Kokoro (2003)

Suenaga Kokoro, an international flight attendant, lives with her mother and grandmother who operate a traditional restaurant in a lively downtown district of Tokyo where customs and traditions run deep and neighbors know each other like a big family. This story follows a tumultuous year of Kokoro's life as she goes from being an independent single to being a wife, stepmother, widow and businesswoman who is tightly tied her family and community. Kokoro shares their toils and dreams as she endures her own twists of fate and thrives in spite of severe hardships. While the World Wide Web is replacing traditional communities, places like Asakusa and people like Kokoro try to keep their warmth and values alive. Although her world is uniquely Japanese, people everywhere will share her feelings of joy and sadness as they are captivated by this heart-warming tale of love and loss, struggle and survival.