The Zen DiaryTsuchi o kurau jûnika getsu

Synopsis

Tsutomu is a writer who lives in a secluded mountain cabin in Nagano. He shares the space with his dog and the unburied ashes of his wife Yaeko, who passed away thirteen years ago, and spends his time harvesting vegetables, then cooking with them using a method he learned as a young Buddhist monk. Though largely solitary, he receives occasional company from his editor and romantic interest Machiko, and from his rather eccentric mother-in-law, Chie. When Tsutomu one day finds Chie dead in her home, he is forced to finally consider his feelings on death. He works to arrange Chie's funeral proceedings, and once the funeral has concluded, invites Machiko to live with him, an offer to which she gives serious thought.