There Is No Lid on the Sea

Tired of the endless grind of daily life in the big city, Mari (Kikuchi Akiko) decides to leave Tokyo and return to her small hometown by the sea. Leaving the city behind, Mari heads to Shizuoka Prefecture, ready to begin writing a new chapter of her life’s story. Fully aware of her small hometown’s steady economic decline, Mari decides to do her part to help revitalize the town by starting a business of her own. A lifelong lover of shaved ice, Mari decides to open her own seaside business making and selling the sweet treat. Not long after settling into her new life, Mari’s mother announces that a guest will be staying with them for a while. Hajime (Mine Azusa), the daughter of one of her mother’s close friends, has recently lost her grandmother and, struggling to deal with the loss as her remaining family fights over her grandmother’s large estate, has agreed to spend some time with Mari’s family by the sea.  With obvious burn marks on her face, it’s clear that Hajime has been severely wounded, both physically and mentally, but that doesn’t stop Mari from recruiting her to work at her little shaved ice shop. Aware that they both have come to this small seaside town in search of a fresh start, the two young women settle peacefully into their new lives. With the camaraderie between them steadily growing, will they find in each other a friendship that lasts a lifetime? Adapted from the Banana Yoshimoto novel of the same name, originally published as a newspaper serial, “There is No Lid on the Sea” is a 2015 Japanese film directed by Toyoshima Keisuke.