kamome shokudo/ruokala lokki (the seagull diner)

[cimorene]

I bought a movie yesterday that I've been wanting since I first heard of it: Kamome shokudo is "the first Japanese movie filmed in Finland", a sweet and off-beat story about a Japanese restaurant in Helsinki and the Japanese and Finnish people it brings together.

Because of my long interest in Japan and my less long, but more immediate interest in Finland (and the situation of foreigners living in it), I found it especially wonderfully compelling, although I think it stands up quite well in its own right. I kept thinking I should rip and upload it for people, but then I remembered that the film's in Japanese and the subtitles are only in Finnish and Swedish, which rather reduces its audience, although since it does have an international title and was screened at the Montreal film festival, it must have been subtitled in English already somewhere.

Satomi Kobayashi in the lead role was really adorable, almost as striking as the beautiful Marimekko clothes, Iittala dishes, and Artek furniture.

Comments

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested if you do upload it. :)

[vellum.livejournal.com]

japan and sweden is a match made in heaven, methinks.

[kmazzy.livejournal.com]

oh i lust after those dishes.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Finland. Japan and Finland have a lot of things in common - design styles and aesthetics, attitudes to food, structurally complex non-Indo-European languages with similar pronunciation, cultural insularity and immigration policies.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

The striped ones in the bottom are iittala Origo ( http://www.finnishdesignshop.com/origo-mug-light-blue-p-2698.html?language=en&country=222 ). I'm not sure the pattern of the plain ones... I think the stuff she's using for cooking at the top is Arabia Arctica, but the thin-edged white plates second from the bottom are the kind of style I never pay any attention to (I want my dishes colourful: mine are turquoise (http://www.finnishdesignshop.com/iittala-teema-iittala-teema-turquoise-c-26_104_322.html?language=en&country=") and olive (http://www.finnishdesignshop.com/iittala-teema-iittala-teema-olive-gre-c-26_104_298.html?language=en&country=) Teema).

[kmazzy.livejournal.com]

it's the striped ones i was lusting after. i have a big fondness for stripes.

although the tiny blue and white flower bowls are nice too. when i find my camera cable i MUST take pics of my gorgeous bowls with the translucent blue rice grains in. they are so so cute.

[vellum.livejournal.com]

i'm a product of my american generation: i can't tell geography for shit. sorry. D:

[riverlight.livejournal.com]

I actually would be interested if you ever did upload it. My Swedish is pretty basic (mostly learned from my grandmother, and years of my mother and her sisters using it whenever they didn't want us kids to understand) and I always love practicing.

Actually, I've been meaning to ask you—if this isn't prying—how did you end up in Finland? Or are you Finnish? For whatever reason I've had the impression from reading your journal that you're originally from somewhere else (though honestly, it could be an entirely unfounded impression, I don't know!) and I've been curious.

/ random drive-by post!

[cimness.livejournal.com]

There's a post of basic facts about me linked from my userinfo that explains this sort of thing. I'm American. I moved here three years ago to be with my better half, wax_jism, who is a member of the Swedish-speaking finn minority.

[riverlight.livejournal.com]

Ah, you'd think I would have thought to look at profiles first, now, wouldn't you? Not so smart, me!

*g* Sorry 'bout that.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

No, not at all! It's a bit longer there, but I don't mind being asked!