REMINDER: WATCH THE JAPANESE ANIMATED MOVIE "OKKO'S INN" AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING

QUESTIONS BELOW FOR 5 PTS EACH:

1. What makes Hananoyu special and popular among tourists?
“They say Hananoyu Spring rejects no one. It welcomes and heals everyone!” - Okko recites her
grandmothers words, the motto of the Hananoyu Inn
Throughout the film, the water of Hananoyu is said to have impressive healing powers and it is
here that people dealing with grief or trauma come to find solace.

2. Why was Uribo close to Okko? What is their connection?

Uribo was a childhood friend of Mineko who died shortly after she moved away, he goads Okko
into committing to take over the inn from Mineko when she grows up. Mineko then makes her the
"junior innkeeper", giving her a kimono of her own to wear.

She meets the ghost of Uribo, a rambunctious boy who loved her grandmother when they were
children. He begs Okko to help out at the inn, as Mineko is overtaxed.
Uribo offers the lonely girl a much-needed friend: He tells her stories about the childhood he
shared with her grandmother — and explains how the inn should function.

3. Discuss at least 1 Japanese custom/tradition present in the movie.

Ryokans have long been used in Japan to escape the demands of daily life and commune with
nature. And ghost stories have been popular there for centuries, appearing in folk tales, court
literature and Kabuki plays. Some ghosts are angry and vengeful; others are lonely and sad.
In Japan, there are good ghosts and bad ghosts, just as there are good people and bad people. In
order for the two to be known as not-bad ghosts, we made them cute and charming. We made it clear
that Uribo still cares about the inn and the girl he knew who’s now Okko’s grandmother, and that
Miyo has regrets about her little sister.”
For centuries, the Japanese people have used ryokan as places to relax, commune with nature
and escape from the cares of the world. In a divisive era, Okko’s Inn carries a valuable message. The
soothing waters of the hot springs are a gift of the gods: They welcome and heal everyone who visits.
Kōsaka discovered this ethos while doing research for the film. “One thing I found interviewing
several ryokan owners is the observational powers of the innkeeper,” he explains. “They understand
the true nature of humans, and they accept them — to a certain extent. They provide an asylum for
modern people who are restricted by societal rules, even though those rules are also important.”

4. How did the inn change Okko?

Okko herself initially comes to the place to be healed but gradually takes on a position where she
herself is the one healing the visitors. And that in turn becomes therapeutic for her. Okko slowly
begins to move on from her traumatic past as her connection with nature grows. She started out as a
sheltered city girl who gradually grew to accept her position at the Inn through the help of people
around her. The Inn's mantra of not rejecting anyone becomes a part of her identity and helps her
find her place. Ultimately, it's the stepping stone for her emotional growth. Finding happiness in the
joy of others allows Okko to get over the grief of her parents' death.

5. What value did Okko learn from the last guests of her grandma's inn?
Towards the end of the film, Okko’s Inn delivers much needed catharsis for Okko when she
encounters someone involved with her accident, leading to a genuinely emotional moment. This is
where we’re shown Okko’s growth from a passive little kid to a dutiful innkeeper maintaining the
openness of Hananoyu’s waters and guest services. She reconciles with the tragic events that befell
her and learns to move on with her life. She realizes that hatred will not bring her mother and father
back; kindness and forgiveness will make life better for everyone.