Kei (Izumi Fujimoto) is a 19-year-old college art major. She moves to Kobe from Tokyo due to her father's work transfer. There, she learns about the Great Hanshin Earthquake from residents in Kobe.  Kei meets a wheelchair bound illustrator, Yoji (Eiji Sugawara). Even though he is physically disabled, he works hard. With earnings he makes from his paintings, he donates the proceeds to help revive various areas still suffering from the earthquake disaster. Kei becomes inspired by him and goes through a change.

Kobe Zaiju: The Movie

Two sisters Tae and Yo come back to their old house which is soon to be torn down. Clearing up the family mementos, Tae finds a red box full of recipes and letters written by their mother who died 20 years ago. In these recipes and letters, she finds out how her mother had struggled in her life due to relocation from Japan to Taiwan, the death of her Taiwanese husband, and a battle with cancer. Tae travels to Taiwan to trace her mother's past, reminiscing about the dishes she made for the family.