Naoko, played by the dreamy Kanno Miho (best known for her role in Kitano's Dolls) returns to her hometown, a fishing village on Shikoku Island, with her preschool daughter Momo. She's leaving behind a messy divorce and an abusive husband. Her tough mother Masako (Natsuki Mari) runs the only hair salon in the vicinity, "Permanent Nobara", an extraordinary place that provides one signature haircut (the perm, a bit like in Ogigami Naoko's brilliantly funny Yoshino's Barber Shop) and a shame-free collective confessional where the local women, young and old, come to discuss their most personal love and sex issues. Topics range from the woeful brevity of the average relationship to penis lengths.

Meanwhile, the men, who are mostly sorry losers, chase after the Filipina hostesses at the only snakku in town. Will Naoko find a new beginning and true love among this happy-go-wacky group of oddballs? The odds don't look so good at first blush, but discreetly, a bit of a romance is rekindled with her high school science teacher Kashima (Eguchi Yosuke, in a fine performance). Perhaps the answer is there.

One of the funniest and strangest comedies to come out of Japan in the past few years, the film shows Yoshida's trademark directorial craft for the comical intermezzo, fast-paced flashbacks, and bizarre situations perfectly poised between comedy and serious drama. With more sting than a swarm of killer bees, Permanent Nobara gives you 99 minutes of biting humor and uniquely Japanese film bliss.