Part 2 Pusan Day One

The first troupe departed for Pujeon Station at five thirty in the morning.
Rain was falling in large drops... it stopped once in a while, but there was no hope for a fair sky.
A blue sky is a must for the train scene in the intro part of the film we’ve been blessed with many miracles so far, but it looks like we are finally defeated by the typhoon in Korea.

We decided to give it another try on the extra day we saved in our schedule, and returned to a station in the suburbs.
There, we joined the main troupe that including the actors.
I was so sleepy!!
We turned back to Pujeon.

We started shooting in a train we rented. It is absolutely impossible to rent a whole train for shooting in Japan. The staffs and I came to the agreement that this was possible here, because the film industry in Korea is booming.

But, here too, there were big raindrops on the windows… when we confirmed on the phone, it was raining badly in the inner city, too.
We can still take measures in the editing stage. Only if we had a moment of sun!

After reaching the station, we next headed for a fruit and vegetable market in the suburbs.
When we stopped the car to get some coffee, Lee Tae Sung drew an immediate crowd.
He is yet unknown in Japan, but he truly is an up and coming star in Korea.
Young women gathered from all over the place with their cell phone cameras in their hands.
We hurriedly left the spot.

We had Korean meal at the market. The staff all cried with delight at the big servings of side dished (laughs). This is the Korean way. In any restaurant, they serve lots of complimentary side dishes of vegetables, grilled fish and such which are not on the menu. Lee Tae Sung’s manager looked happy, too.
Yona-san, our staff explained to me that in the Korean households too, it is normal to have at least a few side dishes in every meal. So, the Korean omonis (mothers) are always busy preparing for meals. .

The shooting at the market ended in no time.
Thanks to Chief Inokoshi!
“I can’t help talking to them in Japanese because we look alike, but hey, I can’t get through to them!”
He experienced many surprises in his first trip to Korea, but enjoying himself nevertheless.
As usual, he did a great job in getting the ladies in the market to loosen up. We had extras on hand in no time at all.
Here too, Lee Tae Sung was a really popular. The ladies all lined up for autographs and photos.
The women working in markets and such are really powerful.

Watching the weather, we went back to the hotel, and filmed at a nearby slope.
We had heavy rainfall in between…but, it’s alright! The God of Cinema was going to work once again.
There was such a big storm that the jumbo plane that producer M flied on (he joined us in the afternoon) had once failed in landing, but now blue skies were appearing between the clouds.

“It happened again, a miracle!”
It seemed that we were not forsaken by luck here, either.
Sun showers continued.

We aimed to shoot the sun down in a place we discovered that was use in the movie “Chingu”. It was a spot we found yesterday by coincidence, but it is a fabulous site that almost overlooks the entire Busan Port.
Needless to say, the staffs were really excited and took commemorative photos in between shooting.
Just when the light of the buildings and the ships started to light the town, our day’s work was done.

For dinner, we went to a samgetan restaurant Lee Tae Sung’s manager recommended.
He said it was near Pusan Tower and the international market.
This is the first trip to Korea for many of the Japanese staff.
We enjoyed our dinner thoroughly, and went back to the hotel.

On the way back, stars were starting to shine in the sky.
“It will be a fine day tomorrow.”
Everybody couldn’t help smiling. I renewed my conviction, that all the staffs shared a common joy – above everything, we wanted to shoot a good film. Feeling fatigue creeping up on us in an oddly pleasant way, and we all went back to our rooms.

(originally posted in Japanese on July 27, 2006)