Set in Kushiro, a port town in northeastern Hokkaido, the camera quietly observes Shizuko Nakajima, a griller who works at Robata, a restaurant known as the originator of the Robata style of grilling fish and meat.
The slow editing and slow cooking match the meditative images, while subtly touching references to the Ainu people and environmental issues surrounding fire and humans in modern society are delicately depicted.
The film was shot in two days, without a script or storyboard. The process resembled an observational documentary, following the daily life of Shizuko, a veteran chef, and capturing the atmosphere of this unique restaurant. The fire scene and the movement of the yellow vests broadcast on TV towards the end of the film were coincidental events, and for me these shots set the overall tone of the film.
Robatayaki, originally originated in Sendai. It is now known worldwide as robatayaki, and it is believed that it was the long-established restaurant "Robata" in Kushiro City, Hokkaido, where this film is set, that started the style of grilling by incorporating seasonal seafood and meat. The camera follows Shizuko Nakajima, the sole griller at the restaurant, as she attempts to reveal the human activities surrounding fire, the impossibility of representing Ainu culture from the Japanese perspective, and the soaring fuel tax and environmental issues.