Shiwon Miura

Two talented runners who have not fulfilled their potential meet by chance and rekindle their enthusiasm for the sport. (imdb)

Mitsuya Majime is an unsuccessful salesman. But his love of reading and dedication, as well as a post-graduate degree in linguistics, catches the eyes of Masashi Nishioka and Kouhei Araki, dictionary editors who are seeking a replacement for Araki himself. With Majime on the editing team, the group plans to produce a new dictionary called The Great Passage which would bridge the gap between people and the sea of words and would take years to complete. (wikipedia)

Yuki Hirano (Sometani), is the sort of slide-by student most teachers are happy to see the back of. But after he fails his college entrance exams and is dumped by his girlfriend, this new high school graduate decides to make a fresh start and join a one-year trainee program for forestry workers, aka lumberjacks. His motivation is less a love for the great outdoors than a pretty face on a recruiting pamphlet. (Japan Times Site)

In the fictional Tokyo suburb of Mahoro, Keisuke Tada works as a "benriya" - a general problem solver for hire. One day in January, former classmate Haruhiko Gyoten appears unannounced. Back in their schooldays Haruhiko was a quiet person who rarely talked but now he is talkative. Both men are over 30 years old and divorced. Haruhiko suddenly asks to spend the night at Keisuke's home. He turns down Haruhiko, but Haruhiko is persistant and finally Keisuke allows him to sleep over for one night. (Asian Wiki)