Ep. 45 The Two Live in Danchi
Written by Cordelia.
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Hello my dear listeners and welcome back to the Thursday Night Kissaten podcast. Hope you are doing well out there.
You know because I am taking nonfiction writing this semester, with all the readings I am doing for the class, I realized that as we navigate through the chapters of our lives, the significance of relationships often shift in unexpected ways. The youthful passion of romantic love may give way to the steady comfort of companionship, where the intensity of emotions is replaced by the quirt satisfaction of shared understanding.
Today in this episode, we are going to dive into a book and its TV adaptation on the topic of what I just mentend, The Two Live in Danchi, Danchi no Futari, book was written by writer Chiya Fujino, which tells a story of a tender, understated portrayal of friendship between two women in their fifties, living in a nearly forgotten apartment complex neighborhood, or a danchi, that echoes with memories of a bygone era.
About the Story
“There is a certain serenity in knowing that we are not alone, even in our solitude.” by Chiya Fujino.
Fujino’s narrative does not rush; it meanders gently through the daily lives of Nastuko and Noe, both of them have returned to their childhood homes in the danchi.
Natsuko once an illustrator, now spends her days selling items through a flea market app, while Noe endures the dresses of her part-time job as a university lecturer. They first met in the community daycare, and have been friend there whole life. What a life-long friendship! Ntasuko and Noe are not extraordinary in the conventional sense – they are not heroes, nor do they face grand conflicts – but in their ordinarienss lies their profound relatability for people in the community and also, for each other.
So, what is a danchi?
The danchi, a relic of Japan’s post-war boom, serves as more than just a backdrop. According to wikipedia, Danchi (Japanese: 団地, literally "group land") is the Japanese word for a large cluster of apartment buildings or houses of a particular style and design, typically built as public housing by government authorities. It is a character in itself, embodying the passage of time and the inevitability of change. Once vibrant and full of life, the Japan Housing Corporation (JHC), now known as the Urban Renaissance Agency (UR), was founded in 1955. During the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the JHC built many danchi in suburban areas to offset the increasing housing demand during the post-World War II economic boom. It introduced the Japanese salaryman to a life around the nuclear family in contrast with the multi-generation homes before the war.The kitchen embodied the raised status of the Japanese housewife, as it was in the center of the apartment, not in a dark corner. The families equipped them with the "Three Sacred Treasures": a refrigerator, a washing machine and a black and white television set. But now, the danchi houses mostly elderly residents, its corridors and stairwells quiet, save for the occasional footstep or distant conversation.
Writer Fujino uses this setting to mirror the internal landscapes of her characters – both weathered by time, yet resilient, quietly enduring the vicissitudes of life.
About the Chiya Fujino
The novel gains further depth when considering writer Fujino’s own life. Chiya Fujino, born in 1962, in Fukuok. And she is not only a celebrated Japanese writer of literary fiction, but also the only openly transgender writer to ever win the Akutagawa Prize.
Her work often reflect the difficulties of her own life journey, with many of her characters portrayed as social misfits in conflict with the rigid conventions of Japanese society. Fujino’s personal experiences with identity and societal expectations undoubtedly inform the nuanced characterizations in her writing, making her stories resonate on a deeper, gentle, and more intimate level.
Like she writers in the book, Danchi no Futari, “The beauty of life often lies not in its climaxes, but in its subtle undercurrents.
In 2024 September, Danchi no Futari was adopted into a 10 episodes tv show, produced by NHK, directed by two female directors, and starting Satomi Kobayashi as Natsuko, and Kyoko Koizumi as Noe.
Natsuko and Neo’s Friendship
Natskuko and Noe’s relationship is built on years of shared history, but it is in their current interactions that the depth of their bond is truly felt. As being adults, there is a comforting familiarity in their exchanges – a shorthand of understanding that only long-time friends can share.
Fujino’s portrayal of their friendship marked by its subtlety, The women do not need to express their feelings through grand gestures or emotional declarations; their companionship is expressed in the small, everyday acts of kindness, the unspoken support, and the simple joy of being together.
This is not to day that their lives are without challenges. Both of them face their own struggles – Natsuko with the precariousness of her financial situation, and Noe with the pressures of her career, someone like her owns a phd, only teaches as a part-time lecture at the university. Natsuko moved back to her childhood room after loosing her projects as an illustrator, and Noe moved back and lives with her elderly parents after divorce. Both of them have been have been through countless hardships. Yet, these challenges are not the focal point of the story. Instead, Ujino chooses to focus on how they cope, how they continue to find moments of lightness with daily home cooking, coffee making, tv watching, selling vintage items online, a walk to the convenience store, and humor of jokes they make about each other’s age and situation, and how they support each other in ways that are both practical and deeply emotional so that to heal.
The story invites reader also the audience of the tv adoption to recohsider the notions of fulfillment and happiness. It suggests that while romantic relationship may fade, the bonds of friendship or the other form of platonic relationship – especially those forged over decades– can offer a different kind of intimacy and solace. There is a beauty in the everyday, Fujino seems to say, in the routine of life shared with someone who understands you without the need for words.
As I read Danchi no Futari, I found myself reflecting on all different forms of relationship in my own life. The ones that have endured the test of time, they ones took care of me after the every crises, where the need for constant communication has given way to a comfortable silence, where the mere presence of other is enough to build the healing spaces with their actions. Fujino’s story is a quiet celebration of these kinds of platonic relationships, ones that are often overlooked in a society that places so much emphasis on romantic love….
Ending
Danchi no Futari is a story stays with me long after the final page. It is a gentle reminder of the grace that can be found in everyday, of the strength that comes from enduring friendship, and of the quiet resilience that we all possess as we navigate the complexities of life. Fujino’s writing, much like the lives of her characters, does not demand attention, but rather invites quirt reflection, a literary dawn that gently lights up the corners of my heart.
In the end of the story it is not about the dramatic hights and lows, but about the steady, comforting presence of those who walk alongside us, even in the most unremarkable of times.
Thank you for joining me in this episode. This ep is written by me, Cordelia, and I look forward to our next conversation at this cozy Thursday Night Kissaten. See you.
