Photo/Illutration A scene from "Oyaji Kyanpu Meshi" (Old man's camp meal) (Captured from footage on YouTube)

When Masayoshi Masugi, a 38-year-old Kyoto-based filmmaker, visited his favorite Chinese restaurant two years ago, he saw a notice of its closure posted on the door.

It was right after the first COVID-19 state of emergency declaration had been lifted, and there was no knowing where the old man who had run the place had gone.

Masugi, himself, was out of work because of the pandemic.

"Back then, everyone was having a tough time, and I felt a panic attack coming," he recalled. "I thought a drama that would take people's minds off their worries was what we all needed."

To film it in compliance with rules about crowds, he chose camping, his hobby, as the theme.

He took out a loan and completed a 12-episode work titled "Oyaji Kyanpu Meshi" (Old man's camp meal), which has 8 million views on YouTube so far.

The drama's protagonist, Akio Sakamoto, 60, owned and operated a restaurant called Shunka Shuto in Kyoto until he lost it, along with his home.

He spends the episodes roaming around campgrounds in Kyoto and Wakayama in his old minivan.

Taciturn and glum-faced, he has the aura of a recluse, but he fires up his wok and treats people he comes across with veritable feasts.

With very little dialogue, this is an "unusual" drama, but it comes with nonstop background sounds such as the crackling of burning firewood, the babbling of a stream and the rain pelting the tent.

What was Masugi hoping to achieve?

"I wanted viewers to feel immersed in nature," he said. "And doesn't that somehow make you miss being around others?"

The prolonged pandemic has lasted through two cycles of the four seasons.

Normally busy streets were deserted; there were no passengers on Shinkansen trains; and "keep off" tapes were strung around playground equipment.

But the infections continued, leaving us unsure as to how best to practice social distancing.

I went to see a campground the other day. There were families, married couples and groups of friends, but also quite a few solo campers.

Staying holed up alone may seem easy, but it's actually difficult.

I think Masugi's drama teaches us the primordial nature of human beings.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 2

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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