Hanasaku Iroha 花咲くいろは 2011

©Hanairo Committee

“A girl struggles with unfamiliar customs but at the same time gains inspiration from daily life.”

Because of a debt, Tokyo-based Ohana Matsumae is sent by her mother to live with her grandmother, the landlady of a traditional onsen ryokan or hot-spring inn in Ishikawa prefecture. Having no other place to go, Ohana is allowed to stay with her grandmother under one condition: to work under her at the inn, Kissuiso. Totally unexperienced working in such an environment where strict practices are enforced and traditions are respected, Ohana’s life changes drastically overnight.