‘Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories’ Reopens After 7 Years, Welcoming Back 21 Regulars

The Master returns after weathering the pandemic, bringing warmth back for the first time in 7 years

Based on the manga of the same name by Yaro Abe, which has sold more than 9 million copies worldwide, ‘Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories’ began streaming worldwide on Netflix on the 20th.

Tucked away in a downtown alley, this spot keeps its lights on from midnight until 7 a.m. The menu lists only pork miso soup sets, beer, sake and shochu, but the Master will make just about anything a customer wants. Since its debut in 2009, starring Kaoru Kobayashi, the series has become a beloved feel-good drama that nourishes both hungry stomachs and hearts.

The show went on to win over audiences with Season 2 in 2011 and Season 3 in 2014. Starting in 2016, it was distributed worldwide in 190 countries as a Netflix original, building a global fan base. Two theatrical films directed by Joji Matsuoka were also major successes. The new season, the first in seven years, reunites the original creative team and cast, raising expectations.

From Joe Odagiri to Yutaka Matsushige, familiar faces reunite

The standout is an all-star cast. Familiar regulars return, including Chu (Mansaku Fuwa), who knows the ins and outs of Shinjuku; Kosuzu (Toshiki Ayata), the owner of a gay bar; Marilyn (Tamae Ando), a stripper; and the Ochazuke Sisters (Risa Sudo, Asako Kobayashi and Nahoko Yoshimoto).

They’re joined by Ryu (Yutaka Matsushige), a yakuza; Detective Noguchi (Ken Mitsuishi), a veteran detective; Chieko (Kimiko Yo), the proprietress of a geisha house; and Kogure (Joe Odagiri), a police officer. All 21 cast members return to fill the seats at Meshiya (the diner). With seven years gone by, the changes in the regulars’ lives are also a key point of interest this season.

The directors are an impressive lineup, too. Alongside returning directors who helped shape the series’ world—Joji Matsuoka (episodes 2, 5 and 8), Nobuhiro Yamashita (episodes 7 and 9) and Shotaro Kobayashi (episode 6)—Satoko Yokohama (episode 4) and Ryo Yoshida (episodes 1, 3 and 10) join the team, promising an even richer collection of episodes.

The season opener follows the Master as he reopens the diner after closing during the pandemic, with his regulars worrying about him. In episode 2, the story of a university professor who orders carrot shirishiri while longing for his late wife intersects with that of another customer who is reminded of an old love, leaving a deep impression.