Bacchan: Granny's Table

A grandmother’s cooking and wisdom heal delinquent youth

Chikako Nakamoto, affectionately called “Bacchan” or “Granny,” is known locally as Hiroshima’s Mother Theresa. For years, she’s been welcoming juvenile delinquents with her home-cooked meals. She believes that hunger is a trigger for the trouble kids get into, including acts of assault, purse snatching, shoplifting, and prostitution. A warm meal is the first step toward rehabilitation. Among the hundreds of the youth that come to eat at Granny’s is a boy whose family is too poor to feed him and a girl who’s been abused by her parents.

Through the homemade meals and conversation with Granny, these young people seek and find ways to overcome despair. This documentary, filmed over a span of eight years, shows how Granny’s table has changed the lives of these juveniles.