Summary

An earthquake hits Tokyo while the son is out, leaving the mother alone in his apartment as frames fall, books slide from the shelf, and plants tip over. As she cleans up, she notices he has forgotten his phone and finds a stack of unsent letters addressed to Chris in Texas, which she quietly returns to their place without mentioning them. The cat, Taro, panics and cries continuously, and the mother decides it is safer to leave the building for a while. Carrying the cat in his carrier, she goes to Ben’s home, where Ben talks openly about his strained relationship with his adult son, Jun, and admits how unpredictable Jun can be. Jun arrives and, to the mother’s surprise, immediately calms the cat, holding him with gentleness that makes Ben look briefly transformed. When Ben later walks the mother back toward...