Elephant House

The master of a dorayaki pastry store hires a 76-year-old woman whose talents attract customers from all over. But she's hiding a troubling secret. Life's joys are found in the little details, and no matter what may be weighing you down, everyone loves a good pastry.

In August, 1918, Matsuura Ito lives in a coastal village of Toyama with her husband and three children. During the summer, there wasn't much fish to catch, so her husband has been far away from home to catch fish. To support herself and her children, Ito carries goods from ships like the other women in the village. Meanwhile, the residents encounter rising prices for rice. The women are unable to feed their family due to the high prices of rice. The women ask a nearby rice store to sell rice at lower prices, but it fails. The price of rice continues to rise daily. Due to an incident, Ito and the other village women step up to the plate.

Taeko and her husband, Jiro, are living a peaceful existence with her young son Keita, when a tragic accident brings the boy's long-lost father, Park, back into her life. To cope with the pain and guilt, Taeko throws herself into helping this deaf and homeless man.

Toshio hires Yasaka to work in his workshop. But then this old acquaintance, who has just been released from prison, begins to meddle in Toshio's family life.

In a fading village in the Japanese countryside, the school is about to be closed, which weighs heavily on the students. Freshly arrived from Tokyo with his father after an acrimonious divorce, the shy Akira escapes into drawing and agrees to participate in a mural project to mark the end of the institution.

Maki, a creative executive with a deep-seated loathing for vegetables, meets Nagisa, a closeted gay vegetarian with amazing cooking skills and they end up as roommates. Being complete opposites, the two initially clash. But Maki falls for Nagisa and his food over time. As they begin accepting the other as they are, a unique relationship flourishes.

Haruko is a single mother. She has an unusual living arrangement. She lives with her son Riku, her friend Aiko and Aiko's boyfriend Sorao. One day, Yuko stays at Haruko's house to attend an art institute for the summer. Yuko is the daughter of Haruko's old friend Tomoyo. They haven't spoken for many years prior to Tomoyo reaching out to Haruko to ask if her daughter could stay with her for the summer. Haruko and Tomoyo have an uncomfortable past.

Miki, Yuto, Hiroko, Naoki and Kota have been friends since they were little. They all graduated from high school. They have dreams about their future as well as anxiety. Miki's father goes missing with her college admission fee. Yuto has discord with his father who runs an auto repair shop. Yuto happens to get involved in a crime. Hiroko wants to marry her boyfriend, but she also distrusts him. Naoki and Kota have their own worries. These five friends think about themselves for the first time.