is a 2012 Japanese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Yukiko Mishima Yukiko Mishima ( ja, 三島有紀子) is a Japanese film director born in Kita-ku, Osaka. Her first feature film, ''Shisei: Nihohi tsuki no gotoku'', based on the Jun'ichirō Tanizaki story "The Tatooer", was released in 2009. She received b ...

and starring

Tomoyo Harada is a Japanese actress, singer, and lyricist, and was a popular idol in the 80's. She was cast in numerous films and TV-series since her beginning in 1982 in the leading role of the original TV series '' Sailorfuku to kikanju''. Her first role i ...

Yo Oizumi is a Japanese actor, comedian, television personality and voice actor. He is a member of the theatrical and musical unit TEAM NACS, and is represented by Creative Office Cue. His wife Kumiko Nakajima is a drama producer at Fuji TV. In 1995, w ...

and

Kanna Mori is a Japanese actress. She is best known as Natsumi Hikari, the female lead in the ''Kamen Rider Decade'' television series and films. She worked under the stage name from June 2017 to June 2021. Personal life On July 1, 2021, Mori announced h ...

. ''Bread of Happiness'' was first released in cinemas located in Hokkaido on 21 January 2012, and was subsequently released in other Japanese cinemas on 28 January 2012. It had grossed

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

717,956 as of 29 January 2012.

Plot

Rie and Nao own a bakery-cum-restaurant named Mani on the shores of Lake Toya,

Hokkaido is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. Nao is the baker who bakes the bakery's bread, while Rie is the chef who prepares the food in the restaurant. Graced with beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons, this shop serves a variety of customers, some of whom are having personal problems. However, after they leave the shop, they feel only happiness.

Cast

as Rie Mizushima *

as Nao Mizushima *

as Kaori Saito * Yuta Hiraoka as Tokio Yamashita *

Yuki Yagi Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to: Places * Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan * Yuki, ...

as Suehisa *

Ken Mitsuishi is a Japanese actor. He has appeared in films such as ''Chaos'' and '' Tokyo Playboy Club''. Filmography Film ;1980s *'' Tora's Tropical Fever'' (1980) *'' Foster Daddy, Tora!'' (1980) *'' Sailor Suit and Machine Gun'' (1981) *''Tora-san, the Ex ...

as Suehisa's father *

Reika Kirishima is a Japanese film and television actress active since 1997. Her first feature movie was '' Godzilla: Final Wars'' and first television show was ''Strawberry Night''. Filmography Film Television References External links * Reika Kirishi ...

as Suehisa's mother *

Misako Watanabe is a Japanese stage, film and television actress. A graduate of the Haiyuza Theatre Company, she gave her film debut in Tadashi Imai's ''Tower of Lilies'' (1953) before becoming a contract player at the Nikkatsu film studios. She appeared in alm ...

as Aya Sakamoto *

Katsuo Nakamura is a Japanese actor. Nakamura is a former Kabuki actor as well as his older brother Kinnosuke Nakamura. His first film appearance was in the 1955 film ''Furisode Kenpo''. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 5th Japan Academy Prize ...

as Shio Sakamoto * Chikara Honda as the postman *

Nobue Iketani Nobue (written: ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Betty Nobue Kano (born 1944), Japanese artist *, Japanese gymnast Fictional characters *, a character in the manga series ''Strawberry Marshmallow'' *, a ...

as Mrs. Hirokawa *

as Mr. Hirokawa *

Morio Agata Agata Morio ( ja, あがた森魚, born 12 September 1948) is a Japanese folk rock singer-songwriter and actor. He also directed three films. Biography Agata was born in Rumoi, Hokkaido. His 1972 debut single ''Sekishoku Erejī'' (literary tra ...

as Mr. Abe *

Kimiko Yo is a Japanese actress. She was given Best Supporting Actress awards at the 2004 and the 2009 Yokohama Film Festival ceremonies. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 32nd and at the 33rd Japan Academy Prize (film), Japan Academy ...

as Yōko *

Nozomi Ohashi Nozomi may refer to: *Nozomi (given name) *Nozomi (book), a photobook by Nozomi Sasaki *Nozomi Entertainment, the anime license and distribution division of retailer The Right Stuf International *Nozomi (spacecraft), a failed Mars space probe *No ...

as the voice of the young female narrator

Production

Development

''Bread of Happiness'' was first announced on 9 September 2010. The film was directed by

, who was also in charge of the screenplay. The story of the film is set in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and Lake Toya,

. It was revealed in the initial announcement that actor

and actress

would star as husband and wife in the film. The film marked the 30th anniversary of actress Harada's debut as an actress. It is also her first main role in a film since the 2006 film ''

Kamiya Etsuko no Seishun Kamiya (written: 神谷 lit. ''god valley'' or 上谷 lit. ''upper valley'') is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese video game designer *, Japanese voice actor *, ...

''.

Filming

''Bread of Happiness'' was filmed around Lake Toya, which is located in

, the home prefecture of Oizumi. Filming started on 9 September 2010. Before filming, Oizumi spent time as a baker's apprentice to prepare for the role.

Theme song

The theme song of the film is entitled , which was originally sung by

Akiko Yano is a Japanese pop and jazz musician and singer born in Tokyo and raised in Aomori and later began her singing career in the mid-1970s. She has been called "one of the major musical talents of the Japanese popular music world", and her vocals an ...

and Kyoshiro Imawano, and was first released in 1980.

Release

''Bread of Happiness'' was first released in

on 21 January 2012. It subsequently had a small-scale release in 47 cinemas throughout Japan on 28 January 2012. During its debut weekend, the film attracted an audience of 26100, and grossed a total of 36 million

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...

. This made it the 10th highest-grossing film in the Japanese box office for the weekend of 28–29 January 2012.

References

External links

*
Official page

Trailer
* {{IMDb title, 1726749, Shiawase no pan 2012 films Japanese drama films 2012 drama films Films set in restaurants Films set in Hokkaido 2010s Japanese films 2010s Japanese-language films