Director Hiroyuki Kurokawa, 2015 (119 min.)

Japanese with English subtitles 

A heart-warming drama that follows Momoko, who’s unhappy divorce discourages her to on with her life. She reluctantly joins a match making party and encounters an archaeologist named Kumagoro. He shows her around town and takes her to one of the archaeological digs in the Shirakami-Sanchi. The site is famous for artifacts from the Jomon period (3,000 to 16,500 years ago). When Kumagoro talks about the Jomon period, it reminds Momoko of her mysterious connection to this ancient time and the experience helps her embark on a new chapter in her life.

The opening sequence starts off in Cat Ba Island in the Halong Bay, Vietnam, which is the home of the Golden-Headed Langur. The rest of the story was filmed in Aomori Prefecture, and incorporates evocative visuals of the Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Site.

The film is based on Akio Morisawa’s novel of the same title.

Special thanks to Miyuki Kawasaka and MKII whose generous support made this screening of “Raia Prays For…” possible.