According to the story contained in an unnamed magazine, the place that women are heading for most these days is "ryokan" (Japanese style inns.) The reason being is that women have become accustomed to going on trips abroad, and visiting hotels has become common place in daily life, so they are looking for something more stimulating.
At a ryokan, the staff know the secret of how to make a customer feel right at home- which is just what those who are caught up in the hustle and bustle of today's busy lifestyle are looking for.
By using a ryokan as its backdrop, this drama helps each character to find what they want out of life, which is exactly the message we would like to convey to our viewers.
Will the light-hearted, but self centered star of our show marry the owner of a hotel chain and make the move from a model whose services are not in demand to the manager of a ryokan? This drama follows the comical story of her as she struggles to become an adult.
Working at the ryokan are a group of people that have made the it their home away from home. As the new manager interacts with these workers, they transform the ryokan into a place they can all be proud of.
Synopsis of Episode 1
Nagisa Goto and Rinko Sasano. Rinko is a not so popular model that works modeling at car show rooms and on television shows as an assistant. Both Nagisa and Rinko have no interest in their work, and are just waiting around to be swept off their feet by "prince charming."
During a television interview one day Rinko meets Masashi Takamura, the owner of a chain of 7 resort hotels. The two wind up getting married.
Takashi has a primary school aged daughter, Shiho, from his marriage to his deceased wife. Rinko and Shiho don't seem to hit it off too well, so Rinko decides to leave Shiho and the house cleaning up to the made while she goes off shopping with her husband's credit card.
After just one month of being married, Rinko gets the news that her husband has passed away while on a business trip to Australia.
After the funeral Rinko is visited by a lawyer. It seems that Takashi has a debt of several million dollars because of his failed overseas business venture. His chain of hotels along with the mansion that she is living in must be sold to pay off his debt. As a result, Rinko has to move out of the apartment by the end of the month.
"What, they're taking everything?!"
No, there is one thing that is left..."
Standing in front of this ryokan that seems to fit its rural surroundings are: Rinko, Shiho and the lawyer. Takashi bought it when he got married, and although it is a nice building, it seems to be pretty old, and certainly not getting as much business as it probably should; as is evidenced by the fact that it is running in the red.
Why would someone want to buy a place like this? Rinko says to the lawyer who tells her in turn that you have two options: "keep running the place, or talk with the employees and shut the place down."
Rinko and Shiho decide to stay overnight and weigh out their options. As some of the employees are talking about the ryokan being shut down, their only customer, Fumiko Teshigawara comes up to them. Teshigawara has been staying at the ryokan for a while, but nobody seems to know too much about her.
Also working at the ryokan is the head cook, Shinoda, who thinks he owns the place. Next there is the person that cleans the baths, who likes to come in and check out the women while they are bathing. "The employees here are just awful" Rinko says as she gets her first glimpse of them.
The next morning, Chiba, one of the guys that works at the ryokan tells Shiho that he thinks her mom has it rough. She tells him that Rinko only married her dad for his money. Just as the two are talking, Rinko just happens to walk by and hear what they were saying. This prompts Rinko to reply "Your father used his money to get himself a young wife. I think that makes us even!" "Yeah your right, my father really didn't care for you anyway, he just bought you with his money because he thought you looked good, just like the rest of the furniture in the house!" Poor Chiba doesn't know how to react as Shiho runs off, and Rinko gets this hurt look on her face.
That afternoon, one of the town's councilman, Toshikazu Kuronuma and his son Norio, pay Rinko a visit. It seems that Kuronuma is buying up land in the area to turn it into some type of amusement spot. It just so happens that Kuronuma is the creditor that Rinko owes money to because the ryokan is operating in the red. And the reason he has paid her a visit is to convince her to sell out. After he explains to her that if she sells to him, she will get rid of her debt and still have a enough money left over for herself, Rinko decides to sell.
Once everyone at the ryokan has finished work for the day, Rinko calls them in to explain that they are going to be going out of business. Nobody in the group objects to what she has told them, and the fate of the ryokan is decided-termination of operations in one week.
Rinko returns to Tokyo with Shiho, and meets with Takashi's sister who says she wants to raise Shiho. Rinko looks for a new mansion and prepares to move in. While going through Takashi's belongings, Rinko finds the tape of the t.v. show that they met on. While watching the tape, Rinko finds out the real reason Takashi purchased the ryokan. Once Rinko finds this out, she... |
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