Kana Yamamoto (Mayuma Yoshida) returns from Vancouver to her Tokyo home, for the first time in a decade, for her grandmother’s funeral.
Kana is a struggling artist yet to find success like her late artist grandfather. As well she has yet to find success in love after being “dumped” by her Tokyo boyfriend Hiro (Ryo Tajima) just prior to boarding a plane with her to Vancouver. Being in love they were to start a new life together by emigrating to Canada.
Traversing time to the past (as the film frequently does) her grandmother stated then there were few options for postwar marriage in Japan and she married her grandfather knowing he was in love with another married woman. Her grandmother mused life may be more difficult for those with numerous options.
Kana discovers the aggrieved spouses surprisingly recognize a higher form of love suffered at their expense but appreciated.
Perhaps the words of Kana’s father somewhat define “Akashi” upon him saying no one really knows how to live their life only pretending to live life like one is expected to do. Perhaps being lost is exactly where you need to be. There are few truly happy people in “Akashi” being deceived, lost, frustrated or unsuccessful but that is where they are at the moment and that is how they live their lives accepting it and even strangely embracing it.
The film has deceptive soap opera moments about love and deception but dig deeper you’ll find deeper meanings however at times you may just not be sure what they are but have fun attempting to make those determinations unless you are totally distracted by “that omnipresent silly hat”.
Directed by Mayuma Yoshida.
World Premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival 5/9October2025.
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Film Rating 71/100.
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