Trailer: ‘Satoko Always’
By Phil Mills | Sep 16, 2026
‘Satoko Always’ (さとこはいつも) is a 2026 Japanese drama written and directed by Shuichi Okita.
The film follows three women named Satoko, aged 15, 35 and 55, whose very different lives begin to intersect when each starts writing about her own experiences. The cast includes Kasumi Arimura, Hikari Ishida, Kashun Himeno, Yoh Yoshida, Joe Odagiri, and Michitaka Tsutsui.
Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Satoko Nakai begins writing about her first love after receiving encouragement from her Japanese teacher. Thirty-five-year-old Satoko Nishida works in film distribution while reflecting on a six-year affair that has begun to lose its way. Fifty-five-year-old Satoko Iijima, with her children now grown, remembers her former ambition to become a writer and begins putting her own first-love story on paper. As the three women turn their lives into stories, their separate paths gradually begin to cross. [© Far East Films]
‘Satoko Always’ is scheduled for release in Japan on September 18, 2026.
