Eat, Sleep, then Wait for Happiness

After being diagnosed with a lifelong illness, Satoko Mugimaki struggles to get by on a four-day-a-week part-time job. Giving up her dream of owning a condominium, she moves into a 45-year-old housing complex. There, she finds comfort in the warm soup made by Tsukasa, a mysterious lodger living with her 90-year-old landlady, and discovers the healing power of food therapy. ©NHK

Satoko is crestfallen when Tsukasa turns down her request to be her food therapy teacher. Seeing this, Suzu shares a story from Tsukasa's past. Her words, "Good fortune comes to those who wait," bring Satoko comfort. Inspired, Satoko throws herself into food therapy, but her financial worries persist. Then, Suzu and Tsukasa invite her to sukiyaki, where a surprising truth is revealed. ©NHK

Thanks to Suzu and Tsukasa, Satoko begins to find joy in life's small pleasures. So she's surprised when a former colleague invites her back to her old job-a place she left after harassment by a younger coworker and a decline in her health. She is torn between financial security and fulfillment when a casual remark from her boss, Mr. Kara, during a hot spring trip helps her make up her mind. ©NHK

Illustrator Korai, a new resident in the housing complex, teams up with Suzu, who surprises everyone by selling her handmade crafts online. Suzu encourages Satoko to find a side job too, leading her to turn an empty room into a rental space. Things look up when local high schooler Yumi becomes a regular visitor, but the extra responsibility soon takes its toll. Then, another worry arises... ©NHK

Having given up on her side hustle, Satoko returns to her routine of work and home. Meanwhile, Tsukasa heads for the mountains, as he often does. Satoko follows him there and discovers an unexpected side to the mysterious young man. At the same time, Suzu recalls the day she first met Tsukasa-when she found an abandoned sneaker by the river and him inside a nearby tent, unable to move... ©NHK

When Satoko's boss suggests moving to the countryside, she is tempted by the promise of better health and lower living costs. Meanwhile, housing complex resident Sorihashi, torn between her interest in vegetarianism and her family's eating habits, befriends Tsukasa's unemployed friend Yatsugashira. Their meeting soon has an unexpected impact on Satoko's plans. ©NHK

As Yatsugashira, Sorihashi, and Yumi prepare to move out of the housing complex, Satoko feels left behind after giving up on moving away. Then, Suzu makes a surprise offer-to give Satoko her unit one day. But is she ready to commit to a life in the housing complex? As she struggles with the decision, she meets a fellow resident who goes by "Uzura" online. ©NHK

Suzu's daughter, Toko, arrives in a panic after hearing of her mother's plan to give Satoko the apartment she rents. But her visit reveals an unsettling truth: if the housing complex is ever rebuilt, residents could face enormous costs-or be forced to leave. Toko urges Suzu to move into a retirement home, but Suzu insists she wants to stay. Then Toko makes an unexpected proposal to Tsukasa. ©NHK

Two weeks after Tsukasa leaves for the mountains, Satoko worries about the lonely-looking Suzu, whose sewing business has ground to a halt. Seeing other elderly residents eager to keep working, Satoko begins searching for ways she can help and comes up with the idea of creating a shared space within the housing complex for everyone to use. Meanwhile, Tsukasa searches for his own answers. ©NHK