AllMovie

Shun Nakahara directs this quiet romantic drama geared towards Japan's graying baby boomers. A recent divorcee, Naoko (Jun Fubuki) moves back to her hometown, opens a bar called Coquille and, for the first time in years, drops in on her junior high school reunion. There she learns that she has little in common with most of her aging classmates -- with the exception of the straight-laced Urayama (Kaoru Kobayashi), whom Naoko loved from a far throughout her school days. Overwhelmed by the pressures of work and family, Urayama barely remembers Naoko, but as they dance she manages to rekindle some old memories. In particular, she reminds him of the time after kendo practice when she whispered something into his right ear. Unbeknownst to her, Urayama is deaf in his right ear and never got Naoko's schoolgirl words of love. Later, Urayama pays Coquille a visit with his bumptious boss (Sansho Shinsui), who promptly makes a drunken fool of himself. In spite of this, Urayama soon becomes a regular at the bar just as he learns that he is going to be transferred to Tokyo. Just before he leaves, Naoko asks him a favor -- to go on a day hike to a local mountain they climbed as students. Urayama acquiesces and they find themselves spending the night in a mountain lodge, grappling with both their passions and societal responsibilities.