Satoru Mizushima is a designer, who prefers traditional things like handmade items and handwritten works. One day, he happens to meet a mysterious woman, Miyuki Miharu, at the cafe named Piano. She seems to have similar values to him and he is attracted to her. Satoru asks for Miyuki's cellphone number, but she doesn't own a cellphone. They make a promise to meet at the cafe every Thursday. Since then, Satoru and Miyuki meet every Thursday and their relationship develops romantically. Satoru decides to propose Miyuki, but she doesn't show up at the cafe.
Cinematography
Tokyo shot like a memory you can't quite trust
Writing
Thursday as sacred ritual in a world of infinite availability
Acting
Ninomiya's restrained devastation when the chair stays empty
Director
Hideta Takahata
Kazunari Ninomiya
Mizushima Satoru
Haru
Miharu Miyuki
Kenta Kiritani
Takagi Junichi
Kenta Hamano
Yamashita Yoshio
Yuka Itaya
Kazumi
Keiko Takahashi
Mizushima Reiko
Lily Franky
Tamiya
Joichiro Fujiwara
Shimada Hiroya
Kosuke Suzuki
Iwamoto Shuzo
Maki Sakai
Asai Yoko
Mariko Tsutsui
Shiina Junko
Miyagawa Daisuke
Takahashi Toshikazu
Aimi Satsukawa
Kaori
Fuka Takenaka
New employee
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 'analog' movement in Japan emerged as deliberate resistance to karoshi culture and digital exhaustion.
Director Takahata frames the Thursday ritual as horror in slow motion—every meeting brings Satoru closer to discovering why she can't stay.
JP
