Haru's Journey (Haru tono tabi) was released nationwide on Saturday, May 22, 2010. The film received funding and distribution from Asmik Ace Entertainment Inc., a motion picture production and distribution company operated by Sumitomo Corporation.

Story
Tadao (played by Tatsuya Nakadai), an old fisherman who has trouble walking, lives in a fishing village in Hokkaido, with support from his granddaughter Haru (played by Eri Tokunaga).  One day, Haru loses her job and decides to seek employment in Tokyo. Grandfather and granddaughter thus embark on a journey to find a family member who is willing to take care of Tadao, who cannot live by himself, for the rest of his life. While the grandfather is inevitably faced with the anguish of his painful past, the granddaughter too comes up against family conflict. Depicting the bonds that exist within a family, this thought provoking story examines various issues faced in contemporary Japan, such as those related to elderly people and how they live and the nuclear family.

Prior to its nationwide release, a preview of the barrier-free version of Haru's Journey (Haru tono tabi) was screened on April 27 at the Tsukishima Social Education Center in Tokyo. Barrier-free films are accompanied by an audio description and Japanese-language subtitles to make it possible for visually and hearing impaired people to enjoy them.
Pupils from Tsukishima Daisan Elementary School and Tokyo Metropolitan Katsushika School for the Blind as well as residents of Chuo-ku were invited to attend the preview, which was organized in partnership with the two schools. Tadahito Ikushima, a student at the Katsushika School for the Blind and one of a number of visually impaired viewers who enjoyed the preview alongside other audience members, said "I enjoyed the movie because it made me realize how precious family really is."
The production of barrier-free movies requires the understanding and cooperation of a great many people, including people with disabilities as well as NPO workers. The Sumitomo Group has been rolling out barrier-free movies as part of its social contribution activities by way of collaboration among its movie production and distribution company, Asmik Ace Entertainment Inc., its theater management firm, UNITED CINEMAS CO., LTD., and others.

We invite you to go along to the cinema to see Haru's Journey (Haru tono tabi), which in March 2010 was recommended by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (general motion pictures section).