Original subtitles

On my days off,

I began to walk around my hometown Yokohama by myself.

I hadn't noticed it before,

but there are plenty of interesting places around here.

Daigakuin

Daigakuin no Coffee

Unexpected encounters in unexpected places.

This one's a winner.

I can't help it.

It's like I've absorbed his way of talking, I guess.

He hasn't been updating his social media as of late.

No invitations to famous buildings either.

I've recently made it a thing to come here and idle.

That person...

She's here again.

I remembered a movie I saw a long time ago.

I've been busy these days.

Work?

Yeah, sort of...

That girl is in Yokohama, right?

Yokohama must have some famous buildings too, right?

There's gotta be something...

I've been having fun with my work recently.

Ah, I'm drawing a blank.

But I haven't given up on the cafe.

Long time no read.

"If you're free tomorrow, why don't we go to a famous building

where you can enjoy the sun of Yokohama?"

The sun of Yokohama?

Translation: HPriest / Twitter: @hpriestsubs

I'm so sorry, really. My apologies.

Please calm down.

I'm sorry.

- Long time no see. - Hello.

This is for the gift from Omiya you gave me before.

Thank you very much.

Do you come to Yokohama often?

Nah, not these days...

I just happen to have some business to take care of here.

Business?

I'm meeting someone.

I'm sorry about that, but I only have half the day.

Not at all.

Then, shall we?

- Yes!

Right! Let me carry that for you.

Oh, that's very kind of you.

Now!

Yes!

I haven't been here in a very long time.

I'll be under your care, Master.

The Kanagawa Prefectural Library and Music Hall.

Kanagawa Prefectural Library

Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall

Both were built in 1954.

Designed by Maekawa Kunio.

They're regarded as masterpieces of Japanese postwar modernism.

This sense of horizontality....

The exterior alone has Maekawa Kunio written all over.

The International House of Japan!

Kito Azusa, who was a staff member of the architectural firm,

was in charge of designing this library together with Maekawa.

Kito was later involved in the designs of more than 30 libraries, including the National Diet Library,

and became a pioneer in library architecture.

He was someone who drastically changed the designs of libraries.

In order to make them more approachable,

he created open and accessible libraries

where people can freely browse.

I wonder how long it would take to read all of the books in here.

You'd be staying here for the rest of your life.

A library camp.

Hm?

"Library Camp."

You're having fun again today.

I guess.

Uekusa-san. I've been awaiting you.

- It's been a while. - It's an honor to have you.

The honor is ours.

- This way. - Okay.

This is the Kanagawa Prefectural Music Hall,

built in 1954.

The prefectural governor, Uchiyama.

He believed that people needed music for the post-war recovery,

and although the construction of the prefectural library had already been settled,

he decided to build this music hall together with the library.

Such a vivid color scheme!

Very distinctive.

It seems to be the same as back then.

Maekawa's master, Le Corbusier.

He used this kind of color scheme a lot.

He must have gotten it from him.

This floor is great, too!

You're right.

Embellished and polished concrete.

It's a labor-intensive technique called terrazzo.

The floor you see here. If it ever gets broken,

there are no more artisans who can fix it in the same way,

so we take very good care of it every single day.

Also, this music hall here.

It's 66 years old this year.

They were going to demolish this music hall and library.

The Kanagawa Prefectural Government came up with the idea of building an art center here.

And so, there was a movement against that idea from the music and architecture communities.

Well, all that happened around 1992,

which is also when the bubble economy burst,

so the Kanagawa Prefecture withdrew the idea of an art center.

And that's why we still have these Maekawa buildings today.

It triggered a big change in the flow of things and allowed them to be used for a long time to come.

And now, 66 years after it was built, they're still being used by many people.

They've kept it this beautiful for more than 60 years.

Impressive.

Fascinating, right?

Knowing this, it makes you want to walk around without stepping on it.

Does the shape of the shadows change depending on the time of the day?

I'm sure it does.

A collaboration of nature and famous architecture.

Indeed.

Look at these pillars.

You can still see the remains of the formwork.

Back then, they didn't have concrete mixer trucks,

so the concrete was made by hand on site.

By hand?

They poured it little by little.

That's amazing!

That kind of ruggedness.

It's mesmerizing!

Right.

It's cool to the touch.

The cross-section of this railing. A fascinating form.

See?

It's designed to fit a person's hand.

Ah, you're right!

See?

It fits.

It fits.

It fits.

It fits and fits.

It fits and fits and fits and fits and fits.

Those blocks are very unique.

- Yes.

These are so-called hollow bricks,

but it's not just for decoration.

It reflects the sunlight coming in from the outside

and fills the rooms with soft light.

So you could say that it was specifically designed for the library.

The great thing about these blocks is their shape.

They block the strong sunlight in summer

and in winter, they let warm light inside.

The angles of these blocks were carefully calculated based on the altitude of the sun in Yokohama.

That's why it's a great building to enjoy the sun of Yokohama.

I mean, it's incredible, right?

I understand it now.

Smells nice.

Must be the wood, right?

Yeah.

As you can see, the walls

as well as the wavy white ceiling above, it's all wood.

For example, if you think of yourself as being inside the body of a violin,

it makes it easier to imagine.

And although the reverberation is not so much as 1.4 seconds,

it has a distinctive soft, wooden and clear sound.

I once talked to a person from back then,

and they told me that on days they'd come here to listen to a concert,

they'd finish their work at five, go home for dinner,

and then come to the music hall to listen to the concert.

During the reconstruction and rapid economic growth,

people lacked all kinds of things and the situation was still difficult for most.

I could tell that, compared to today,

it had a whole different meaning to them, when they could say,

"I'm going to the music hall tonight."

I guess many people gathered here

and received courage for the reconstruction of Yokohama.

It's a place filled with the thoughts

and feelings of the people of that time.

I didn't know about this place.

It's been a while for me, but it's as great as ever.

You're going to meet someone after this, right?

Um...

Do you still have time?

There's a place I'd like to go with you.

This is the place.

The Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall.

Also known as Jack.

Shall we?

- Hello. - Hello.

Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall

- I'll be your guide. - Thank you for having us.

The Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall,

with donations from Yokohama citizens,

was opened in 1917 to commemorate the 50th anniversary

of the opening of the port of Yokohama.

Yokohama has three buildings called the King, Queen, and Jack.

The Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall is nicknamed Jack by the citizens.

Let me show you the auditorium.

Okay.

This ceiling was burned down during the Great Kanto Earthquake,

and the white beams were restored in Showa 2 (1927).

There are still two parts that remain from when it first opened.

The first part are those iron pillars, 10 in total,

which are from Taisho 6 - 1917.

And the other part are those marble benches back there.

They're also from when it first opened.

Spectacular, isn't it?

With the support of the citizens,

renovations began in Showa 2 (1927)

and the dome was completed in the first year of Heisei (1989).

It's almost back to its original form.

It took a long time for it to be restored.

I love this part.

It's just bunch of circles, but it's so pretty.

It looks like we can go up here today.

Really?

We're talking 117 steps, though.

Isn't that really high?

Since it's very dangerous,

we usually don't open it to the public,

but we're giving you a special permission today.

Go ahead.

It must be pretty tough for older people, huh?

- Be careful. - I will!

I'm sure it's gonna be beautiful up there.

Round and round...

Hang in there, Uekusa-san!

- I will.

Incredible!

Uekusa-san, keep up!

Huh? There's still more?

- It's still going up? - We still have plenty to go.

You're right.

Come on!

We're almost there.

Look! Look! I can see the top.

The wind feels nice.

We've arrived.

Are you okay with heights?

- Okay! - Okay!

Pardon... Pardon me.

Welcome!

Wow!

This is amazing.

I've always wanted to come up here.

Let's go over to that side.

This is incredible.

It really is.

Amazing!

This is great.

I can't get enough of this!

This building here is the King.

Special Room

I've been coming here a lot, recently.

The coffee here is good too,

but their spaghetti with meat sauce is truly out of this world.

There's another place I've been in love with recently.

It's the Hotel New Grand.

There's an old woman I often see there.

She's always looking out of the window...

It's as if she's waiting for someone.

It reminded me of a movie I saw a long time ago.

It's an old American movie

about an older woman who waits for her loved one at a grand hotel.

The person I was supposed to meet...

She's waiting for me at the New Grand.

Was supposed?

Uekusa-san.

"Those who come are welcome." Isn't that what you said?

Shouldn't you trust your instinct?

Will you come with me?

The meeting won't take longer than 30 minutes.

How about we go around the New Grand afterwards?

Then, I'll contact you as soon as I'm done here.

Got it.

Chiaki-kun!

Oh, you are...

Hello.

I'll leave you two alone.

Um, well... she's my apprentice.

An apprentice? For making models?

Ah, no... It's...

It's a bit difficult to explain...

An apprentice for touring famous buildings...?

Well... It just happened to become that way.

You're as amusing as ever.

Right... Not at all...

Your father really liked this hotel.

What brings you here?

I've been feeling restless ever since he passed away.

But I wanted to go and greet the people who helped him.

When are you going back to Kyoto?

Maybe in a week or so.

This might be my last trip here.

Kawashima-san passed away.

You see,

it was through him that I joined Koichi-san's office.

At first, he was always angry with me,

but he gradually started to listen to my opinions.

He accepted me as his colleague.

Is that how it started?

But now that my fellow colleagues are dying or retiring,

it's getting more and more lonely.

It's the way of things.

All we do is talk about the dead or sick.

The reason I wanted to meet you today

is because I wanted to give you this.

It's Koichi-san's last creation.

His final resting place.

Ever since he got sick, he kept staring at those plans.

He never said it himself,

but he wanted you to make the model.

But he couldn't bring himself to tell you.

Asking you to make a model of the house we'd live in...

Both him and I were afraid of troubling you...

I've been meaning to give you those plans for a long time now.

I should have done it sooner...

I figured this might be my last chance.

I knew I'd always regret it, if I didn't give them to you now.

Say...

Why didn't you marry my father?

I thought that if I didn't give it shape,

I'd be able to protect my love better.

Uekusa-san.

- Uekusa-sama, long time no see. - Thank you for having us today.

Hotel New Grand

No, thank you for coming here. Have you been well?

- I have.

- Hello, nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you, too.

- Now, let us begin. - Yes.

This is the original entrance of Hotel New Grand.

Having a big stairway right at the entrance sure is impressive.

It is.

Well, fortunately,

we at Hotel New Grand were able to celebrate our 93rd anniversary.

The building was designed by Watanabe Jin,

who was considered an up-and-coming designer at the time,

and 93 years ago, on December 1st,

we opened this hotel

with an oriental design of heavenly nymphs playing musical instruments

to welcome our guests from overseas.

This blue color is also beautiful.

That's true. We call it the "New Grand Blue"

and this stairway became the symbol of our hotel.

It's really amazing!

It's impressive no matter how many times I see it.

We appreciate your kind words.

In 1923, Taisho 12, the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred,

and this whole area was reduced to rubble.

I see...

Same as the Yamashita Park, right?

That's right. At the time,

Yokohama was turned into a pile of rubble,

but when all that rubble was carried to the sea to fill up the land,

it was turned into a park, Yamashita Park.

I feel like a noble woman.

Incredible...

What's this painting over here?

It's Benzaiten.

Oh, Benzaiten?

- Yes, she's one of the Seven Gods.

She's playing a biwa.

- Ah, that's right.

So this space also has oriental designs

on top of the western mahogany design,

such as the Indian Kamasutra design on the wall over there.

Combining the essence of what foreigners believed to be orientalism with western elements

was a ground-breaking design choice at the time.

This here is the Rainbow Ball Room.

A social meeting place and banquet hall of the time.

Pardon me.

This is majestic.

Any picture you take in here will come out great.

The atmosphere from when it first opened is still prevalent in here.

That's true.

This room is called Phoenix Room.

- Phoenix Room?

Yes.

At that time, it was the main dining room

where everyone ate their breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

It still maintains the same atmosphere as it did when it first opened,

but in 2020...

...due to corona,

we were forced into a very unfortunate situation,

where we had to close a door that hadn't been closed for more than 90 years.

The phoenix. (He repeats it in Japanese.)

A bird born from the ashes.

This room symbolizes the phoenix that rises up from its renaissance,

and although it had to be closed during the current pandemic,

it's thanks to the passion of its employees

and the strong desire of the citizens of Yokohama to make a comeback,

that we managed to make it this far.

Nice weather.

Their first executive chef, Saly Weil.

He had a huge influence on the western food culture in Japan.

There are several dishes that originated at our Hotel New Grand,

and this doria is one of them.

As for this spaghetti Napolitan.

- Yes, that's my favorite.

- Is that so? - Yes.

When the hotel was requisitioned by the GHQ during the postwar period,

the American soldiers were eating spaghetti, preserved spaghetti,

with nothing but ketchup.

Our second executive chef at the time, Irie,

figured it wouldn't hurt to make it a little bit tastier,

and made a sauce from real tomatoes instead of ketchup.

When we served it, it became very popular and eventually, our signature dish.

You have my gratitude.

All this talk about food made me hungry.

It's a bit late, but shall we have lunch?

Agreed!

This way?

Napolitan~

Now...

Yes, delicious.

A gentle taste.

This has a lot of flavor.

Delicious!

This one has a gentle taste.

I really appreciate it.

It's said that pudding ? la mode also originated here.

Uekusa-san?

I had this when I was a kid.

There's someone I've been estranged with for a very long time.

Though it's not like we had fallen out over anything specific...

How should I put it...

The way he pushed things forward...

Him always thinking that he's right...

Those kind of differences...

They kept on piling up...

Somehow, I grew distant from that person.

I don't really know how to describe it,

but I know that feeling.

Today, I met someone who helped mediate things between us.

Now it feels like I'd be able to talk with him about famous buildings and such.

But it's too late now.

Is it really?

Alright, your gift.

Thank you again.

My bad for dragging you around today.

Not at all. It was fun.

That book she had with her... Did you see the author's name?

Huh?

What do you mean?

Let's visit more famous buildings.

Thank you.

Bye.

Okay.

Restoration, huh?

That's it!

Now we're talking.

I haven't seen you ever since you went to Yokohama.

Were you worried about me?

Nah, I was just worried that my sales would drop.

Say, Master.

I thought that forgiveness was for other people,

but it's for your own feelings, isn't it?

We can't reconcile anymore,

but I guess it's never too late to forgive.

I don't know about that.

Your coffee is as delicious as always.

That I know.

Thanks for the treat!

Translation: HPriest / Twitter: @hpriestsubs

Translation: HPriest / Twitter: @hpriestsubs

Patreon/ko-fi: hpriestsubs