Photo/Illutration Actor Koji Yakusho, right, and dancer Min Tanaka speak to the media at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on June 13. (Shigetaka Kodama)

Koji Yakusho, who won the Best Actor Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, said he believes the beautiful way of life portrayed by the protagonist he played spoke to the audience and was appreciated.

He won for his performance as the humble public toilet cleaner who lives each day to the fullest in “Perfect Days.” The film, directed by Germany’s Wim Wenders, was set in Tokyo.

“The man I played, Hirayama, has almost no wealth,” Yakusho, 67, said at the Japan National Press Club on June 13. “He cleans toilets, goes to a public bath and reads his favorite paperback books. I think this came across as a beautiful way of life.

“I was happy that director Wim Wenders, the staff and cast were all happy for me,” he said.

After returning from Cannes, Yakusho visited his mentor, Tatsuya Nakadai, also an actor, and brought a watermelon from his hometown.

Yakusho attended the actor training school Nakadai headed before becoming a renowned actor.

“(Nakadai) applauded me from his front door,” Yakusho said. “Nakadai-san has also been to Cannes many times, but he said, ‘I didn’t win (the Best Actor Award),’ and he genuinely rejoiced in my success.”

Min Tanaka, 78, a dancer who co-starred in "Perfect Days," also attended the news conference.

“From my seat in the theater during the official screening at Cannes, I felt the audiences’ hearts gradually being drawn into the movie,” Tanaka said.

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