Ep. 55 Midnight Diner
cover design by Cordelia Shan
Written by Cordelia.
Listen to the full episode :
Hello and welcome back to the Thursday Night Kissaten podcast. I’m your host, Cordelia.
As you’ve already seen from the title, tonight, we’re talking about that show… [hums opening tune]. Okay, I won’t sing, but just picture it—you’re in a car, gazing out at the neon-lit streets of Shinjuku. Yes, we’re talking about the beloved TV series, Midnight Diner.
And this episode is extra special because it’s the first-ever request from one of our listeners. So, if you’re tuning in, this one’s for you.
What Is Midnight Diner?
Midnight Diner (Shinya Shokudō) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yarō Abe, the same author behind Yusaku’s Twilight, which we’ve discussed in a previous episode.
The manga first appeared in a magazine in October 2006, and as of November 2024, its chapters have been compiled into 29 volumes. However, interestingly, this manga has yet to be translated into English.
If you love food and are even slightly interested in Japanese culture, you’ve probably heard of Midnight Diner. It’s a big deal—not just in Japan, but across Asia. The series has been adapted into films and TV dramas in multiple countries.
In Japan, Midnight Diner was adapted into a television series directed by Joji Matsuoka, starring Kaoru Kobayashi as “Master,” the owner of the small, late-night eatery. The show aired five seasons on TV Tokyo between 2009 and 2014, followed by a feature film in 2015. In 2016, Netflix Japan picked it up for a fourth season, and the fifth season was released in 2019. The series has also been adapted into Korean and Chinese versions.
The Story of Midnight Diner
At the start of each episode, Master introduces his diner with these words:
"The day has ended, and while everyone else is hurrying home, my day is just beginning. The menu has only a few dishes—order whatever you like, and I’ll make it for you. That’s how I run this place.
We’re open from midnight until seven in the morning.
People call it ‘Midnight Diner’.
You ask if I get any customers? Oh, there are plenty."
The menu is simple, with just seven items:
Pork Soup Set Meal – 600 yen
Beer (Large) – 600 yen
Sake (Two Cups) – 500 yen
Shochu – 400 yen
Highball (One Glass) – 400 yen
Each customer is limited to three drinks, but Master has one rule—if he has the ingredients, he’ll cook whatever you request.
This means every regular at the diner has their own go-to dish, and each chapter of the manga (or each episode of the show) is named after a particular food, symbolizing the story that unfolds around it.
A Late-Night Community
There’s a common stereotype about people who work at night. Since the diner is located in Shinjuku—known for its nightlife, Kabukichō, and gay district—the customers are often those who live on the fringes of society.
The diner is a gathering place for sex workers, strippers, bar hosts, taxi drivers, police officers, mama-san (bar owners who know everything happening in the neighborhood), ER doctors, office ladies in their 20s, illustrators, artists, drag queens, male escorts, journalists, musicians, writers, manzai comedians, AV actors, professors, and singers.
Master was right—his diner is never empty.
Why Do People Love Midnight Diner So Much?
Unlike most dramas, Midnight Diner doesn’t rely on dramatic plot twists, action-packed sequences, or heart-wrenching romance. It’s simple—so simple it feels like a glass of still water.
"Midnight Diner is so flat, I could sleep on it," one of my exes once joked. He never understood why I loved it, yet he kept buying me new volumes of the manga as gifts.
But beyond the food, Midnight Diner is a mosaic of human experiences. The customers who step into the diner each night come from different walks of life—students, writers, adult film actors, strippers, homeless people. Their relationships cross all boundaries—same-sex couples, heterosexual couples, transgender individuals, estranged family members, lost friends, old lovers.
And we, the viewers, are silent witnesses. We don’t judge; we just listen.
There’s Akai, the game designer who always orders chicken fried rice. When he was four, his mother abandoned him at an amusement park. Since then, he’s only worn red, hoping that one day his mother will recognize him and come back for him.
There’s Kotani, who always orders yakisoba bread. He was a high school baseball player with big dreams. When his alma mater made it to the spring tournament, he celebrated by treating everyone to yakisoba bread. But life wasn’t always kind—when he ran into financial troubles, he took out high-interest loans and disappeared when he couldn’t pay them back.
Then there’s Kashiyama, who orders curry ramen. He reconnects with his old middle school friend Ōjiku over a bowl of the dish they used to eat as kids. But their reunion takes a dark turn—Ōjiku borrows a large sum of money, then vanishes, stealing his girlfriend’s credit card, savings, and jewelry along the way.
A comment in the show’s subtitles sums it up perfectly: This isn’t just a food show—it’s a collection of different lives.
And that’s exactly what makes Midnight Diner special.
Every time the diner’s doors open, a new customer steps in, bringing a new story with them. The food may be comforting, but it’s the stories behind each dish that truly draw us in.
Director Joji Matsuoka doesn’t use flashy cinematography or exaggerated cooking sequences like Cooking Master Boy. Instead, his shots are simple, straightforward—like a quiet thread weaving together the diner, the food, and its people. Because behind each dish lies something deeply human—just an ordinary person, living an ordinary life.
In the stillness of the night, with soft background music playing, a bowl of soup or a cup of sake from the diner warms our hearts. That’s the gentle, everyday magic of Midnight Diner.
The End of the Night
At the end of Volume 18 of the Midnight Diner manga, there’s a special scene: Endō, the producer of the Midnight Diner movies and TV series, visits the diner to bring Master a gift—DVDs of Midnight Diner Season 4 on Netflix, the sequel film Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, and the Korean and Taiwanese adaptations.
One of the customers asks, Why is Midnight Diner so popular across Asia? The manga is so simple—nothing really happens.
Endō smiles and says, Life doesn’t always go the way we want, but we carry on. Maybe that’s what makes it so comforting.
So, as the night deepens—what dish from Midnight Diner are you craving tonight?
Well then—good night.
