It's about a man existing between what has been and what is now. He’s discovered satisfaction and joy in being genuine to himself and appreciating an era when things unfolded more deliberately—a time when one’s value came from taking pride in their work, regardless of how unimportant it might seem to others. It's essentially a film about the experience of living. What resonated with me was its ability to place you directly into the life journey of an average person, offering a first-person viewpoint. This movie provides as close an impression of everyday Japanese life as possible without actually residing there. It does a remarkable job of introducing some unique and peculiar individuals that one might meet while living in Japan. Much of it could be viewed even without subtitles or audio because the filmmaker successfully prioritized showing the story rather than narrating it. Having lived in Japan teaching, watching this felt like observing my own experiences through a camera's perspective; it truly captures life in Japan as it is. However, the film’s length—three hours—makes for a very deliberate pace; trimming it wouldn’t have diminished its impact. I didn’t care for the visual sequences used to depict dreams or shifts between night and day. They felt repetitive and like an unnecessary use of time. A compelling movie usually has escalating conflict culminating in a resolution, but this film's progression is gradual, and the conclusion seemed almost understated. The narrative is well-structured, the photography is good, the editing is solid, and the performances are believable. I genuinely liked it; it’s a captivating story with characters that I found engaging.

Source on TMDB