Japanese food culture might be ancient, but Japan¡¯s obsession with food in pop culture is relatively recent. The ¡°gourmet boom¡± of the bubble-era 1980s ¡ª when Japanese had more money and leisure to dine in style, rather than simply fill their stomachs ¡ª was a big spur. The accompanying proliferation of food-themed comics, TV shows and movies still continues, with no end in sight.
Taking so-called foodie-ism to new heights is ¡°Little Forest: Natsu/Aki (Little Forest: Summer/Autumn),¡± the first two parts of a four-part film directed by Junichi Mori about a young woman living alone in her family home in the fictional village of Komori (which literally translates as ¡°Little Forest¡°) in Tohoku.
Based on a manga by Daisuke Igarashi serialized in ¡°Gekkan Afternoon¡± magazine from 2002 to 2005, the film celebrates the simple life, if ¡°simple¡± means growing, preparing and cooking your own food: from rice and tomatoes to delicacies (or oddities) such as homemade Nutella and Worcestershire sauce.
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