JAPANEMA

JFLA provides high quality Japanese film screening every second and fourth Wednesday, 7:00pm at JFLA Auditorium (5700 Wilshire Blvd, #100, Los Angeles, CA 90036) 

Free to attend. Reservation is not required.
Street Parking is available.

1/9/2019@ 7:30PM

Story of Unsung Hero Now Blooms
Yoko the Cherry Blossom
(115mins, 2015)

Directed by Gen Takahashi

©GRAND KAFE PICTURES 2015

Based on an inspiring true story, Yoko the Cherry Blossom chronicles the life of Masaaki Takaoka, a high school teacher in rural Japan. The time is World War II, his beloved students get called upon to join the imperial forces' last-ditch efforts. He has no choice but to send them off, with the promise that they would all meet again under the beautiful cherry blossoms on the school grounds upon their return, despite knowing the odds of their survival are slim to none.

Masaaki, his young wife Tsuyako, and infant son Seido survive the air raids, but most of Japan is in ruins. With no more desire to teach, he resigns from his position at the school and spends his days working on the family farm. He dedicates his life to creating a new type of cherry tree that can blossom anywhere, in any climate, so that the spirits of his students would have a place to meet, just like he promised.

After more than thirty years, a stubborn Masaaki does the impossible, successfully creating Yoko, the first-ever artificially created cherry blossom. Despite Seido’s insistence to turn Yoko into a business, Masaaki donates the beautiful trees to anyone and any country who wants them, eventually giving away more than 30,000 cherry trees to countries around the world as a symbol of world peace and harmony.

*In Japanese with English subtitles

ClickHere to Watch the Trailer