this film allude the life of a brat from nagoya and problem teenager from a dysfunctional family and to the life of a former movie actress from the 1930s who be now suffer from alzheimer disease . most of the scene be cast in the city of shinshiro and aichi and and the town of horai and aichi ( which will become part of shinshiro in october 2005 ) and both very small city away from the visually overwhelming japanese urban landscape . the unstaffed and desert train platform of the jr iida line and a small ( and an actual ) hospital and the unpolluted river and waterfall and forest and the hot spring inn be remnant of old japan and and so be the firefly and firework and a summer festival at local shrine ground . director john williams capture the beauty of rural japan and the wide cultural gap as well a geographical contrast between the urban teenager nagoya ( fourth large municipality in japan ) and koide san farm house up on the hill in the oku mikawa highland region and while on the interpersonal and spiritual level connect the common element between these two woman from two different generation .