Byousoku 5 Centimeters
Chapter 1
They say it's 5 centimeters per second.
Hmm... What's that?
The speed at which cherry blossom
petals fall, 5 centimeters per second.
Hmmm...
You seem to know a lot, Akari.
Heh...
Hey... doesn't it somehow resemble snow?
I wonder...
Wait up!
Akari!
Takaki-kun!
Next year, wouldn't it be good to watch
the cherry blossoms together again?
Oukashou
Dear Tohno Takaki-sama, I'm really sorry
for not having contacted you in a while.
It's hot during summer over here... however,
it's much cooler compared to Tokyo.
But come to think of it, I still prefer
the sweltering summer in Tokyo.
The asphalt which looks
as though it might melt...
...the shimmering high-rise
buildings in the distance,
and the overly-cold air-conditioning
in the department stores and subway.
We last met at the primary
school graduation ceremony...
It has been half a year since
Hey... Takaki-kun,
do you still remember me?
Greetings to Takaki-kun!
Thanks for the reply. I
was really happy about it!
It'll soon be autumn, right? The
autumn leaves here are beautiful.
Yesterday, I dug out my
first sweater of the year.
Tohno-kun
Senpai
What's that? A love letter?
Ah, that's not it.
I'm sorry for leaving you to do all these.
It's OK. It'll be finished soon.
Thanks. Hey, is it true that
you're going to switch schools?
Ah. Yes. During the third semester.
Where to?
Over to Kagoshima. It's
due to my parents' jobs.
Is that so... It'll be lonely then.
Club activities have recently
started earlier in the morning.
That's why I'm currently
writing this letter on the train.
I just had a haircut recently.
It's become short enough
to just see my ears.
If we do meet up, you'll probably
won't be able to recognize me right?
I'm back.
Welcome back.
You are also changing bit by bit,
aren't you?
Salutations. The cold weather
continues. How are you doing?
It had been snowing here countless times.
I had to wear really thick clothes
to school because of that.
It hasn't started snowing in Tokyo right?
I haven't gotten used to the move,
so I've been watching Tokyo's
weather forecast too.
Looks like it's not gonna rain...
But it's pretty hard being
cooped indoors too.
Hey, have you guys ever been to Tochigi?
Huh? Where's that?
Nope.
How would I get there...
Dunno... take the bullet train?
It's far, isn't it...
Freshmen!
Yes!
Three weeks to go!
Fight oh! Fight oh!
I was pretty shocked when I heard
that you were transferring this time.
Have we both become used to transferring
schools from having done so for so long?
Even still, to transfer to Kagoshima...
It's pretty far away this time, isn't it?
When the time comes,
it will no longer be a distance
which would allow us to just get on
a train and meet each other.
As I thought...
it's going to be a little lonely.
By all means, I wish you the best of health.
Good day to you, Takaki-kun!
I'm really happy about the promise
to meet up on the 4th of March.
A year has passed since we last met.
Somehow I'm feeling nervous about it.
There's a huge cherry
blossom tree near my house.
During spring, that's
probably the place where...
...the cherry petals fall at
5 centimeters per second.
"Wouldn't it be nice if I could... "
"... stay with Takaki-kun until
spring comes". That's what I think.
- Want to drop by my place on the way home?
- Yeah, since it's raining anyway.
The weather forecast says
that the snow will be coming.
Eh... I thought it was getting
cold. It's March already after all.
It looks like many people
are going to catch the cold.
- Hey, let's grab a bite to eat afterwards.
They say that it's gonna rain in Shimokita.
Ah, yes.
Tohno...
Let's go for our club activities.
Look here... I don't think
I can make it today.
Because of the moving preparations?
Something like that. Sorry.
It's a great help that you'll be
coming to my local station, but...
...since it's a long journey,
please be careful.
As promised, I will be waiting for you at
the waiting room of the station at 7 pm.
On that promised day with Akari,
it started snowing after midday.
Ah- Hey, Takaki-kun!
A cat... it's Chobi!
This one's always around here, isn't he?
But he looks like he's alone today.
What happened to Mimi? It's
lonely by yourself, right?
How was the book?
Very absorbing. I read through 4
billion years in one night yesterday!
Where did you read up to?
Until the part when the
Anomalocaris emerged.
The Cambrian period!
I like the Hallucigenia...
they look like this.
Well, it looks similar, I guess.
What are you a fan of, Takaki-kun?
The Opabinia I guess.
Aah. It's got 5 eyes doesn't it?
I think Akari and I were somewhat
similar in our thoughts and feelings.
One year after I transferred to Tokyo,
Akari transferred to the same class.
We, who were still small
and sickly at that time,
preferred the library over the playground.
That's why we came to
naturally become friends.
Because of that, we were
teased by our classmates.
But...
strangely, when we were together, we
weren't too perturbed by those things.
We eventually started commuting
to the same secondary school.
"We would be together from then onwards"
For some reason, that's what I thought.
Shinjuku, Shinjuku.
This is a terminal station.
Disembarking passengers,
please transfer to the subway
JR line and Keiou line.
It was my first time coming
to Shinjuku station by myself.
It would also be my first time taking
the railway lines from here onwards.
My heart was beating quickly.
I will be meeting Akari after this.
The guy from before, how was he?
Who?
You know, that guy from Nisshou!
Eehhh? Don't you think that's bad taste?
We will be arriving at Musashiurawa
shortly. Repeat: Musashiurawa.
At the next station Musashiurawa, we
will be waiting for the express train...
In order to await the
arrival of the express...
...this train will be stopping here
for four minutes.
Customers who are in a hurry to reach
Yonohonmachi and Oomiya are advised to...
Uhm... it's Shinohara here.
Uhm... is Takaki-kun there?
It's Akari-chan.
Huh? Transferring?
What about Nishi Secondary? We
worked so hard to get accepted.
They say I have to go to Tochigi Public...
I'm sorry...
No... it's not something you
need to apologize about...
I told them to let me commute from
Aunt Katsushika's place, but...
they told me I couldn't
do it until I was older...
I got it.
It's alright.
It's OK...
I'm sorry...
I was pushing so hard on the
telephone receiver that my ears hurt.
I understood perfectly that
Akari had been hurt, but...
I couldn't do anything about it.
At the transfer station's terminal,
it started to become crowded...
...with people
returning home from work.
Everyone's shoes were wet from
soaking in the water from the snow.
The air was...
infused with the unique smell of a
snowy day in a city, and was cold.
Attention please, all passengers.
The train on the Utsunomiya line, headed
towards Koyama and Utsunomiya,
...will be arriving around
8 minutes late due to the snow.
We offer our sincerest apologies
to passengers who are in a hurry.
Until that moment, the possibility
that the trains could be delayed
had not even crossed my mind.
My uneasiness suddenly increased.
Due to the snow, this train is
currently around 10 minutes late.
Our sincerest apologies to those who
were in a hurry to catch this train.
A little while after we
passed Oomiya station,
in the blink of an eye, the buildings
in the scenery became sparse.
The next stop is Kuki, Kuki.
Our sincerest apologies for
the late arrival to this station.
Passengers transferring to the Toubuisezaki
line, please approach the number 5 exit.
Due to the following train being delayed,
this train will be temporarily
stopping here for 10 minutes.
We offer our sincerest apologies
for the trouble we are causing...
... to passengers in a hurry,
but please wait here for a while.
I'm sorry.
Due to the following train being delayed,
this train will be temporarily
stopping here for 10 minutes.
We offer our sincerest apologies
for the trouble...
we are causing to passengers in a hurry...
Nogi, Nogi...
We offer our sincerest apologies
to our passengers,
Due to delays in the following train, this
train will be temporarily stopping here...
We appreciate the difficulty that this
is causing for passengers in a hurry...
The time it took to go from station
to station was unbelievably long.
And the train stopped at each
station for an unbelievably long time.
The invisible winter wasteland
outside the window,
the flowing away of time,
the painful hunger,
all these things gradually
wore down my heart.
The promised time came and went.
By this time, Akari must
have started worrying.
On that day... that day the phone call came,
The fact that I could not offer Akari
even a single word of kindness,
even though she was beset by a
far greater sadness than I was,
is something that I was very ashamed of.
So...
it's goodbye for us today.
Akari's first letter arrived
half a year after that.
During the summer of
my first secondary year.
I remember everything
she wrote in that letter.
2 weeks before today, the promised date,
I wrote the letter that I was
going to give her in person.
Things that I couldn't not tell Akari,
things that I wanted her to hear:
In truth, I had a lot of them.
We sincerely apologize for
the trouble.
In a moment, this train will start
moving towards Utsunomiya.
Koyama, Koyama...
Passengers using the Touho
bullet train, please transfer here.
Passengers getting on the
Touho bullet train outgoing from Morioka...
please go to the first platform...
Passengers boarding the train headed
towards Tokyo, please go to platform 5.
Attention please, passengers,
due to the snow, the Ryoumo line is
...currently suffering a
major operational delay.
We are terribly sorry for the trouble.
Until such time when the train arrives,
please wait.
In any case,
I have no choice but to forge forward
to the station where Akari is waiting.
The train arriving on track number 8
heading towards Ashikaga-Maebashi...
...will be going to Takasaki.
Please stand behind the white line.
Attention please, passengers,
Due to the current snowstorm, this
train will be temporarily stopping.
We apologize for the inconvenience caused.
We are currently unable to provide
a time for the resumption of service.
Repeat:
Due to the current snowstorm, this
train will be temporarily stopping.
We apologize for the inconvenience caused.
We are currently unable to provide
a time for the resumption of service.
Takaki-kun, are you well?
Club activities have recently
started earlier in the morning.
That's why I'm currently
writing this letter on the train.
For some reason, the Akari I imagine
from the letters was always alone.
Just like that, the train ended up
stopping there without a
sound for nearly two hours.
Every minute felt like an eternity.
Time, clearly as if it had
a malicious intent,
slowly ebbed away above me.
I clenched my teeth,
and keeping myself from crying
was the only thing I could do.
Akari...
Please... just...
...return...
...return home already!
The train arriving on track number 3
heading towards Ashikaga-Maebashi...
...will be going to Takasaki.
This train will be stopping here
momentarily due to the snow.
Akari...
Delicious...
Really? It's just normal Houji tea.
Houji tea? It's my first time drinking this.
No way, you must have drunk it before.
Really?
Yes.
And after that, we have this... I made
it, so I can't guarantee the taste, but...
if it's alright with you, please eat some.
Thank you!
I was really hungry.
How was it?
It's the most delicious out of all
the things I have eaten up to now.
You exaggerate!
It's true!
It must be because you are hungry.
Really?
Yes.
I'm going to eat some too.
You're going to be moving soon, right?
Yes... next week.
Kagoshima, huh...
It's far away.
But Tochigi is pretty far away too.
Heh, so far away that you can't return home.
We'll be closing the station soon. There
are no more trains running anyway.
Ah. Yes.
Since it's snowing this much,
please take care of yourself.
Yes sir.
Can you see it? That tree.
The tree from the letter?
Yes. The cherry blossom tree.
Hey...
Doesn't it... somehow resemble snow?
Yes, it does.
In that moment,
the dwelling place of
eternity, hearts and souls...
became clear to me.
It was as if I understood
everything that...
...had happened in my life
these last thirteen years,
and... the time which was to come.
I became unbearably... sad.
Akari's warmth, her spirit,
how should I treat them,
where can I bring them?
That was something I did not know.
That we could not be
together forever after this
was a fact I clearly grasped.
The vast lives we had ahead of us,
the boundless amount of time which laid
unavoidably stretched out in front of us.
But...
the anxieties which I had caught
sight of soon melted away.
And after that, only Akari's
tender lips remained.
That night,
we stayed at a small barn beside a field.
Sharing an old blanket, we
talked long into the night.
And before we knew it, we had fallen asleep.
In the morning, I boarded the train
which had started running again.
Akari and I parted.
Takaki-kun...
Takaki-kun, you'll...
be alright from now on. I'm sure of it!
Thank you.
Akari, you too, be well!
We'll write letters... and telephone too!
I did not tell Akari
that I had lost the letter
which I had written to her.
From before to after that kiss...
it seemed as though everything
in the world had changed.
I strongly wished for the
strength to protect her.
Just thinking that, as always,
I continued watching the
scenery outside the window.
Chapter 1: Oukashou: End
Chapter 2
Kanae, are you going after school too?
Yeah. Are you alright with that?
Yep, but make sure you study properly too.
Yep!
Alright!
Good morning.
Good morning, Tohno-kun.
You're early today too.
You too, Sumida. You came
from the beach didn't you?
Yes.
You're hardworking.
Not really... heh.
See you, Tohno-kun.
Yeah.
Got it? Itll soon be time
for you to decide.
You have until Monday to submit.
Discuss this with your family
when you're filling it in.
It seems like Sasaki-san will be
going to a university at Tokyo.
Wow. I might be going to a
junior college in Kumamoto...
What about you, Kanae?
Uhm... uh...
Getting a job?
Uh...
You really haven't thought
about anything, have you...
Only about Tohno-kun eh.
That guy must have a girlfriend in Tokyo.
That can't be!
You still can't do it properly?
Mmm... I wonder what's the problem...
Don't worry about it too much.
You can still get on the wave.
It's all very well for you to be so relaxed.
Why are you in such a hurry?
At this rate, I won't be able
to say it before graduation...
Thank you, sis.
I can come fetch you back.
No, I'll go back to Kabu's.
Ah. Sumida, are you going home now?
Yes. You too, Tohno-kun?
Wanna go together?
If I had a tail like a dog,
it'd probably be making a buzzing sound
from shaking so quickly with hidden joy.
"Aahh, I'm so lucky that I'm not a
dog", I thought to myself with relief.
Thinking that, I was amazed at
myself for being such an idiot.
Even so...
The road home with
Tohno-kun was a happy one.
From the very beginning, Tohno-kun was
somehow different from the rest of the boys.
I'm Tohno Takaki.
I am used to transferring schools
because of my parent's work...
...but I'm not
familiar with this island yet.
I look forward to working with you.
I started liking him from that day
in the second year of secondary school...
... and wanted to go to the
same high school as him.
After studying really hard, I
somehow managed to pass.
Even then, I fell even more in love
whenever I saw Tohno-kun's figure.
It was scary, and each day
was filled with anguish.
But feeling happy everytime I met him,
was something about myself that
I couldn't do anything about.
Tohno-kun, you're buying
the same thing again.
This is good.
Sumida, you're somehow
always so very earnest.
I'll go first then.
Can I have this please.
That's 90 yen.
As always, thank you.
Welcome back. What did you buy?
Yup, I couldn't decide though... Tohno-kun
would sometimes be typing mail to someone.
Tohno-kun would sometimes
be typing mail to someone.
During those times, I'd wish that I was the
one receiving the mail he was sending.
For some reason, I kept
thinking that every time.
Kabu! I'm back!
Kabu, Kabu, I've come back!
This is a notice from the
town hall:
The next duty stand will be Sakai's
Agricultural Cooperative Fuel...
Sumida Kanae from third year first group,
Itou-sensei requests your presence
at the student guidance room.
Itou-sensei requests your presence
at the student guidance room.
- Isn't that your girlfriend?
- She isn't my girlfriend.
Sumida, you're the only one in your
year who hasn't submitted your form.
I'm sorry...
Look, despite what we've
been telling you...
...it's not something you should
be too worried about.
Did you talk to Sumida-sensei about this?
No...
If you really cannot decide, how
about going to a local junior college?
But...
It's got nothing to do with sis...
Because...
my elder sister who coaxed
me into starting surfing.
And the important person who
occupies most of my thoughts...
I have still yet to...
As always, thank you.
That's OK. See you.
When I came to the place
where Tohno-kun was,
the inside of my chest
started hurting somewhat.
Tohno-kun!
Sumida! What's up? How did you find me?
Heh... I found your bike, so
I came along. Is that OK?
Mmm, I see. I'm glad.
I didn't see you at the scooter
parking place today...
Me too!
He is kind.
At times, it seems like he's going to cry.
Hey... are you going to be taking the exams?
Yes, the acceptance exams
for a university in Tokyo.
Tokyo... I see. I thought
that would be the case.
Why?
I somehow always thought
you'd go somewhere far away.
What about you?
Uhmmm...
I'm not even sure about tomorrow.
I think... everyone is like that.
No way! Even you?
Of course.
You don't seem like you're
undecided about the future at all.
No... I am full of hesitation.
I only somehow manage to do what I can.
I see.
So that's how it is.
A paper plane?
...amazing.
They say it's 5 kilometers per hour.
It's going to the
Minamitane launch facility.
This year, we'll see a launch at long last.
Ah... they say it will continue travelling
through the solar system and beyond...
No matter how long it takes...
You should seriously discuss
Kanae's future with her.
She's such an absent-minded girl.
It'll be alright. She's no longer a kid.
I was once like her too...
Hey... Kabu, Tohno-kun is unsure too.
He's the same as me... Tohno-kun.
That would really be...
...a journey so dark and lonely
as to be beyond all imagination.
To exist so earnestly in pure darkness...
...without meeting even a single
hydrogen atom by chance...
To absolutely and wholeheartedly
believe that somewhere in the abyss...
...you are getting closer
to the secrets of the universe.
In that manner, where
are we headed towards?
How far will we go?
When did I start typing
messages that are never sent?
Kanae, have you decided
on your future path?
No... I still don't know. But
it's OK. I've decided...
I'll do the best I can, bit
by bit. I'm going now!
From that day on, a few
typhoons happened to pass by,
and on those occasions, the
island became cooler bit by bit.
The wind which nudged the sugarcane
gradually became pregnant with chill.
The sky really became a little higher,
the contours of the clouds became gentler,
and the classmates whom Kabu jumped on ended
up looking like they'd put on thin jumpers.
When I managed to stand up on the
wave for the first time in half a year,
there was still a little bit of summer
left. It was the middle of October.
This evening's weather will be clear,
...with a reported maximum
windspeed of 8 meters.
It seems like Sasaki-san
has confessed to Yamada.
Wow, just as you would expect from her!
Huh? Kanae, you seem really happy today.
Did something happen with Tohno-kun?
No way!
Today, I too...
...will confess to Tohno-kun!
If I don't tell him on the day I
managed to get on the wave,
I will not be able to tell him
from here on in.
Sumida
Toh-
Tohno-kun...
Are you going home now?
Yes.
I see.
In that case, let's go together.
Hmmm? Sumida, you've decided already?
Yes...
I...
What's wrong?
I...
...to me.
No...
Sorry... it's nothing.
It's not working?
Yes... it's strange...
No good?
Yeah... it could be that the plug has given
up the ghost. Was this a hand-me-down?
Yeah. It was my sister's.
Did it have problems when
you were accelerating?
It might have.
Let's just leave this here today and have
someone from your family pick it up later.
We'll walk home today.
Eh... I'll walk home myself!
Tohno-kun, you can go first.
It's not that far from here,
and I kinda want to walk as well.
Tohno-kun...
Please...
What's wrong?
I'm sorry... it's nothing...
I'm sorry...
Sumida...
I beg you... please...
...stop being...
...so kind to me!
To desperately and blindly stretch
out our hands towards the heavens,
to launch such a big mass into the sky,
and to fix our eyes on something in the
darkness of the far reaches of space.
Even if only a little, I've come to realize
why Tohno-kun seemed so
different from the other boys.
And at the same time,
I also came to the full
understanding that Tohno-kun...
...would never look at me.
That's why, I did not say anything
to Tohno-kun on that day.
Although Tohno-kun is kind...
...he's very kind... but...
but...
Tohno-kun has always
...been looking at something
far beyond, far higher than me.
I could never give Tohno-kun
that which he desires.
Even so...
Even so, I'm sure that even when tomorrow
comes, or the day after, or thereafter,
I will still be helplessly
in love with Tohno-kun.
Thinking only about Tohno-kun,
and crying, I slept.
Chapter 2: Cosmonaut: End
Chapter 3
Thinking back to that day,
surely, that person must also
strongly feel it when she thinks back.
The last train on the Chuou Soubu
line going to Tokyo has arrived.
If only you could go back
after the New Year...
Yes... but I've got various
things prepared, so...
That's right. Make sure you cook
him some delicious food too.
Yes.
If anything happens, give us a call, Akari.
It'll be alright. There'll be a meeting
ceremony next month...
... so you don't have to worry.
It's cold, so please return home.
I saw a dream from long ago.
Both of us were still kids.
It must have been because of
the letter I found yesterday.
Mizuno-san.
Ah... yes!
Shall we have the meeting now?
Yes.
By just living one's life, sadness
accumulates here and there,
be it in the sheets hung out in the sun to
dry, the toothbrushes in the bathroom,
and the history logs of the mobile phone.
"I still like you, even now. "
So wrote the lady I had dated
three years ago in her email.
"But, even if we were to
exchange a thousand emails... "
"... our hearts would probably not move
even one centimeter closer together. "
In the last several years, I have
forged ahead without any regard,
just to touch what I cannot reach. That
email was a definite indicator of that fact.
Without understanding
the sources from which
this menacing thought surged
forth from, I continued working.
When I at last noticed,
my heart had already become hard...
...from the gradual loss
of its youthful vitality.
And on a certain morning,
when I at last came to
an earnest realization...
that I had lost everything
that was beautiful,
I knew I was at my limits,
and quit the company.
Yesterday, I had a dream.
A dream I have had since long ago.
In that dream, we had yet to turn 13.
We were in a vast countryside
completely covered with snow,
the lights of the houses extended far
into the distance, a dazzling sight.
We walked on the thick carpet of fresh
snow, but did not leave any footprints.
And like that,
"Someday, we will be able to watch
the cherry blossoms together again",
both of us, without any doubts at all,
that's what we thought.