(Birds chirping)
(Miyuki) I'm Izawa — I moved in next door the other day.
(Yoko) Oh, my new neighbor!
Um, please take this, if you'd like.
Wow, thank you! I love the pickles from this place.
(Miyuki) I'm glad to hear that.
Oh! That reminds me — wait just a moment.
Of course.
(Yoko) I went yam digging yesterday. Please, take some.
(Miyuki) Mountain yam from my neighbor.
How can I put it to good use for my evening drink...
(Narrator) The last drink of the day —
how can one make it as delicious as possible?
This drama is
the story of one woman who pursues that question relentlessly.
The taste of alcohol
can go from zero to one hundred depending on how you spend your day.
I'm off!
♪～
～♪
(Aoi) Miyuki-san,
there's been a suspicious person standing in front of the shop for a while.
(Umino) Don't worry.
If they turn out to be dangerous, I'll take care of them — I'm a 27th-dan karate master.
(Aoi) Can you even get that high a rank in karate?
Hyah!
-(Miyuki) Shimamura-kun, could you? -(Shimamura) Right away.
(Shimamura) Excuse me... sir, is there something I can help you with?
(Utsui) Oh, sorry. I must look suspicious, right?
No, not at all, it's just that...
I've been trying to decide which real estate agency to go into.
But since you were kind enough to come and talk to me,
I'll go with this one.
Please, right this way!
(Shimamura) Excuse me.
Let's see... given your requirements, this property would be a perfect fit.
(Utsui) That looks great.
(Shimamura) Alternatively, there's also this property.
Oh!
This one's nice too.
Under the same conditions, this is another option as well.
Oh, this one's great too!
Wow... oh my.
They're all wonderful.
(Aoi) That customer seems to be having a really hard time deciding.
Finding your ideal home isn't an easy thing to do.
So, is there one condition that matters most to you?
Not really a single one...
I've always been the type where other people's places look better to me.
I always end up getting distracted.
I've got loads of clothes in this bag here —
What do you mean?
Oh, I love clothes, but
whenever I see what someone else is wearing, I get distracted.
So I always carry a few outfits with me so I can change at any time.
Is that right?
I got so distracted that I've run out of time.
Would it be all right if I came back tomorrow at the same time?
-(Shimamura) Of course! -(Utsui) I'm sorry.
(Shimamura) We look forward to seeing you again.
(Miyuki & Shimamura) Thank you very much!
(Aoi) I kind of understand how that customer feels.
I sometimes want to buy the same clothes my friends are wearing.
Right — and you want to eat what other people are eating too.
(Miyuki) Today, I discovered a nice-looking
public bathhouse near my new place, so I'm going to try it.
Ahh~
"A bath is a washing of the soul."
(Miyuki) A line from a popular anime, but
so true.
While you're in the bath, it's hard to feel anything but positive.
But as for the mountain yam from my neighbor — how should I cook it?
Hmm~
(Miyuki) These past few days,
I've been thinking about how to incorporate the yam
into my evening drink.
Right now, both body and mind are refreshed.
Let me think about this calmly one more time.
Deep-fried mountain yam?
Mountain yam steak?
Mountain yam gratin?
I've got it!
After going around the long way, the answer is maguro yamakaké!*
(Crows cawing)
(Sound of can being opened)
(Miyuki) Now that's a good evening drink right there.
(Man) Ahhh~
Oh!
(Miyuki) Why didn't I think of okonomiyaki?
(Ushiba) Today's recommendation is Kansai-style okonomiyaki!
(Miyuki) What... my thoughts and Ushiba-san's recommendation are in sync!
As expected of Ushiba-san — a truly top-class salesperson.
Would you like some okonomiyaki?
(Chinyama) Today's recommendation is Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.
Dear customer, how about this okonomiyaki right here?
Ushiba-san, why is the manager selling the same thing?
The manager declared that he'd only accept Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki,
so...
somehow we ended up selling them both together.
(Chinyama) Please, dear customer, this Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki —
as a special treat...
I'll make it a large serving for you.
Thank you very much.
But I'm not able to eat it here.
(Ushiba) This customer has her reasons — she doesn't do tastings.
(Chinyama) Oh, is that so?
But thank you, all the same.
Hm?
This has confirmed my decision.
Hm?
(Miyuki) Then,
(Chinyama) Two to two.
Ushiba-kun, it appears we have a draw.
It was a good match.
Indeed.
(Miyuki) First, let me prepare the mountain yam-packed okonomiyaki.
All right!
(Miyuki) Shred the cabbage roughly, slice the green onions into rounds,
and put each into their own bowl.
They'll shrink when cooked, so cutting the vegetables a bit larger is just right.
Mountain yam, I'm going to make you as delicious as you can be.
As expected — you're stubborn.
The same was true of the crab I had at year's end,
but the best things take time to reach their finished form.
But that, too, is what makes it good.
The more effort it takes, the more you cherish it.
What incredible viscosity.
I feel like slurping all of this up right now, but I must be patient.
Use plenty of mountain yam for the okonomiyaki,
and a little less for the negiyaki, to let the green onion shine.
Add a little flour and dashi.
Then add tenkasu, pickled ginger, and an egg.
And mix thoroughly!
Right at the very end, I'm asked to give one final push — kept waiting.
This okonomiyaki is truly a dish made for evening drinking.
Phew.
(Miyuki) With the leftover yam, I'll make julienned mountain yam.
Simply dressed with egg yolk and ponzu — light and refreshing.
All right.
(Miyuki) And today I'll be using this —
an electric hot plate with a scratch-resistant iron surface.
I can use a metal spatula with it, which turns my home into an okonomiyaki restaurant.
I bought it with last year's bonus, and the time to finally use it has come.
And as a prelude to the okonomiyaki,
I'll prepare some grilled seafood as well...
All right, everything's ready!
Itadakimasu!
(Sound of can being opened)
Oh~
Ahh~
(Miyuki) My body is still warm from the bathhouse, and I worked hard grating the mountain yam —
tonight's drink tastes even better than usual.
So good!
With a simple dish, you can really taste the quality of the ingredients.
Neighbor, thank you for the mountain yam — perfect inside and out.
Ahh... haha.
(Miyuki) Alright, one more glass.
Now, let's start with the grilled seafood.
Teppan grilling before the okonomiyaki —
has there ever been such a luxurious opening act in this world?
Place some butter on the hot plate and a pinch of salt.
"On the iron plate, butter melts away..."
The sizzle is enough to make you want to compose a haiku on the spot.
All right, it's ready to eat!
Oh, delicious!
Squid and butter —
they go together so well, you'd think they were best friends in a past life.
The texture of the squid and its juicy umami are irresistible.
Ahh~
(Miyuki) The satisfying chewiness of whelk intertwines with the richness of butter —
this is superb too!
Whelk and butter —
they go together so well, you'd think they were a couple in a past life.
Ahh~
(Miyuki) The drinks are going down easily... as always.
Alright, let's cook it.
(Sound of okonomiyaki sizzling)
Mmm~
(Miyuki) Drinking while listening to that sound —
pure bliss.
And now, the most important moment arrives.
No matter how perfect everything has been up to this point,
if I can't flip the okonomiyaki cleanly,
all that effort won't go up in beer bubbles —
it'll go up in regular bubbles.
Hmm, that didn't quite work.
An okonomiyaki restaurant owner once told me that when flipping,
don't try to lift it straight up and spin it in the air,
but instead pick a pivot point, tilt it up and then let it fall over.
Here goes!
(Miyuki) I can never thank that person enough.
I don't even know their name.
Bonito flakes and green seaweed will get soggy, so add them just before eating.
Mountain yam-packed okonomiyaki.
This fluffy, custardy texture is absolutely irresistible.
Oh~!
(Miyuki) What a combination.
Drinks and okonomiyaki —
I can't say which is better, but thank you to both of you.
Ahh~
(Sakai) I want you to try more different kinds of alcohol.
(Miyuki) Maybe I'll give it another try.
About ten years ago, I happened to stop into a bar
and asked how to make a delicious highball.
First, stir just the ice with a muddler to chill the glass.
Then discard the bit of water that has melted.
By doing this, you can drink it properly chilled throughout,
which changes the flavor entirely.
Then add whisky — about twenty percent of the glass —
and slowly pour in sparkling water.
To keep the carbonation, stir as little as possible.
Mm, that's good. A highball after so long.
This is the best in its own right.
And for the negiyaki, I'll use a chili ponzu sauce.
Delicious. The negiyaki I had in Osaka —
I haven't been able to forget that flavor, and this is exactly it.
I've forgotten the name of the restaurant, though.
Ahh.
(Miyuki) Negiyaki and highball — highly recommended!
That came out sounding like a commercial.
Now then.
Oh~!
Mmm~
Oh~
Ahh~
(Miyuki) I'm glad I got distracted by okonomiyaki.
(Sigh)
Thank you for the meal.
Fuu~
Mmm~
What kind of property should we be suggesting for Mr. Utsui?
(Aoi) The more options we show him, the more confused he'll get.
(Shimamura) Hmm...
(Miyuki) But I think it's precisely because we get distracted
that we end up finding new horizons.
What do you mean?
I think being easily distracted means opening yourself up to more possibilities.
You can end up in places you never could have imagined.
So getting distracted isn't such a bad thing.
(Door chime) (Shimamura) Welcome!
I'm sorry I'm 30 minutes late.
On my way here, I couldn't decide whether to take the bus or the train.
Not at all, Mr. Utsui — we've been expecting you. Right this way.
(Utsui) Well, actually, last night...
I was also browsing listings online and...
my candidates...
grew to about 50 properties.
Is that so! Well then, let's get right to it —
Mr. Utsui, what do you think of this property?
This one looks good too.
Ah... now my candidates have grown to 51.
Getting distracted all over again~
Oh, I'm sorry to be causing you all this trouble.
It's no trouble at all.
Please get distracted as much as you like.
Hm?
Until you find a property you're truly happy with,
we'll be with you every step of the way, for as long as it takes.
Is that really okay?
Yes.
I've decided.
Hm?
I've decided that I'm going to make my decision through you.
Thank you very much.
Well then, let's see more options!
How about this one? The balcony view is lovely.
That looks nice.
(Shimamura) There are plenty more...
(Utsui) Somehow I've narrowed it down to 10.
I'll see you again next week.
(Shimamura) Yes, we look forward to it.
(Door chime)
Thank you very much!
Good work today.
That was very Shimamura-kun-like customer service.
(Umino) Men!*
(Aoi) Wait, I thought you were doing karate?
I got distracted and started kendo instead.
Next I'm aiming for 32nd-dan in kendo.
Whoa, watch out! Whoa... oh no...
(Miyuki) What should I have tonight?
Fish sounds good, and so does fried chicken.
Or dumplings could work too.
This time right here — this is still my favorite.
Ahh~