Zou at New National Theatre Tokyo

A man comes to visit his uncle in the hospital. The patient is a hibakusha, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. People on the street would cheer when he stripped to the waist and showed the keloid on his back. But it seems his condition has deteriorated and he is now in the hospital. As the two talk, it becomes clear that the younger man is also a hibakusha.
Man : Don't you think it's better just to die quietly?
Patient : Not me. I want to be killed before I die.
Man : Why?
Patient : I don't know. I want to live with passion!
The patient hopes to recover and go back to showing off his keloid in the streets, but his nephew says he should bide his time without drawing attention. At the center of this work are two people and their different approaches to life. They and the various people around them, including the patient's wife, the doctor and nurse; give us a glimpse at the issues facing the hibakusha and the wider issues of the world around them.
Eventually, the nephew too falls ill and enters the hospital in the bed next to his uncle. Contrary to the uncle, who is determined to stay active, the nephew's wish is to wait quietly for death to come. One rainy day, the uncle makes up his mind to head out into the streets.