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thanks for the interest :) on my vimeo page, but there's only one other story like it, that I've done so far:
I got some other short docs, but most of them only in German and not on the level of Houshi. Afterall, I am a student and still learning.
I was living in Japan September 2013 to September 2014 and I shot four films like this during that time. Two are done, two more are still being edited.
I honestly didn't want to be it negative, but here's the thing:
the story is what it is.
I would loved for it to be more positive, but the state I interviewed them in, everything seemed gloomy. There's even a line from the father, which I cut, where he says it like: "For Houshi, there has never been a worse time than this". this includes the many natural disasters they faced, when the entire ryokan went up in flames or when half the family went to war and they became some sort of hospital for the army's soldiers instead of a hotel.
This particular moment I captured now is indeed quite negative, hence the story feels like that. But it is the Houshi of that moment. If I would make it more positive with the material I got, I would feel that I betray them or fake the story. And going from the interviews, there are rarely any positive statements. I even ended my last interview with the daughter saying: "everything you told me was so negative... I want the film to end on a positive note. Can you tell me something positive?" She contemplated for a while and then said two funny things. How she practices the Shamisen with her mother and feels like she is much better than her but would never say that. And also how she likes western style hotels much more than japanese style ryokan. But for several reasons, I couldn't use those lines.
1) the father's not macho, it's actually quite complex. as I said before, the family, and him in particular, have a very different understanding of what "family" is. There's no difference between family and business to him. Both are the same thing. It's easy for us to judge that, but it's how he was raised and his father before him. It's the way they walk. It's a cultural difference.
It took me a while to understand that and to accept his way. I tried to show and explain his situation in the film, why he's doing what he's doing, so others might understand. His only purpose in life is to keep the ryokan. Or else he alone would fuck up the entire history of the family. It's a big weight to carry, most of us can't even begin to comprehend.
that being said, he really was unbelievable sad when his son died. He is also a father, and not a monster. He's more a dutiful samurai.
2) yes and she never expected it. the wife is really obedient, she accepted her fate a long time ago and never asked for more. we might not like it, but that's how she is.
3) not entirely unhappy. the interview with her was her first chance to vent and to talk about some issues that she couldn't talk about with her parents or her friends in a long time. she is indeed quite lonely, so it was very emotional. She cried several times during the interview but I didn't want to embarass her like that by actually showing it. However, there are things she enjoys and finds happiness in. She travels to Tokyo once a month to visit friends, she also loves her small dog. There's also a second daughter, who's married with kids, and she enjoys spending time with them. And despite all, she loves and admires her parents dearly. Or else she wouldn't have come back. And as I said above, the interview was made in April and she is doing much better now.
a big theme of the film is the flow of time and the changes they bring. Houshi is always in motion. This film shows also just a moment in their long history, and it happens to be a very decisive one. When I traveled there, I didn't know about the whole situation. The film as it is, was the story unfolding to me.
Let me end with a quote from Zengoro:
"It’s not about choosing family or this ryokan. The most important thing is, to keep this 1300 years old family business. You would say we are in the bottom of the situation but some ancestors also thought their ages were in the bottom. So people don’t notice when things are going well, then there is already some sign of going downhill. And when you noticed that it’s going worse, things are already working towards a good way again."
If I recall correctly, the grandfather of the current Zengoro was adopted. So since then, it's pretty much straight. He showed me the pictures of his family. To his grandmother, who was "originally" Houshi, if you will, but not his biological grandmother, he refers to as "my grandma".
Houshi have a different understanding of family than we do. For them, "family" and "business" are the same thing. For example, the daughter never calls her parents by mom and dad while in the hotel, but by their titles (Okami and President)
[edit: got a bit confused who did what with grandma]
I'd rather you not.
tell me about it... after the interviews, which were the first things I shot, I realized the tremendous weight of the millenia. The work on "Houshi" really brought me to my mental and physical limitations. I shot for hours everyday, without a break, because I tried so hard to capture everything. I was so very moved by their story and felt the need to tell the story in the best and most powerful way possible.
I want to write an extended story about the whole thing and offer that to several media along with the video, just like I did previously with another short doc from Japan. So I kinda can't and won't give everything away under the video. However, I try to answer questions or join a discussion when I can. This thread in particular seemed very interesting, whereas other comments elsewhere don't really make me join the discussion.
There's only so much you can tell with a short video on the internet. Everything can only be a glimpse into a 1,300 year old legacy, and into the mentality of three humans behind it.
it was the best ryokan experience I ever had, albeit even more "japanese" than I expected. For example, every room has a personal staff, that does everything for you. I had dinner in my room, which he brought to me, and while eating he was just sitting there, making sure I got everything I needed. It felt a bit awkward, but it's their idea of service. And I guess if you don't stay there just by yourself, it's easier to ignore them. And the food was among the best I ever tasted.
I'm the guy who made this video, so I want adress some questions from this thread. Really interesting discussion by the way, I'm happy so many people take an interest in this film!
Not really family/adoption:
To be honest, the whole history of the Houshi family is kind of a mistery. There was no real documentation in paper back then. No photos, and paintings or such were only for rich people. Yet, the whole town kinda grew around the hot springs and this one hotel in particular. So the history of the hotel and the family is very much connected with the history of the town. That's also where the proof for the Guinness Bureau came from. They wouldn't just accept them saying "yea, we old."
What changed in 2011: An even older hotel submitted their application.
Also: as far as I found out, that older hotel is not a straight "same-family" business, or at least not anymore. I'm a bit sceptical of that posted source below. There's an association for family businesses older than 200 years AND still running, and that hotel is not part of that, Houshi is.
The daughters motivation: I shot this film over the course of six days, in April and in June. When I was doing the interviews in April, the daughter didn't actually know that her father decided that she should take over. I was the one who told her during the interview (assuming then she was aware of it of course). She officially started in May, and when I came back in June, she was much more adjusted. She's actually doing pretty well. There's also a second son, even working in the hotel, longer than the daughter. but according to the father, he's not smart enough to manage the inn. The daughter is actually much stronger and smarter than she thinks she is. That's why the father chose her. In 1,300 years, no woman was the official owner of the inn. However, they were allowed to be "temporary owners" until the son came of age or someone was adopted. Yet, the father considers giving the daughter now the title of Zengoro. She would be the first woman in 1,300 years to wear that title. But it's not final yet. I consider going back there in a couple of years to see what's changed.
The first born son gets trained from day one to become the owner. The daughter wasn't properly prepared. Yet, she loves her family dearly and is caught between her love, obligation and duty. For someone carrying the weight of 1,300 years and 46 generations, she is doing remarkably well.