The Happy Family Plan introduces us to a Japanese game show named “Happy Family Plan” which sees fathers participate in challenges, like memorising breeds of dogs or playing musical instruments in order to win prizes for their family. Here we meet Fujio. He lost his job in the 1990s economic downturn in Japan, and relocates his wife and kids to to his father-in-law’s home in Yokohama. His wife, Yuko, opens her own business and the kids settle in to their new lives, which leaves Fujio to try and figure out what to do with himself. Yuko and Fujio’s son secretly enters the family as contestants on the “Happy Family Plan” show. Having lost money in a failed business venture, Fujio agrees to take up the challenge – he needs to learn how to play Home Sweet Home’ on the piano and play it on live TV in 7 days time. That shouldn’t be too hard. If only he had played piano before!