Kotonoha no niwa

The Garden of Words

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The Garden of Words Trailer

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Tanka

なるかみの, すこしとよみて, A faint clap of thunder, さしくもり, Clouded skies, あめもふらぬか, Perhaps rain will come. きみをとどめむ? If so, will you stay here with me? なるかみの, すこしとよみて, A faint clap of thunder, ふらずとも, Even if rain comes or not, わはとどまらむ, I will stay here, いもしとどめば。 Together with you. - Man'yōshū vol. 11, verse 2514 - 2513, from the movie The Garden of Words -

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Lonely sadness is a state of solitude that deprives people of the most basic need for companionship. To call Garden of Words a simple romance story is to undermine the entire theme, cast away the significance of the message, and belittle the pain of those it is meant to depict.

Kaze, Beneath The Tangles

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In many of Shinkai's films, sad endings resulting from misunderstandings and unrequited feelings are common. According to Shinkai, his stories are intended to encourage teenagers as they learn to cope with these commonplace experiences. In an interview, he admitted that he had been accustomed to being turned down by women, and felt that his stories were encouraging because his characters continue to try, despite being unsuccessful at love. The Garden of Words also illustrated how people do not mature as linearly or elegantly as we often assume. Shinkai himself could relate with Yukino in not feeling as smart or mature at age 27, stating, "We're all still just children at age 27," The original idea for The Garden of Words came from Shinkai's desire to capture the beauty of the daily scenery in modern Tokyo and showcase it in a film. Having lived for ten years in Shinjuku, he selected it as the location of the film and set about taking thousands of photos, upon which he created his storyboards. Wanting to share the peace and harmony of his favorite locations in Japan with the hope that it would encourage people to visit, Shinkai modeled the garden in the film to match Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Tokyo. Following the earthquake in March 2011, he was worried that it could be destroyed and wanted to preserve it in an animated film.

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Background Comparison

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Yukino Yukari is the mysterious 27-year-old woman Takao meets in the park on rainy mornings. Takao later learns that she is a teacher at his high school, and that she, too, is skipping, but due to bullying by his upperclassmen.

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Akizuki Takao is a mature, hard-working 15-year-old freshman in high school who hopes to become a shoemaker. On rainy mornings, he skips school to design shoes in the park.

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The credits show Takao barely passing his final exams, but still working towards his goals, while Yukino moves back to Shikoku and resumes her teaching career. In a post-credits scene, Takao revisits the park that winter, reads a letter from Yukino, places her finished shoes on the bench and then vows that he will go find her after he has made progress with his career.

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Following summer break, Takao returns to school and spots Yukino. His friends inform him that she is a literature teacher and that she had been the target of gossip and bullying. Out of kindness and to avoid further confrontation, Yukino opted to avoid work and retreat to the park, hoping she would learn to overcome her fears and be able to "walk" again. However, Yukino quits her job and leaves the school. That afternoon, Takao meets Yukino at the park and greets her by reciting the 2,514th poem from the Man'yōshū Japanese poetry collection, the correct response to her tanka, which he found in a classic Japanese literature textbook. After getting soaked by a sudden thunderstorm, both head to Yukino's apartment and spend the afternoon together. When Takao confesses his love following dinner, Yukino is visibly moved, but then reminds him that she is a teacher and tells him that she is moving back to her home town on Shikoku. After Takao abruptly excuses himself, Yukino realizes her mistake and runs after him, finding him in the stairwell. Still upset, Takao angrily takes back what he had said and criticizes her for being so secretive and never opening up to him. Yukino embraces him and the two cry while she explains that their time together in the park had saved her.

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The Garden of Words is considered a romance and drama film.It opens at the start of the rainy season in Tokyo with Takao Akizuki, a 15-year-old student and aspiring shoemaker, opting to skip his first class and sketch shoe designs in the garden at Shinjuku Gyoen. There he encounters Yukari Yukino, a 27-year-old woman who is skipping work and enjoying beer and chocolate. When she notices the school crest on his uniform, Yukino bids him farewell with a tanka (a form of Japanese poetry), leaving Takao puzzled as to its origin and meaning. The two continue to encounter each other and socialize in the park on rainy mornings, but never formally introduce themselves. After Yukino expresses an interest in Takao’s shoemaking, he decides to make a pair of shoes in her size. With the end of the rainy season, Takao stops visiting the park and focuses on his work.

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Kotonoha no Niwa (The Garden of Words) is a Japanese drama film written, edited and directed by Shinkai Makoto.