released the single "Hana no Furu Gogo" as a tie-in for the film. The song was included in the soundtrack, which was released on September 10. "Hana no Furu Gogo" serves as the theme song and was the last single and single cassette released by VAP before the band moved to the

Warner Pioneer , is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Tokyo, that specializes in digital entertainment products. The company was founded by Nozomu Matsumoto on January 1, 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop. Its current president is ...

label. The B-side, "Bad Girl," was composed by

Yasuharu Konishi is a Japanese musician, composer and DJ. He was a founding member of Pizzicato Five and the only such to stay with the group until its breakup in 2001. Konishi's current activities are through his company readymade entertainment and his record ...

and

Carlos Toshiki is a Japanese Brazilian singer and farmer known for being the singer for the Japanese band Omega Tribe from 1986 to 1991. During his time as the lead vocalist of Omega Tribe, he was known for having a soft voice, with the singles " Kimi ha 10 ...

and is from the album of the same name. Written by

Masao Urino is a Japanese lyricist, screenwriter, script writer, and film director. He has written lyrics for many musical groups and individual musician, artists, sometimes under the pen name, pseudonym . After graduating from Tochigi Prefectural Ashikaga ...

and

Tetsuji Hayashi is a Japanese composer, singer-songwriter, and arranger known for his influential contributions to the development of J-pop and city pop during the 1980s. He was exposed to Western pop music from an early age, sparking his passion for music. He ...

, "Hana no Furu Gogo" peaked at number 26 on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

. The song was later included in the 2022 re-release of ''Bad Girl'', alongside other tracks that were not part of the original album.

References

{{Kazuki Ōmori, state=collapsed 1988 Japanese novels Japanese novels adapted into films Japanese novels adapted into television shows 1989 films 1989 television films 1989 singles Songs written by Tetsuji Hayashi Novels set in Japan Films directed by Kazuki Ōmori 1980s Japanese films