Sai-san and her devoted husband Kohei-san, love Japanese tradition and have chosen to live an old fashioned lifestyle. All throughout the manga series, the central characters of Sai-san and Kohei-san involve themselves in traditional culture. From Sai-san's decision to wear kimono and prepare old fashioned home cooked meals, to the couple's participating in the many cultural observances that mark the seasons, the pair succeed in helping to preserve many of the
worthwhile aspects of Japan's past.

It's charming to see Sai-san walking down a modern commercial avenue in her kimono, oblivious to the high fashion shops and other businesses vying for her attention. Sai-san is daily confronted in various ways with "life in the big city," yet she remains confident and self assured in her chosen way.