Midnight Diner: Watch This Heartfelt Japanese TV Series Before Visiting Tokyo
Midnight Diner is a binge-worthy Japanese TV series on Netflix that will especially be enjoyed by anyone who has visited Tokyo or has it on their bucket list.
The show offers a glimpse of the vibrant city and its regional cuisine, and opens a window into its culture. Although the diner setting in one of the city’s narrow back alleys is fictional, it is reminiscent of one of Japan’s current-day pubs (izakaya), where people gather after work to drink.
How does each series begin?
Soulful music creates a sense of place and sets the stage for each of the 25-minute episodes to come. The sentimental musical theme is sung by the late Tsunekichi Suzuki, a Japanese folk singer, accompanied by an acoustic guitar.
The program opens with the Master driving his van through the bustling Shinjuku area of central Tokyo on a rainy night, amid taxis and cars, passing by shops and eateries lit with vintage neon lights.
Then the narrator, the Master, welcomes viewers at the start of the episode. The voiceover, subtitled in English, reads:
“When people finish their day and hurry home, my day starts. My diner is open from midnight to seven in the morning.
They call it “Midnight Diner” [and the camera cuts to the menu in his diner with only a few dishes and drinks]. That’s all I have on my menu.
But I make whatever customers request as long as I have the ingredients for it. That’s my policy.
Do I even have customers? More than you would expect.”
What is the storyline of Midnight Diner?
The diner (named Meshiya) opens at midnight with the Master lighting a Japanese paper lantern and hanging a cloth curtain (cut into panels) outside to show it is open for business.
Sometimes, we see him smoking a cigarette on a fire escape above the diner. But most episodes show him preparing his signature pork soup in the rustic kitchen opposite the counter.
The plot revolves around the quirky characters who come to the diner, all of whom are there because they want to stop somewhere else before heading home. It’s a mix of regulars and new people. Singly, in twosomes, or in small groups, they enter and take their places at the U-shaped, 12-seat counter to unwind from their day.
While they appear to be an audience surrounding the Master, he usually has little to say, and the diners provide most of the story and dialogue.
At the end of each episode, the actors drop their roles and demonstrate the recipe for preparing the starring dish.
What’s on the Midnight Diner menu on the Wall?
The menu on the wall, written in Japanese, is limited to four items:
- Tonjiru (a miso and pork-based soup with root vegetables)
- Sake (a brewed Japanese wine)
- Beer, and
- Shochu (a distilled liquor stronger than sake)
There’s also an unwritten rule: The Master, who runs a one-man operation multitasking as cook, bartender, server and attentive listener, won’t serve anyone more than three drinks.
Some diners order the traditional soup, but others request their favorite dishes—either those their mother prepared when they were young or those associated with other memories. Because Tokyo is Japan’s domestic melting pot, where many people arrive from other regions for work, they often ask the Master to prepare dishes reminiscent of their native regions.
While traditional Japanese comfort foods and cooking are important elements of the show, each episode tells a story highlighting serious cultural themes, such as unemployment, poverty, aging, honor, loyalty, social class, love and infidelity, loneliness, homesickness, illness and death, addictions (to alcohol and gambling), crime, and more.
Who are the characters in Midnight Diner?
While we know precious little about the Master (played by Kaoru Kobayashi), he is polite and reserved and bears a large scar across one side of his face. But his omnipresence dominates the series as we watch him prepare dishes and intervene when necessary. He is the only actor who appears in every episode.
Most of the diners represent the underbelly of society: porn stars, dancers, transexual people, sex workers, salary men, friends looking for romance, lonely older people, and gamblers. Each episode tells a story associated with one of them; some of the backstories are humorous, others tinged with sadness. What they share in common is that they don’t want to go home.
Where to Stream Midnight Diner
All seasons of Midnight Diner and Tokyo Stories are available to stream on Netflix. Each of the three seasons has 10 episodes that you’ll breeze through. Tokyo Stories has two 10-episode seasons.
Five seasons of Midnight Diner have aired on Japanese TV, with the first premiering in 2009. The fourth and fifth seasons were renamed Tokyo Stories when Netflix picked them up and released them to 190 countries worldwide. There are also two feature-length films that played in Japanese theaters in 2015 and 2016.
Are Any More Episodes of Midnight Diner Planned?
The story of Midnight Diner came from a manga (a Japanese comic book). The Anime News Network, a respected news site covering anime (and comics), recently reported that a new sixth season of the show has been greenlit and is set to debut in the fall of 2026.
How To Watch
Our suggestion is to watch at least one episode per night just before bedtime. If you can’t sleep, watch one more. Each 25-minute episode has a gentle, calming rhythm with a beginning and an end. We began watching Midnight Diner before we left home and resumed immediately after our return from Japan.
Originally based on a comic nook, Midnight Diner’s humor and storytelling translate amazingly well, and you’ll feel like you’re sitting at one of the seats in the hole-in-the-wall diner. You’ll likely want to try some of the dishes at home or travel to Tokyo. More importantly, you’ll recognize the humanity in all the characters.
See Midnight Diner Trailer on YouTube
If You’re Hungry After Watching
A Recipe for Midnight Diner Soup
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