‘Nagi Notes’: An intimate portrayal of rural rhythms and realities

Shizuka Ishibashi (right) plays a 30-something woman who takes a sojourn in the countryside to model for her erstwhile sister-in-law (Takako Matsu, left) in Koji Fukada’s “Nagi Notes.” | © 2026 “Nagi Notes” Partners (Star Sands / Hassaku Labs / Wonderstruck) / Survivance / Momo Film Co.

Sep 18, 2026

Cinema abounds with stories of city slickers who find love or fulfillment during a trip to the countryside. Some, such as Isao Takahata’s “Only Yesterday” (1991), are masterpieces. More often, they’re paeans to an idealized vision of rural life that has little bearing on reality.

Koji Fukada avoids such romanticism in “Nagi Notes.” The film’s setting in rural Okayama Prefecture may initially look idyllic to an outsider like Yuri (Shizuka Ishibashi), an elegant 30-something visiting from Tokyo. But it’s a place where daily life is soundtracked by explosions from a nearby Japan Self-Defense Forces training ground, while residents are expected to conform to the conventions of a conservative, patriarchal society.

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