Adventure in Tokyo

Eijirô Yanagi's son died in the War, and his wife too. All he has left is the hospital in the poor Tokyo suburb he founded eighteen years ago. He gives his staff the day off to go to a mountain spa, hangs up a sign saying there are no appointments today, and settles in for a long nap. That doesn't get him any rest. There are people coming to pay eighteen-year-old bills, a policeman with a girl who has been assaulted, lunatic Rentaro Mikuni who thinks he's still on active service somewhere on the front, and various people who need medical attention right now. In between he gets drunk. The next day, he has to figure out what happened and fix all the problems.

Minoru Shibuya's movie could have easily been played as a tragedy, but Yanagi's easy-going and hopeful playing of the role calls for a light touch, even in the midst of tragedy and suicidal thoughts. Many Japanese comedies have a lugubrious air to them. Not this one! Shibuya is always looking for solutions, and eventually finds them, drawing the poor community together. With Chikage Awashima, Keiko Kishi, and Akiko Tamura.