Asuka wanted to escape the pressures of her life in the entertainment industry, and she planned a short getaway to the Aka island in Okinawa.
There, she was greeted by her lovely host family, and Takeshi, the son of the guest house owner. He is momentarily star-struck by her presence, but she takes it in stride.
Soon, they’re touring the island together, and Asuka is enthralled with the sights and smells.
But an unusual encounter with a local deer — the black ‘sika’ deer — unnerves her.
Asuka was told that ‘sika’ also means ‘coward’ in the local dialect.
She realises that whenever the deer appears, so does her insecurities. It opened a floodgate of fears, and this time, she couldn’t run away from them – the back-stabbing, the industry’s criticism, the expectations of her career as an actress…
Asuka gets lost in the woods and confronts a black sika deer, face to face, battling her fears. It’s a wild and jittery animal, but it’s also an animal she’s familiar with.
She still has fear in her heart, but this time, she’ll walk away with courage.
Watch ‘The Deer In Me’ by Kenji Tabuchi (Japan) on Viddsee:
‘The Deer In Me’ is part of our Okinawa Shorts channel on Viddsee.