The Hotel of My Dream

Screening as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026. This title of this year's programme is Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema. 

If you book three or more films in the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026, each ticket will be discounted to the special price of £8. Simply add the tickets to your basket and the offer will be applied at check-out.

A semi-autobiographical story loosely based on a book by Asako Yuzuki, the author of the UK best-selling novel Butter, this charming and comical film explores the brutal reality of becoming a notable novelist.

Despite winning an award for newcomers, the future of rookie novelist Nakajima Kayoko does not seem at all bright. Unable to make a brilliant debut and deprived of opportunities to publish her works, Kayoko’s struggles all stem from harsh criticism, particularly courtesy of veteran writer Higashijujo Munenori, leaving her with something of a grudge against him. Determined to settle things, Kayoko decides to stay at the prestigious Hilltop Hotel for a writing retreat, but — to her surprise — staying in the room directly above her is none other than Higashijujo himself!

With the help of editor Endo Michio, formerly Kayoko’s senior at university, she devises a plan to sabotage Munenori’s work, successfully causing him to miss the deadline forsubmitting his manuscript to a literary magazine. However, this act of revenge only marks the beginning of even more misfortune for Kayoko…Can she reclaim her place in the literary world and continue on her path as a novelist, as she so desperately desires?

In The Hotel of my Dream, director Tsutsumi Yukihiko delivers an honest account of the life of a young novelist who dreams of success within the Japanese literary establishment. Transposing Yuzuki Asako’s original story from the present day to the 1980s, the film is filled with satire, humour, and one woman’s inexhaustible power to break through. Audiences can also enjoy fabulous 80s attire!

Image: (C）2012 Asako Yuzuki/Shinchosha （C）2024 “The Hotel of my Dream“ Film Partners