Kimura Midoriko is a Japanese actress who was born on October 15, 1961, in Sumoto, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She studied at the Doshisha Women’s College of Liberal Arts where she studied in the English Department. She began acting in the mid-1980s and primarily appeared in stage play performances until the early 2000s, when she transitioned into screen work with roles in movies like “Shangri La” (2002) and the 2005 film “Einstein Girl.” She appeared in “Midnight Diner 2” in 2016 and her more recent movie credits include 2019’s “Don’t Cry, Mr. Ogre” and 2021’s “Under the Open Sky.”

Kimura Midoriko

The Master (Kaoru Kobayashi) is the owner and cook at a tiny izakaya (restaurant and bar) that operates in a Tokyo side street. At midnight, while most are asleep in their beds, he opens his doors for business, closing again at 7am.

Although his eatery is tiny, he has a loyal clientele, who come by to enjoy the food and drink, but also to soak up the atmosphere. Most know one another well, and have a great fondness for The Master, who is famous for his sage advice and comforting manner.

Although his menu only boasts four items, he claims that he will make any dish for anyone – so long as he can.

Regulars come and go, and patrons include a gangster and an elderly man who meticulously records how many meals he has as does not “know how many” he “has left.”

The movie follows the fortunes of a number of the clients as they interact with The Master and one another – and their lives away from the izakaya.

The story variously follows a group of funeral enthusiasts, a disgruntled book publishing company staffer, an elderly woman with memory issues, and the son of one of The Master’s old patrons.

“Midnight Diner 2” is a 2016 movie that was directed by Joji Matsuoka.

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