Stories about people.

Stories about life.

Hometown Stories.

These are all 100 yen each.

They're fresh, like they've just been picked.

You put in one coin to buy them.
I like this - it's very analog!

This vegetable stand is unattended most of the time.

More than 100 customers a day come by.

"A vegetable stand in such a big city?"

It's located in the middle of metropolitan Tokyo.

I like the owner's spirit.
It's like an oasis here.

This is such a warm place.

There's a slightly unusual message posted on the stand.

Tomo is here for you.

So, please don't worry.

Who on earth is Tomo?

And why is this person running an unattended vegetable stand here?

Look! It's grown so big.

It's big and delicious!

Let's go visit the place and find out!

This is the Ebisu district in Tokyo.

From the station, walk for about two minutes along bars and restaurants.

Here you'll find Tomo's modestly sized vegetable stand.

Here comes Tomo!

The owner is Oshimo Tomoko, or Tomo for short.

Let's appear on TV together!

How about 100 yen for this?
One more eggplant?

Most of the packages are priced at 100 yen, or about 70 cents.

It's barely enough to make a profit.

"Delicious and cheap" is rare.
But that's my motto.

Tasty, cheap, fresh.

I hope people like it that way.

With prices constantly on the rise, how can she offer her vegetables so cheaply?

The answer lies in Saitama, one of Tokyo's neighboring prefectures.

Eggplants today.
Let's start from this side.

It turns out Tomo is a farmer.

I'll do about half of them.

With the help of her only son, 14-year-old Satoru,

she manages a vegetable field roughly half the size of a baseball field.

To keep her prices as low as possible, she uses little or no pesticide or herbicide.

Weeds everywhere!

She's weeding a zucchini patch.

It'll take her about five hours.

Can you take care of this part, Satoru?

See how big these are!

Here.

This is big, too.

Oh boy.

Quite a few.

Tomo drives 2 hours each way
to deliver vegetables every day.

Who comes and buys Tomo's vegetables?

There's one young woman who drops by pretty much every week.

My office is nearby. So, I come here
after work or during my lunch break.

Seino Sena is a 26-year-old office worker.

She graduated from university three years ago.

She found a job in Tokyo and moved from Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture.

At first, she had a hard time making ends meet.

She says her monthly budget for food was around 70 dollars.

I moved here
despite my family's objections.

I've never complained.

After Sena learned about Tomo's vegetable stand, she started cooking regularly to save money.

I've never bought a zucchini before.
I wonder how to cook it.

- "Hello!"
- Hi, Grandma!

- "Yes."
- Good evening.

- Can we talk?
- "Sure."

- I bought a zucchini.
- "What? Is it like a pumpkin?"

No, zucchini.

- "Try stir-frying it with canned tuna."
- Will do.

- "Eating now?"
- Yes, I'm making dinner.

"Good for you. Make sure you eat right.
I can't run up to Tokyo."

I know.

- "OK?"
- Yes, thank you.

Tomo's vegetables are also like a link
between me and my faraway family.

They help me live a healthy life.

Grandma was right.

This is delicious.

Look. "To young people..."
It's heart-warming.

There's an attention-grabbing message on the wall at Tomo's vegetable stand.

To young people...

I moved from Hiroshima by myself.

I had no money and lived on watermelon for a month.

I was skin and bone.

I'll grow a lot of vegetables for you and leave them at this stand.

Tomo is here for you.

Rest assured that I'll be here.

And please don't worry about the future.

"What thoughts did you put in it?"

Everyone's worried. So, I wanted to
encourage them, saying it'll be OK.

Tomo grew up in a farming family.

She was 18 when she moved from Hiroshima, western Japan.

Japan's economic bubble was still in full swing.

The lively Ebisu district captivated her, prompting her to relocate there.

She worked at a real-estate company, avidly chasing results day in and day out.

I managed to close deals for
most of my clients. It was really fun.

I wanted to keep doing my best
at the front line. That was my goal.

A turning point came for Tomo when she gave birth to her son, Satoru, at the age of 39.

She quit her job at the real-estate company, so she could spend as much as time as possible with Satoru.

And she opened a vegetable store!

She grew up in a farming family after all.

She decided to grow and sell her own vegetables.

Then one day, a young customer told her something that deeply shocked her.

This young man says, "I'm sorry,
I can only come by once a month."

It turns out his salary was quite low,
though he worked at a leading company.

I was surprised and said, "That low?"

He said he could barely make ends meet,
after paying rent and utility bills.

Tomo realized that today's young people have a very different life from hers during Japan's bubble period.

She started worrying about Satoru's future.

I didn't know young people were having
such a tough time. It surprised me.

Their parents worked hard to raise them,
so they could go to a good university...

and get a job... for that?

It makes me want to cry.
They're like my children.

This is today's jackpot.

- "Can you make a profit?"
- Yes, I can.

Four years ago, Tomo closed her store and opened this vegetable stand instead.

There are a lot of young people in Ebisu.

To offer vegetables as cheaply as possible in this trendy area,

she decided to keep costs down by selling them without any on-site staff.

At the stand, Tomo has posted
a message to young people.

Some of them have replied.

Tomo, thanks to you, I enjoy cooking
every day. You cheer me up.

You're like my second mom.
You help me keep going.

It's ready!

Can you wake Satoru?

Tomo is always busy, working in the patch and managing the vegetable stand.

Her husband works at a restaurant.

And here's Satoru.

It's been a while since the three of them have eaten together as a family.

Eat the eggplant, both of you.

These are our proud zucchinis and
eggplants. We grew them ourselves.

Look! Don't I have good taste?

Are you done?

Satoru should be in his third and final year of junior high.

But he stopped going to school in the middle of second grade.

I can't join in conversations.

I don't have many friends.
So, it's no fun going to school.

We were busy at work and left him alone.
Now, we're paying for it.

We should've been there for him more.

These days, Tomo takes Satoru to the vegetable farm more or less every day.

Farm work demands patience
from Satoru.

Satoru has no energy today.

Still, he is not giving up.

It's better coming here
than going to school.

"Better than being at home, too?"

I guess I'd rather be here than playing
computer games for hours at home.

We fertilized yesterday.
So, they should be big.

Do you know how to do it?
This is your first harvest.

Not many over here.

Mother and son spent 3 months
growing these eggplants.

Your seat belt is on.
Let's go!

Here, take this first.
This, too. Thanks.

Fresh-harvested eggplants.
I'll write a note that you grew these.

Put this over there!

Here it is.

We harvested the eggplants today.
The first batch of the year.

- Can I grill these?
- Yes, they're nice and soft.

- Only 100 yen.
- Really?

Eggplants were a hot seller
this summer.

Something happens that surprises Tomo a little.

No 100-yen coin...
I only have a 500-yen coin.

I don't have any change.

Then, Satoru thinks of something.

Here's your change, 400 yen.

- I'm getting two packs.
- 300 yen then.

Thank you, Satoru.
Glad to hear your voice.

Good job for your first time!

You gave the correct change, too.
It's a nice surprise. You can do it.

She told me, "Thank you."

I come along most of the time.
I enjoy interacting with people.

I'm grateful to my mother
for giving me the opportunity.

The two are working in scorching heat, with the temperature topping 35 degrees Celsius.

It's so hot...

But let's keep working hard.

Satoru steps away from the vegetable stand.

Thank you!

Let's keep it up.

People each have their own worries.

But Tomo's vegetable stand is here for them, cradling them,

as if to say, "It's OK. You'll be fine."

People these days love good things.
If it's not nice, they don't want it.

This one has grown this much.
It was alive until just a while ago.

Like people, it may not look good
but it has character.

It has its appeal.
So, I don't want to throw it away.

There are all kinds of people,
and everyone is important.

Sena buys Tomo's vegetables
every week.

Her younger sister has moved from
Okinawa, and lives with her now.

It's delicious!

I couldn't be more grateful to Tomo.

I want to work hard and
return the favor to people around me.

Good morning!

- You've grown so big!
- He sure has.

Satoru participates
in a market auction.

Attaboy!

Were you nervous?

Are you listening?
I'll tickle you.