is a Japanese film released on 29 May 2010. The film was produced by Shūji Abe, directed by Yoshinari Nishikōri, and stars

Kiichi Nakai is a Japanese actor. His name was given by Yasujirō Ozu. His father, Keiji Sada, also a movie actor, died when Nakai was only two years old. Nakai started his acting career while he was still in university and was awarded the Rookie of the Ye ...

and

Reiko Takashima is a Japanese actress. Career Takashima starred in Shinji Aoyama's 1999 film '' EM Embalming''. She has also appeared in films such as '' K-20: Legend of the Mask'', ''Railways'' and ''Space Battleship Yamato''. Filmography Film * ''Like a Rol ...

. This is the first movie in the Railways trilogy of films.

Plot

The movie tells the story of a 49-year-old office worker, who quits his job in Tokyo to become a

train driver A train driver is a person who operates a train, railcar, or other rail transport vehicle. The driver is in charge of and is responsible for the mechanical operation of the train, train speed, and all of the train handling (also known as bra ...

on the rural

Ichibata Electric Railway Ichibata Electric Railway Co., Ltd. is the name of two related, yet different companies in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. was a railway operator until 2006, when it became a holding company of the Ichibata Group, spinning off its railway division to i ...

Shimane Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a ge ...

Cast

as Hajime Tsutsui *

Yuika Motokariya is a Japanese actress. She is signed with the Stardust Promotion agency. Filmography Dramas * '' 3 nen B gumi Kinpachi sensei Season 6'' (2001) * ''Satokibi Batake no Uta'' (2003) * '' Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu'' (2004) * ''Fight'' (2 ...

as Sachi, Hajime's daughter *

as Yukiko, Hajime's wife *

Tomoko Naraoka was a Japanese actress and narrator. The daughter of a painter, she was born in Komagome, Hongō (present-day Bunkyo), in the city of Tokyo, Japan. She graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design. Naraoka debuted as a cinema actres ...

as Kinyo, Hajime's mother *

Takahiro Miura is a Japanese actor. He graduated from Juntendo University Sports Health Science Department. He is represented with Anoré. His father is Tomokazu Miura who is also an actor, his mother is an actress and a former singer Momoe Yamaguchi , kno ...

as Miyata Daigo *

Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it ...

as the Ichibata Railway chief *

Shiro Sano Shiro, Shirō, Shirow or Shirou may refer to: People *, leader of the Shimabara Rebellion *, Japanese boxer *, Japanese football player 1923–1925 *, Japanese composer *, Japanese weightlifter *, Japanese microbiologist and lieutenant general * ...

as the Ichibata Railway deputy *

Yoshiko Miyazaki Yoshiko is a feminine Japanese given name. Written forms The name Yoshiko can have a variety of different meanings depending on which kanji characters are used to write it. Over 200 possible variations of the name exist. Some of the most common v ...

as Moriyama, a nurse *

Kenichi Endō is a Japanese actor and writer. He also worked as a narrator for many documentaries, both on television and film. He is best known for his roles in '' Visitor Q'' (2001), '' Crows Zero'' (2007), ''Crows Zero 2'' (2009), and '' The Raid 2: Bera ...

as Kawahira * Ken Nakamoto as Nishida *

Masahiro Komoto Masahiro is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese councillor (''Rōjū'') *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese artist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese ...

as Fukushima, the chief instructor *

Tetsu Watanabe is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films since 1989. Selected filmography Film Television References External links Agency profile * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Tetsu 1950 births Living people People from Tokoname ...

as Takahashi, a veteran train mechanic * Kanta Ogata as Yabuuchi, the train driver trainer *

Masanori Ishii is a Japanese actor, comedian and narrator. In August 1994, he teamed up with Yoshiyuki Ishizuka to form the comedy duo "Ari to kirigirisu" or "Ant to the Grasshopper" . He has had roles in such works as '' The Incite Mill'' (2010), '' Suite Dr ...

as Takubo, the railway controller *

Matsunosuke Shofukutei Matsunosuke (foaled 25 February 2002) is a racehorse owned and trained by A B Coogan in Soham, Cambridgeshire Famous Living Racehorse Matsunosuke is a flat racing racehorse in the UK who has won in class 1 listed company and competed in Group ...

as Toyo, the gardener

Film Series Overview

Railways stands as a prelude to the subsequent pair of films within this cinematic series:

"Crossroads" (2011)

Known as ''RAILWAYS 愛を伝えられない大人たちへ'' (''Railways: Ai wo Tsutaerare Nai Otonatachi e'') in Japanese and directed by Kurakata Masatoshi, this film focuses on Takishima Toru, a railway driver approaching his mandatory retirement at 59. When his wife Sawako decides to reenter the nursing profession, their relationship faces challenges and transformations.

"Our Departures" (2018)

Directed by Yasuhiro Yoshida, this film follows Akira Okuzono (

Kasumi Arimura , is a Japanese actress. Her television roles have included the young Haruko Amano in the 2013 NHK asadora '' Amachan'' and the lead role in the 2017 asadora '' Hiyokko''. She has also appeared in several films, including '' Flying Colors'', for ...

) as she copes with the loss of her husband. Alongside her stepson Shunya, she relocates to her late husband's hometown and forms an unexpected family connection with her father-in-law, Setsuo (

Jun Kunimura is a Japanese actor who has performed in Cinema of Japan, Japan, the Cinema of the United States, United States, and Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for ...

). Inspired by Setsuo's career as a railway driver and her late husband's dreams, Akira embarks on a new path by pursuing the same profession.

References

External links

Official website
* 2010 films Rail transport films Films set in Shimane Prefecture 2010s Japanese films {{2010s-Japan-film-stub