is a 1988

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

epic film Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply big-budget films. Like epics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on a her ...

directed by

Koreyoshi Kurahara (31 May 1927 – 28 December 2002) was a Japanese screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for directing ''Nankyoku Monogatari, Antarctica'' (1983), which won several awards and was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film ...

and written by

Sō Kuramoto , better known by his pen name , is a Japanese playwright and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Tokyo on 21 December 1934. He attended Azabu High School and studied aesthetics at Tokyo University. He then found work at Nippon Broadcasting S ...

. It is based on the story ''Suna no bôkensha'' (lit. ''Adventurers of the Sand'') by

José Giovanni José Giovanni (22 June 1923, Paris, France – 24 April 2004, Lausanne, Switzerland) was the pseudonym of Joseph Damiani, a French writer and film-maker of Corsican origin who became a naturalized Swiss citizen in 1986. A former collaborationi ...

(credited onscreen as Joze Jovanni). The plot revolves around the

Paris-Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally () or simply "The Dakar" (), formerly known as the Paris–Dakar Rally (), is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). It is an off-road endurance event traversing terrain much tougher than conventi ...

, an off-road endurance race spanning thousands of miles and multiple continents. It follows the lives, loves and losses of the competitors of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

's Team DANKAI during the 1988 competition. ''Umi e, See You'' was theatrically released by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

on May 18, 1988, and stars a multi-national cast with

Ken Takakura , born , was a Japanese actor and singer who appeared in over 200 films. Affectionately referred to as "Ken-san" by audiences, he was best known for his brooding style and the stoic presence he brought to his roles. He won the Japan Academy Pri ...

in the lead role, alongside

Junko Sakurada is a Japanese singer and actress. She was part of a music trio in 1973, which included Momoe Yamaguchi and Masako Mori. Sakurada then became successful in a solo music career, with 18 top ten singles in the 1970s. Her acting career ran from 1 ...

Philippe Leroy Philippe Marie Paul Leroy-Beaulieu (15 October 1930 – 1 June 2024) was a French actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1960 and 2019, and worked extensively in Italian cinema, as well as in his native country. After an early career as ...

Nenji Kobayashi is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 23rd Japan Academy Prize for ''Poppoya''. Kobayashi signed with Toei in 1961 and started his acting career with small roles. Filmography Film * '' Soshiki Bōryoku'' (19 ...

and Ayumi Ishida. This production was Sō Kuramoto's final feature film screenwriting credit for 36 years until the release of ''Silence of the Sea'' in 2024.

Plot

With the Paris-Dakar Rally fast approaching, SurfBreak, the sponsor of

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...

's Team DANKAI, adds popular celebrity Ryuichi Yoshii (Goro Ohashi) to their roster for publicity. Mizuki (

), DANKAI's team leader, recognizes the strain this puts on his team, in addition to their general dysfunction and baggage. He also knows it is necessary to have a support vehicle (a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 2628 NG

camion ''Camion'' is a 2012 Canadian drama film directed by Rafaël Ouellet. The film centres on a truck driver who is suffering from severe depression after a woman kills herself by crashing her car into his truck; although he was not at fault, the ...

) running alongside the team's Pajero

rally car Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

. Thus Mizuki seeks the help of legendary mechanic and driver Eiji Honma (

). Honma had retired years prior due to the deaths of multiple friends in his dangerous profession. However, Mizuki persuades Honma to come out of retirement one last time and help DANKAI win the race. On January 1, 1988, the rally cars leave

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

en route to

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, the capital city of

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

located on the

Cap-Vert Cap-Vert, or the Cape Verde Peninsula, and Kap Weert or Bopp bu Nëtëx (in Wolof), is a peninsula in Senegal and the westernmost point of the continent of Africa and of the Afro-Eurasia mainland. Portuguese explorers called it Cabo Verde or ...

peninsula. Honma soon discovers from his old friend and fellow participant Toto Luciano (

) that Honma's ex-wife Kei ( Ayumi Ishida) is also participating in the rally, alongside her current husband, the

bullfighter A bullfighter or matador () is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter, and describe all the performers in the activ ...

Antonio Vázquez (

Tomas Arana Thomas Clifford Arana (born April 3, 1955) is an American actor. He appeared in the films ''The Hunt for Red October'' (1990), '' The Bodyguard'' (1992), ''L.A. Confidential'' (1997), ''Gladiator'' (2000), ''The Bourne Supremacy'' (2004), '' Li ...

). In addition, Honma's support truck comes to include stowaway passenger Yuko Takei (

), Yoshii's pop star girlfriend who had followed him from

in an attempt to salvage their relationship. Eiji keeps her hidden in the truck during the day and his tent at night, as she does not have a passport. Over the course of the race, the relationship between the selfish Yoshii and DANKAI begins to sour. While navigating the

Sahara Desert The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

, tensions come to a head. A fight breaks out, but Honma mediates the dispute and gets the team back in the race. In this moment, Yuko reveals her presence to Yoshii, but Yoshii yells at her, saying he does not want her there. Later, Yoshii's car breaks down. Mizuki sacrifices parts from his vehicle, forfeiting his role in the race, in order to give Yoshii a chance to finish. The other team members look to Eiji as de facto leader in Mizuki's absence. Meanwhile, Eiji tells Yuko that she cannot continue riding with him. Yuko reluctantly agrees. Eiji asks Toto to send her ahead to Dakar to await their arrival. Through multiple trials and tribulations, including wrong turns, rough terrain and a

sandstorm A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transported b ...

, Yoshii and the team learn to trust each other, and DANKAI finishes the race. Upon arrival, Yuko greets Yoshii, and Yoshii embraces her. However, Kei and Antonio's car suffers an accident in the

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

n desert. Eiji arrives to provide assistance, but before he can pull them out, their vehicle explodes, and both perish. Though he has completed the rally, Honma once again becomes a mourner. He erects a cross in the desert using the remains of their vehicle. Toto looks on as Eiji hangs a necklace on the cross, the same necklace Kei had given him years earlier.

Cast

Production

''Umi e'' is similar to an earlier Kurahara production, '' Safari 5000'' (1969), which was also an epic-length film about a

rally raid Rally raid is a type of off-road motorsport event competed with different types of vehicles. Along with shorter Baja (cross-country rally), baja rallies, rally raid constitutes cross-country rallying. Both the Fédération Internationale de l'Aut ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

(specifically, the

Safari Rally The Safari Rally is an automobile rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is h ...

). It was shot in multiple countries, including

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and various locations in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. Extensive filming took place on location at the actual Paris-Dakar Rally sites. Cinematographers Tsuguzo Matsumae, Kikumatsu Sôda and Tatsuo Mori assisted with on-location shooting.

Music

Actor and musician

Ryudo Uzaki is a Japanese musician, composer, and actor. His group, the Down Town Boogie-Woogie Band, was one of the most prominent 1970s Japanese rock bands. He also composed many of Momoe Yamaguchi's songs with Yoko Aki. Uzaki has also worked as a film co ...

co-starred in the film and also co-composed its score with Shûichi Chino. The film's theme song is "Rose Des Vents" (lit. "The Rose of the Wind") by

Pierre Barouh Pierre Barouh (born Élie Pierre Barouh; 19 February 1934 – 28 December 2016) was a French writer-composer-singer best known for his work on Claude Lelouch's film ''A Man and a Woman'' as an actor and the lyricist/singer for Francis Lai's music ...

. In addition, the film features the track "Donde Esta Corazon" by Luis Martinez Serrano. The soundtrack was released by

Meldac is a Japanese music industry, music and computer and video game, video game company. It was founded in July 1985 by Hiromu Takamizawa, Tohru Sasaki, Tetsu Kiso, and Hajime Toyama — all members of the now-defunct vocal group — with financia ...

in June 1988.

Vehicles

Multiple trucks, cars and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

s are featured in the film, including several custom-built

off-road vehicles An off-road vehicle (ORV), also known as an off-highway vehicle (OHV), overland vehicle or adventure vehicle, is a type of transportation specifically engineered to navigate unpaved roads and surfaces. These include trails, forest roads, and o ...

SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definition ...

s and

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

s. Featured brands include

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

, Kawasaki,

Land Rover Land Rover is a brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR builds Land Rovers in Brazil ...

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

Saab Saab or SAAB may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Saab AB, a Swedish aircraft, aerospace and defence company, still known as SAAB, and together with subsidiaries as Saab Group ** Datasaab, a former computer company, started as spin off from Saab ...

Suzuki is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka. It manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a va ...

and

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

, among others:

Awards

Editor

Akira Suzuki is a Japanese chemist and Nobel Prize Laureate (2010), who first published the Suzuki reaction, the organic reaction of an aryl- or vinyl- boronic acid with an aryl- or vinyl- halide catalyzed by a palladium(0) complex, in 1979. Early life a ...

won the 12th Japan Academy Award for Best Editing for his work on ''Umi e'' and four other films in 1988: ''

The Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...

'', ''Kamu onna'' (also known as ''Love Bites Back''), ''Ikidomari no Banka: Break Out'' and ''

A Taxing Woman's Return is a 1988 Japanese comedy film written and directed by Juzo Itami. It is the sequel to Itami's 1987 comedy ''A Taxing Woman''. Nobuko Miyamoto plays female government tax investigator Ryoko Itakura. She investigates a religious sect, led by Tep ...

''.

Home media

Due to the film's running time of 2 hours and 54 minutes, it was released on VHS as a two-volume set. The film was later released on DVD.

References

External links

* {{Koreyoshi Kurahara, state=collapsed Films directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara Toho films 1988 films 1988 drama films 1988 in Japanese cinema Auto racing films Films scored by Ryudo Uzaki Films with screenplays by Sô Kuramoto 1980s Japanese films 1980s Japanese-language films Japanese drama films Japanese epic films Films based on works by José Giovanni