Wangan Doro

Wangan Doro (Japanese: 湾岸道路),^[1][2] also known as Gulf Road, The Wangan Road or The Wangan Highway, is a 1984 Japanese drama film directed by Yōichi Higashi and co-written by Higashi with Hideyoshi Kin.^[1][2] The film is based on a novel of the same name by Yoshio Kataoka,^[1][2][3] the author of His Motorbike, Her Island.^[4] It tells the story of a married couple in bubble-era Japan and reflects on the consumerism and shifting cultural values of that time period. The film stars Masao Kusakari and Kanako Higuchi in the lead roles, in addition to Kaoru Kobayashi, Mitsuko Kusabue and Kentaro Shimizu.^[1][2] Avant-garde composer Toshi Ichiyanagi wrote the film's score.^[1][2] Wangan Doro was theatrically released by Toei Company on September 29, 1984, in Japan.^[1][2]

It is bubble-era Japan. Kensuke Sugimoto, a bodybuilding instructor at a gym, has been married for two years. His wife, Fumiko, works as an office administrator at a listed company. Kensuke's fellow instructors at the gym, Yukari, Saito, and swimming instructor Sasaki, are all friendly, and Kensuke likes his co-workers. Kensuke and Fumiko enjoy elegant conversations and go out to dinner together. In spite of this, they lead largely separate lives, though they accept and respect each other's chosen paths.

One day, the couple head to a misty Hakone villa in their beloved Chrysler Cordoba. Kensuke's long-held dream is to purchase a Harley-Davidson motorcycle; he plans to do so after they reach their destination. However, Kensuke discovers that their shared bank account has a zero balance when he tries making the down payment. This is due to Fumiko's spendthrift habits. He scolds Fumiko, as this isn't the first time this has happened (things have gotten to the point where Fumiko now has 31 credit cards). Nonetheless, they make up, though the incident puts a strain on their relationship.

Fumiko gets a second job as a hostess at the Katsura Club for extra income. She quickly attracts the attention of the customers. One day, the owner of Katsura introduces her to a customer who wants to pay to have sex with her. When she tells Kensuke, he consents to the arrangement. Kensuke drives Fumiko to a hotel, where she has sex with the customer. Fumiko becomes a popular sex worker at the club, and soon has enough money to buy whatever she wants.

Their life together continues as before, but a sense of emptiness grows in Kensuke, and he reflects on their relationship. At the same time, Fumiko starts to tread in the footsteps of her husband, learning more about him and what he enjoys. One day, Kensuke suddenly breaks up with Fumiko. He says he is going to travel around Japan on his motorcycle. Though initially shocked, Fumiko agrees to let Kensuke go. Kensuke sells his apartment, then buys the long sought after Harley-Davidson from his childhood friend, Nakamura. On the day of his departure, Kensuke has sex with Fumiko in their Cordoba. Afterwards, he drives her to Oi Wharf, where he says goodbye and sets off along the gulf road. Fumiko, left behind, feels frustrated with life.

A month passes with no word from Kensuke. Fumiko learns how to ride a motorcycle with coaching from Nakamura and his wife, Catherine. A year later, Fumiko quits her job and, like Kensuke, sets off along the gulf road on her own Harley-Davidson.

Author Yoshio Kataoka's novel was first published in 1982 by Kadokawa Shoten, and republished in 1984 by the same company.^[3][5] Kataoka had also written the novel His Motorbike, Her Island in 1977,^[4] which was adapted into a 1986 film by Nobuhiko Obayashi.

Kusakari's previous film, The Last Hero (1982), also featured him playing a character who rode a motorcycle.

Wangan Doro was theatrically released by Toei Company on September 29, 1984, in Japan.^[1][2] The film was later released to VHS, but has never been distributed on DVD or Blu-ray.

• Wangan Doro at IMDb