I was quite enchanted by this Japanese movie, with its interesting insights in Japanese culture and daily life.

The story is about a shy hardworking accountant, who has recently turned 40 and is going through something of a midlife crisis. He has bought a house - his first - for his wife and teenage daughter, and resigned himself to 20 years of labour to pay off the mortgage.

Problem is, he now feels empty and unfulfilled - there is not much else he can do with his life. One evening, on his way home, he spies a lovely young woman staring forlornly out of a dancing studio window.

He is smitten.

A few days later, he plucks up the courage to go to the studio, where his nerves desert him again. Luckily, fate steps in and literally forces him through the door, sprawling on the floor. Once inside, the object of his affections try to arrange lessons for him, going for the 'private lesson' option, which turns out to be more than his budget can spare. Things go a bit smoother when the instructor - a kindly woman with a great understanding of human nature - persuades him to attend the class lessons instead. The ice maiden was not too impressed with this.

Anyway, for the rest of the film we follow him as he goes from a klutz with two left feet to graceful dancer.

We also follow the relationship with the ice maiden, as she slowly thaws to him. She knows a thing or two about handling men.

But the film is not really about dancing. It is about life in Japan, about mid-life crises, about trust between man and woman and husband and wife, about the importance of platonic relationships to people. It questions some aspects of Japanese cultural life.

On a more serious note, the film asks, 'when is an affair an affair?' - especially when there is no sex - not even kissing - involved, but it is clear that there is real affection between the two people.

In order to understand the film, you have to know that ballroom dancing is looked down on in Japan. Public displays of affection is just not done, you know, and the thought of being in close bodily contact with a scantily clad woman who is not your wife, in *public*, is well, just unspeakable. Any Japanese taking up the sport has to risk becoming a social outcast and with bringing shame on his family.

Thus our hero keeps his dancing activities secret. However, his wife becomes suspicious, and hires a private detective to set her mind at rest. He only partially succeeds.

Things come to a head when the man enters a competition, and the detective, who has since made the case a hobby, organises for mommy and daughter to attend. Daughter gets a bit carried away, and cheers daddy loudly, which throws him into a state of confusion, leading to disaster.

After that, the married couple patch things up and he gives up dancing.

Until he receives an invitation to a going-away party for the former ice maiden, which leads to the feel-good ending.

There are a few subplots in the movie which I won't divulge here.

No doubt many people will refer to Strictly Ballroom when discussing this film. Whereas the Australian offering was over the top and in-your-face, the Japanese story is much more restrained, with a subtler sense of humour. I found it very funny in places, although not everyone in the preview audience shared my sense of humour.

Japanese society seems to have some major differences to our own, even though their railway stations look just like ours. For example, they are always very humble towards others (one bitch excluded), except when one of them gets hurt by another. Then all hell breaks loose, and the accused turns on the accuser to vent his spleen in front of anyone who happens to be there, pouring his heart out. So un-South African!